Reputed as the world famous metropolis, with a population of about 24 million people, Shanghai is among the most populated cities in the world and the largest city in China. Some people dislike the flood of humanity and infuriating traffic jams that come with being the largest city in China.
Other people talk incoherently about the breathtaking museums and gardens, as well as the original architecture that is among Shanghai’s top tourist attractions. From iconic landmarks to floating towns, museums, and beautiful green spaces, this modern metropolis possesses various picturesque sites for visitors to savor.
According to Selina Chen, the founder of My China Interpreter, Shanghai has been the fastest growing city in China recently and an increasingly popular tourist destination for both local Chinese and travelers from abroad. Below we have put together a list for 5 of the current top Shanghai tourist attractions:
1. Shanghai Museum
Located in 201 Renmin Avenue and opened in its entirety to the public in 1996, this is a museum of ancient Chinese art housing over 120,000 priceless historical relics. The museum features three exhibition halls and eleven galleries spreading over 10,000square meters.
Boasting over 120,000 pieces of rare and valuable cultural relics, this museum has a rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, calligraphy, ceramics, jades, seals, old coins, sculptures, furniture, and paintings.
As a special tour and guide service, the museum provides the regular visitors an audio tour of the exhibits. This museum’s structure is designed with a circular top, and square base with four arched-shape handles erected on it, symbolizing the blending of China’s traditional culture and the spirit of present times.
Shanghai Museum Exterior
2. Nanjing Road
Located in Huangpu District, Nanjing road enjoys the reputation of being China’s number one commercial center. Nanjing road provides its visitors with excellent shopping and site seeing experience. The trail is about 5km in full length and is split into east and west parts, with both parts housing more than three hundred and sixty malls, restaurants, specialized stores, department stores, and cultural and recreational facilities receiving more than a million customers every day.
Some of the city’s famous architectures including the peoples square, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai art gallery and Jing’an temple are found in Nanjing road. When night falls, the roadway is lit up with colorful neon lights making the street more attractive.
3. The Bund
The Bund is based along the Huangpu River located in the Huangpu district. The Bund is about 1km in total length and has about fifty-two buildings of different architectural styles including neoclassical styles, Gothic, Romanesque, baroque, western and Chinese.
Some of the recommended activities to do on the Bund include; taking a Huangpu river cruise to see the historical architecture on the Bund as well as modern skyscrapers on the opposite side of the river giving you a distinguishing disparity between the past and modern life. Spend some time and take pictures in the manicured lawn and gardens of Huangpu Park at the northern end of the Bund.
Walking along the Bund and roaming among the architectural complexes and getting a better comprehension of the century-long charm of this city. Pudong Binjiang, Huangpu cruise and one of the skyscrapers in Pudong provide a panoramic view of the Bund and are a great place to take beautiful photos.
Shanghai Bund At Night
4. Yu Yuan Garden
The Yu garden is believed to have been build in the Ming dynasty, some 400 years ago. The garden occupies less than five acres and showcases the intricate art of combining several different elements to create a world in miniature. This garden features carefully selected and well-placed bridges, paths, ponds, rocks, trees, and shrubs, innovatively mingling pavilions, corridors and small hills.
The alluring scenery, well-crafted layout and the artistic style of the garden’s architecture have made the Yu garden one of the highlights of the city. The highlights of the garden include; the classical Chinese garden architecture that perfectly blends the impressive rockeries, zigzag bridges, elaborate pavilions, glittering pools, archways, and decorative halls and gives you a relaxed feel when wandering through the garden.
Exquisite sculptures, carvings, calligraphic and painting works of famous artists as well as couplets and inscriptions keep you amazed and in awe when walking in the garden.
5. Circus World
Located in 2266, Gonghe Xin Lu and covering an area of 5691 square meters, the Shanghai circus world boasts the title of “number one circus city in China.” This circus world became famous because of combining circus, dancing, music, and acrobatic performances. Shanghai circus world features; Animal house equipped with updated facilities and rooms for Chimps, lions, elephants, tigers, and giant pandas.
A commercial and cultural city as side installations used mainly for acrobatic and circus exhibitions and an auxiliary rehearsal building. The acrobatic field as its main body with 1,638 seats and is equipped with modern lighting facilities, a revolving stage, and stereo sound systems. The circus world has a unique architectural style with an aluminum-titanium alloy metal golden dome, 32 meters high.
Conclusion
Shanghai is China’s largest city and houses a lot of places of scenic beauty and historical interest so irrespective of your taste in attractions, you will always find something worth visiting around every corner of this fantastic and beautiful city.
