Shanghai

Another long weekend (Buddha's birthday) and off we went on another trip. This time to Shanghai!

Took the morning flight out (which was thankfully on time) and hence could start exploring the city on the first day itself.

We started with the 'Yu Garden' (also called the 'Yuyuan Garden') - is the only Ming Dynasty garden which blends the gardening artistic elements of Ming and Qing dynasties. The garden has pavilions, halls and ponds each with unique characteristics.

The entry fee to the garden is RMB 40.

The garden is also surrounded by a market where you can buy all sorts of things, from souvenirs to toys to electrical gadgets and some yummy snacks. One must try the fried flat bread filled with spring onion, which is extremely oily, but really tasty and addictive.

Our next stop was the Shanghai Circus. We went for the 7.30 pm show called 'ERA Intersection of Time'. The 100 minute show has performers’ present Chinese acrobatics, martial arts and dance with original live music, sound and light effects. The show is a must watch and is enjoyable for both children and the elders.

One of the instrument used during an amazing act in the show.

Due to copyright issues, photography is not allowed during the show.Ticket prices for the show range from RMB 120 - RMB 600.

We started Day 2 with a visit to the 'Jing'an Temple'. It is one of the most famous Buddhist Temple in Shanghai surrounded by modern buildings. The temple has three main halls - The Mahavira Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Three Sage Hall. The temple has Jade Buddha statutes, calligraphy rolls and paintings.

The temple is open from 7.30 am to 5.00 pm. The entry fee to the temple is RMB 50.

Next on our itinerary was the 'Jin Mao Tower'. The observation deck on the 88th floor on the tower gives you a bird's eye view of Shanghai. 

Grand Hyatt Shanghai (which is located in the Jin Mao Tower) boasts of an imposing atrium with a height of 152 meters and 27 meters in diameter.

The tower is open from 8.30 am to 9.30 pm. Entry fee to the observation deck is RMB 120. The elevator in 'Jin Mao Tower' will take you from ground to the 88th floor in 45 seconds. 

Next on our agenda was the 'Huangpu River Cruise'. The Huangpu River is the main river of Shanghai, with a length of 114 kilometers and width of 400 meters. The river divides the city into east and west. There are river cruises along the Huangpu every half hour. Each cruise is for about an hour.

View of the city from the bank of the Huangpu River.

The cruise is a good way to experience the different architecture of Shanghai along the river. While the west bank of the river has the historical buildings from the Shanghai's colonial days, the east bank is Shanghai's new financial and commercial hub.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

Tickets for the one hour cruise cost around RMB 120.

Next we went to the 'Bund Sightseeing Tunnel'. The Tunnel goes under the Huangpu River connecting the Bund and Lujiazui Area of Pudong District. Its length is about 647 meters.

The sightseeing tunnel takes visitors in small cable cars through a tunnel decorated with neon flashing lights. It might be enjoyable if you have children travelling with you. But for RMB 50 (one way) and RMB 70 (return), we didn't really think it was worth it.

Finally, our last stop for our Shanghai trip was the 'Shanghai Museum'. One of China’s four most celebrated museums, it has nearly 130,000 pieces of national treasures.

The museum has four floors. The first floor has the ancient Chinese Bronze and the Sculpture Gallery.

The second floor has the ancient Chinese Ceramics Gallery.

Red Pottery from the Longshan Culture (2400 ~ 2000 BC).

The third floor has the Chinese Painting, Seal and Calligraphy Gallery.

The fourth floor has the Ming and Qing Furniture, Chinese Currency, Ancient Chinese Jade and the Chinese Minority Nationalities Art Gallery.

Headdress adorned with coral bead work and silver.

Ceremonial Dress. Mongol.

Lacquerware dining set from the 2nd half of the 20th century.

The museum is open from 9.00am to 5.00 pm. There is no entry fee, but the museum will be closed if the galleries are overcrowded.   

  

Shanghai street at night.

The best way to travel in Shanghai would be take the metro. Most of the tourist spots are walking distance from metro stations. We took a three day metro pass which was really convenient. It costs RMB 45 and is available at all stations..

Spotted a Disney store. :-)

Overall, it was a wonderful trip but with one regret - not having experienced a ride on the Maglev. Guess, i'll have to make another trip to the city for just that. :-)