Oriental Pearl TV Tower (Pudong)

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands in Pudong Park in the new and developing Lujiazui district on the banks of the Huangpu River. The tower was once the highest building in the city but now, although it's spire reaches higher than the Jinmao Building, it pales in insignificance compared to its mammoth neighbor.
The design for the Oriental Pearl TV Tower incorporates eleven spheres (or "pearls") and three gigantic columns linking the green grass below to the blue sky above. There are six high speed passenger elevators (although there are usually queues) inside the column taking visitors up to the viewing platform which affords great views over the city. One of the most impressive aspects of the building is the lighting. A computer controlled system alternates the light on the tower dependent on the weather conditions.
Although the Oriental Pearl TV Tower has now been surpassed in terms of height and design, many Chinese still see it as a fantastic symbol of the new Shanghai. Photographs and Postcards of the Building when it was first completed illustrate the gargantuan changes that have taken place in a short space of time here.
How to get there:1.Ferry Boat from Puxi 2.Tunnel bus 3. The new tube line to Pudong station

The Bund

The symbol of old and new Shanghai, the Bund (officially known as Zhongshan Lu) is Shanghai's most famous landmark. The "Bund" is from an Anglo Indian term meaning the muddy embankment on the waterfront, and it is the Huangpu River which helps create the uniquely colonial feel here and provides a feeling of space and openness which is lacking elsewhere in the city. Four kilometers long, the Bund has long been one of the most important areas in Shanghai. In the 1930s, the row of buildings was host to the city's financial and commercial centers and the world's greatest banks and trading empires established a base here. At the North end of the Bund and just over Waibadu Bridge and Suzhou Creek is what was formerly the British embassy. Also here is a large and atmospheric blue painted building which is the Russian Embassy, sitting precariously on the bank of the river. In colonial times, the Bridge was guarded by Japanese and British sentries marking the boundaries of territory.On the British side of the bridge is the entrance to Huangpu Park. More of a pedestrian walkway than a conventional park, this area was also under the control of the Brits. The British Public Park (as it was once known) was forbidden territory to Chinese people for years, unless they were accompanying employers. Today, the park is free and open to all and is a well- maintained walkway providing excellent views over the river to Pudong and down river to the old Customs House and other colonial relics. On the west side of the Bund tower various buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, baroque, and Romanesque. The combination of these creates a unique boulevard, which resembles the Liverpool Docks and 1920s New York.Today, the Bund is still home to many of the city's hotels, bars and banks. The nature of the area has not changed so dramatically either. Huge western banks and office buildings dominate the horizon of the Bund, emphasizing the role the city plays as a commercial and financial base. The pleasure of the Bund, is that it is not simply a tourist strip but a place that everyone enjoys. At sunrise, the boulevard fills up with people of all ages practicing Tai Chi or dancing. In the day, while visitors file up and down the long strip, it's business as usual in many of these magnificent buildings. And, in the evenings, couples wander along the river front, holding hands and enjoying the spectacular city lights, buildings and atmosphere of the area which provide a continual reminder that Shanghai was, and in may ways still is, a foreign invention.

The incredible Jinmao Building in Pudong (Shanghai's Wall Street) is the tallest building in China, the second tallest in Asia, houses the tallest hotel ever built and is currently the third tallest building in the world! On a clear day, the Jinmao acts as a beacon for locals and travelers who need to find their bearings, towering above the old city skylines. It is the center of gravity in the area as Pagoda's were in ancient China. The Jinmao Building is a superb design, combining elements of traditional Chinese architecture and a gothic influence to produce this amazingly modern building. Architects designed the building around the theme of the Chinese pagoda and the number eight. The lowest segment of the building is sixteen stories high and each succeeding segment is 1/8th smaller than its predecessor. The Jinmao is impressive from wherever you are in the city and when you are right next to it, other Shanghai skyscrapers look like lego blocks in comparison.Inside the Jinmao Building there are various restaurants, food halls and bars and Shanghai's newest and most fashionable hotel, The Grand Hyatt. There is a viewing platform up on the 88th floor which, if you don't suffer from vertigo, provides unbeatable views over the city. It is hard to imagine just how high this is, until you actually get up there, but your ears will definitely "pop" at least two or three times on the way up! The position of the building, in Shanghai's newest and ostensibly most trendy area, and the incredible design make the Jinmao one of the most spectacular and already most infamous sites not just in Shanghai, but throughout China. And it is a fitting symbol of new Shanghai too; young, vibrant and inspirational.

People's Square

People's Square is a spectacular space in the heart of the city. Formerly the city's race-course, a sports arena and a gamblers paradise, the area west of Nanjing Lu was converted after the war to become the People's Square. Unlike many other Chinese city squares, Renmin Guangchang is not a concrete mass but a vast green area including plants and trees and surrounded by spectacular buildings on all sides.The People's Square has been renovated again recently and opened up further and many of the old buildings around here are in the process of being ripped down. Today, the People's Square covers 140,000 square meters. In the north lies the Municipal Government Mansion, an impressive and serious building which is not open to the public. In the northwest sits the Shanghai Grand Theatre, a colossal construction made almost entirely from glass which is balanced by the brand new Exhibition Hall for City Planning in the east. The most impressive building in the square however, is the Shanghai Mueum. Perfectly smooth and symmetrical, the building was designed to resemble a Chinese cooking pot. The Square is particularly spectacular at night, when steam appears to seep out of the roof of the museum and the light bounces off the glass walls of the Grand Theatre. Tucked away in the northwest corner of the square is the quirky Bird and Flower Market where locals come to buy trinkets, plants, fish and parade birds in their cages! These few lanes off Huangpi Lu are a great contrast to the modern constructions in the main square. The Square offers unusual and impressive views of the city. Surrounded on all sides by mammoth and overpowering constructions, new buildings attack you from all sides. The panorama of the city from the Square, while not the picture postcard image of Shanghai's Bund, is arguably, the most accurate image which reflects the changing nature of this sophisticated and modern city

Yuyuan Garden

The Yuyuan gardens are situated not far from the Bund in the southwestern side of the city. The Yuyuan is certainly tacky- a kind of China meets Disney with an added twist- but nevertheless well worth a visit.The Gardens themselves were completed in 1577 by the Pan family in Shanghai. The original Gardens were destroyed twice in the 1800s and have now been restored. They are usually pretty busy but, are worth looking at if you can either come during the week or are prepared to face the masses. The gardens cover a significant space and include a few halls, springs and other buildings of interest. The area surrounding the Gardens makes up the Old City God's Temple Area and was known in colonial times as the "Chinese City".Today, the area directly around Yuyuan has been "renovated" somewhat tastelessly and is a mass of tourist shops and naff decorations. The Queen of England visited here recently and took tea in the famous Huxinting Tea House. The tea house is something of an institution around these parts and while quaint and interesting, is extortionately over-priced. What is nice about the Yuyuan gardens area are the numerous antique markets and the small side streets which have yet to be renovated by the authorities. There is a great antique market just off Shanghai "Old street" and another on a small alley called Dongtai Lu. Be prepared to bargain hard in these places though. Some of the stuff is genuine but other "antiques" are less authentic and its slightly worrying that the most popular English word in these places seems to be "very old, very cheap"! Address:This area is a fair size and includes the streets around Fuyou Street, Dongtai Lu and Henan Lu.How to get to Yuyuan gardens : Walk south along The Bund then swing a right at Jinling Dong Lu. The Old City is the area to the south.