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Shanghai
Throughout the past century, Shanghai
has had numerous name tags attached to it; the "whore
of the East", the "Paris of the Orient" and
the "Pearl Of China". Images of Shanghai more than
any other Chinese city, are bountiful in the west. A visit
here therefore, is naturally tainted to some extent, with
a preconception of how the city will be.
As the largest and most prosperous city
in the nation, Shanghai is the economic, financial and cultural
center of China, where Beijing is the political heart. And
this image of Shanghai as a fast and modern metropolis is
certainly the one that most visitors take away. Those old
preconceptions of Shanghai as the home of crime vice and
prostitutes are wiped away, as the city successfully projects
an image of itself as young, vibrant and cool.
Shanghai is a modern and fast paced city,
rich in history and culture and with a wealth of areas and
sites just waiting to be explored. One of the nicest aspects
of Shanghai is that the crowds here are much more manageable
than in a city like Beijing. This is largely because there
are no great ancient sites which people flock too. Rather,
this is a city to be walked, wandered, explored and discovered
in your own time and, in your own style.
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What makes Shanghai particularly attractive
are the many different styles of architecture and design
throughout the city. Shanghai was once divided up into different
"Concessions" or districts and the boundaries
of these areas still remain today.The famous, Bund was home
to the "British Public Park" and this boulevard
has a plethora of colonial structures to visit, all reminders
of Shanghai's days of decadence. The Japanese and the French
Concessions too, are fascinating areas to explore. The French
quarter is a particularly charming district to wander, and
there are many former residences to look at and discover
something about old Shanghai and the people who lived here.
The area known as the "Chinese City" is also worthy
of a visit. Take a break from the tourists around the Yuyuan
and do some serious antique shopping or just lose yourself
amidst the old alleys and streets.
But perhaps most of all today, Shanghai
is a spectacularly modern city. The pace of development
here is unbelievable. Currently, seventeen percent of the
world's cranes are in the city and developers boast that
the city is changing at a rate incomparable to anywhere
else in the world ever. The newest area of the city, Pudong,
has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and is almost unrecognizable
from the way it was when development began here. Two of
the most impressive city structures can be found here, the
Jinmao Tower and the Oriental TV Tower.
For any visitor to China, perhaps the most
attractive thing about this city is just how fashionable
it is. Museums, galleries, restaurants and bars have emerged
in the past few years. This cosmopolitan cultural scene
which harks back to the heydays of the 1920s and 30s and
the new found wealth in the city are helping to reinvent
Shanghai as a place with a fabulous and optimistic style
and attitude.
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