05_721131-ch01.qxp 1/29/09 8:15 PM Page 5 The Best Full-Day 1 Tours COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 05_721131-ch01.qxp 1/29/09 8:15 PM Page 6 6 The Best in One Day 10 Lu i e B n a HutaH sh Full-Day Tours Full-Day u g t n a ho i Z LLu u ZhongshanZhongshan BBei Lu u ei Lu L g u in L p Lu i i e SipingS Lu The Best n a B h n u s a L o a u n a i h B c H c i ShanghaiShanghai (East)(East) x i enge eexin Lu S n S g RailwayRailway StationStation h JianJ g ShanghaiShanghai i fengf Lu a e nghn n n o RailwayRailway StationStation g g G nni L i TianmuTianmu XiXi LuLu g Lu ngn Lu WusongW u ainin g Henan B HainingH Lu H L u u s e o n n u a L g gzhi n n RRiv ha C i B Lu v ShS ere eei Lu g h r i n Lu Da ing imei m L o m u D e k) ShanxiS Bei Lu (Suzhou(Suzhou Creek)Cree n n Fu a h F H a LuL u h s n u jij e i x g aan Z n i ( n B NoN n a 6 n o e o Z i h 5 . hongh Z 4 22) L Z o h u ) 1 1 n o 37 u . L u g n g o i L o n Lu g o X L D N g N n u n l eiji People’sPeople’s L n’’ana Dongne Lu u a BeijingB Xi Lu u YanY TunnelTun i L g X ParkPark njin ng Lu 3 NanjingNa Xi Lu anan Do Y N o .2 2 Zhhoong Lu Renmin Yanan L Z Lu u ng h Zho ling X o 1 in n JinlingJ Zhong Lu Lui ong z g D a ihai s HuaihaiHua Dong Lu n h g 8 g H a e n Lu N ong n D Zh a ai a o aih 9 n HuaihaiHu Zhong Lu n F n FuxingFuxing ux L in g N g u D o L a n g ParkPark L u n u Z L L haoh u u u a L o n z a houh Lu o N u i ZhonghuaZhonghua LuLu x L n u a XujiahuiXujiahui LuLu LujiabangLujiabang LuLu h ShanxiS Nan Lu ng Lu ZhaojiabangZhaojiaba Lu u NanpuN Bridge n L an qia pu anqiann Lu Br ezhah idg CheCh e Lu han NanNan Lu 1 ZhongshanZhongs 0 1 mi pu RivRiveerr 0 1 km HuangpHuang 1 The Maglev 2 Shanghai World Financial Center 3 The Park Hyatt 4 Shanghai Municipal History Museum 5 Chinese Sex Culture Museum 6 The Bund 7 Bund 12 Café 8 The French Concession 9 Xintiandi 10 ERA: Intersection of Time 05_721131-ch01.qxp 1/29/09 8:15 PM Page 7 7 The Best y whirlwind tour takes in the giddy highs and raucous Mlows at the elastic extremes of Shanghai society. From the cloud-bursting skyscrapers of Lujiazui, down to the colonial grandeur of the Bund, and out onto the tiles of the trendy French in One Day Lu i Concession, get ready for a breakneck race through this high- e B n a octane city. START: Metro to Longyang Lu. H sh u g t n a ho i Z L u 1 ★★ The Maglev. Only a city in observation deck. The Jin Mao Zhongshan B u ei Lu L g thrall to fast cars, fast money, and Tower, next door, is arguably the u n i u L ip L i S fast living would contemplate more beautiful of the two skyscrap- n e a B h n u s a running a commercial magnetic levi- ers—an 88-story masterpiece that L o u n a i h B H c Shanghai (East) x i tation train, an operation that reput- appears to be bending outwards, like e e n S g Railway Station h J g Shanghai i f a e n edly loses the government money windswept bamboo, tapering to a n n o Railway Station g g G n L i Tianmu Xi Lu g Lu almost as fast as it ferries passen- fine point, like a calligraphy quill. n W u ainin g H H L u u s e gers from Pudong International Air- However, it’s better to look at than o n n u a L g gzhi n n R ha port to the city’s eastern fringe. It be in, so opt to climb the SWFC. Sec- C i B Lu v S e e g h r i n Lu Da ing i m may be expensive to run, but the ond thoughts, I’d take the elevator. L o m u D e k) S (Suzhou Cree n n y @ a Maglev—with its 431kph top speed 1hr. 100 Shiji Da Dao. 021-5878- h F H a L u h s n u j e i x g a n and steep bends—still takes the 0101. www.swfc-observatory.com. i ( n B N n a n o e o Z i h . h Z Admission 94th floor: RMB100 adults, 2 L Z breath away. I’d say this is one of o h u ) 1 n o u . L u g n g i L o n Shanghai’s top attractions, and yet senior citizens & students RMB 70, g o X L D g N n u n l eiji People’s L n’a ne u a B u Y Tun you can experience it without need- child (<140cm) RMB50, 94th & 97th i L g X Park njin ng Lu Na anan Do ing to break stride on the journey Y N o The 88-storey Jinmao Tower has now .2 from airport to hotel. A word of Zhong Lu Renmin Yanan L Z Lu u ng h been eclipsed by the 101-storey Shanghai Zho ling X o warning though: before 8.30am in n J Lu i ong z g World Financial Centre. D a ihai s Hua n h and after 5pm, a snail-paced 301kph g H a e n Lu N ong n D @ 7min. Zh a top speed is enforced. ai a o aih n Hu n F n Fuxing ux L in g N g u D Longyang Metro Station–Pudong o L a n g Park L u n u Z y L International Airport. 021-2890- h u u a L o n 7100. www.smtdc.com. Tickets z a h o N u i Zhonghua Lu RMB50 one-way, RMB80 return. Daily x L n u a Xujiahui Lu Lujiabang Lu 7am–9pm (approx. Times vary h S ng Lu Zhaojiaba slightly depending on direction of u N travel). Metro: Longyang Lu (Line 2). n L an qia pu an Br ezh idg ★★★ Ch e 2 Shanghai World n Nan Lu Financial Center. When dealing Zhongsha 1 with a city this big, it pays to get a panoramic overview. At 101 storys River Huangpu and 492m in stature, the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) rises to the challenge. China’s latest ‘tallest building’ boasts a breath- taking multi-level sightseeing facility which takes advantage of the huge hole that lends the structure the look of a giant bottler opener. The glass- enclosed sky bridge on the 97th floor leads the way to a 100th floor 05_721131-ch01.qxp 1/29/09 8:15 PM Page 8 8 floor: RMB110 adults, senior citizens to the scale models of famous French & students RMB80, child (<140cm) Concession buildings by the exit. In RMB55; 94th, 97th & 100th floors: contrast to the academic feel of the RMB150 adults, senior citizens & Shanghai Museum, this place tells students RMB100, child (<140cm) Shanghai’s unique story through RMB75; children under 80cm free. superbly rendered dioramas and Daily 8am–11pm. Metro: Lujiazui waxworks, working in tandem with Full-Day Tours Full-Day (Line 2). some surprisingly tasteful sound effects and textured surfaces. The galleries are divided into three: ★ 3 The Park Hyatt. For a more pre-revolution; colonial; and post- leisurely visit to the SWFC, I like to The Best colonial, the former giving lie to the dine out in style at one of the spec- popular myth that foreigners were tacular (albeit expensive) restaurants responsible for creating this city. I or bars of the Park Hyatt on the 87th, ignore the queue for the lifts and 91st, 92nd and 93rd storys. 100 Shiji head straight for the basement. y Da Dao. 021-6888-1234. $$$. @ 90min. Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1 Shiji Da Dao. y 021-5879-8888. Admission RMB30. Daily 8am– 4 ★★ Shanghai Municipal His- 9.30pm. Metro: Lujiazui (Line 2). tory Museum. Lurking beneath another of Lujiazui’s world-famous 5 ★ Chinese Sex Culture landmarks—the Oriental Pearl TV Museum. It won’t take more than Tower—this superb museum paints 20 minutes to explore this small Shanghai history in vivid tones, from museum and is worth a quick visit the replica rickshaw by the entrance for the adventurous. A single under- ground room contains a series of A range of silk slippers on display at the small—and not so small—sculptural Shanghai Municipal History Museum. hymns to human sexuality. It’s diffi- cult to believe that prudish modern China spawned some of these achingly erotic pieces of art, and I try to be very grown-up not to find the deadpan descriptions (‘A boy and a big penis’) slightly humorous.