What's New

Shanghai continues to evolve at warp speed. As the city hurtles towards its 2010 deadline to host the World Expo, expect to see constant changes as record numbers of foreigners and Chinese flock here to stake out their share of the ever-expanding pie. Here are the latest openings and offerings in a city that is easily the most exciting in China, if not the world.

Planning Your Trip to Shanghai

At press time, plans had just been announced for a high-speed rail line between Shanghai and Beijing, as well as a second Maglev train, this time connecting Shanghai with Hangzhou. Both lines are expected to be ready by 2010 and will run from the still unbuilt Hongqiao Railway Hub in the western part of Shanghai, which, when completed, will be Asia's largest railway station. In the meantime, trains have started running between Shanghai and Lhasa in Tibet, though foreigners wanting to travel this way are required to book a tour with a travel agency. Also, the brand-new, stadiumlike Shanghai South Railway Station in the southern part of town has opened. Reachable by Metro Lines 1 and 3 (Light Rail), the station services southern-bound trains, including some to/from Hangzhou.

Getting to Know Shanghai

There is a new 24-hour Shanghai Call Center hot line (tel. 021/962-288), staffed by English-speaking university graduates who can handle most tourist queries. The Maglev train running between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Lu Metro Station, where travelers can connect to the Metro Line 2 subway, has extended its operating hours from 7am to 9pm daily, but it's still not a very convenient means of traveling to or from the airport, especially for those toting heavy luggage. The Fuxing Lu Tunnel offers vehicles another faster option of reaching downtown from Pudong. At press time, Metro Line 4 (the Purple Line) was partially in operation, with the full line making a circle along the Inner Ring Road and connecting to Pudong due to be fully operational in 2007.

Unfortunately, these new forms of transportation have made little noticeable dent in the city's traffic, which, if anything, has worsened due to greater numbers of automobiles on the road. Continue to expect traffic delays and allow enough time to reach your destination. Pedestrians should also obey all traffic signals, as there is now a jaywalking fine being imposed at major intersections by traffic authorities.

Where to Stay

New Chinese-ranked four- and five-star hotels continue to open in Shanghai at an astonishing rate. At this writing, the number of five-star hotels in Shanghai stands around 25; expect that number to reach 40 between 2008 and 2010, driven, hoteliers will tell you, by unprecedented demand.

Topping the list of new luxury hotels is the elegant Regent Shanghai, located halfway between Hongqiao Airport and downtown. The five-star aspirant Radisson Hotel Shanghai New World ranks a little below the top hotels in this category, but has an unbeatable location right at the intersection of Nanjing Lu and People's Square. Set to open in late 2006 is Le Meridien Shanghai, located at the beginning of the Nanjing Lu Pedestrian Mall. Two other recent openings worth noting are The Bund Hotel, 10 minutes from the Bund but offering quality four-star accommodations; and the very pleasant Four Points by Sheraton in Pudong, considerably more luxurious than Four Points hotels in North America.

The Pudong Shangri-La Hotel still boasts the best views of the Bund, and it's now also the largest hotel in town with the recent opening of its luxurious Tower Two. Meanwhile, the St. Regis Shanghai has distinguished itself from the pack by offering their new "Lifestyle Butler Service," featuring butlers who can conduct "art tours" for guests by taking them to the studios and galleries of local artists.

Hotels that have been busy upgrading and renovating their facilities include Sofitel Hyland Hotel, JC Mandarin, Broadway Mansions, Equatorial Hotel, and Renaissance Yangtze Hotel.

Hotels that evoke old Shanghai continue to be popular choices, including the Old House Inn, in a French Concession lane house where rooms are decorated with classic Chinese furnishings. The upscale 88 Xintiandi residences are surrounded by restored shiku men (stone frame) architecture.

On the budget scene, the Pujiang Hotel, renamed the Astor House Hotel, is now a full-fledged overpriced three-star hotel and is no longer the backpackers' quarters it once was. As well, two of our budget choices from last time, the Juyin Binguan and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Guest House have closed. Taking their place in this edition are the popular Captain Hostel with its excellent Bund location, and several Chinese business motels: the Jinjiang Star near the Bund, Super Motel 168 in west Shanghai, and Jinjiang Inn Star Pudong Airport.

Where to Dine

We're happy to report that many of our restaurant recommendations from the previous edition are still around and thriving, even as restaurant openings and closings continue at a dizzying rate. At the exclusive fine-dining end, the arrival of Jacques and Laurent Pourcel's Sens & Bund and the continuing success of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Jean Georges means folks can no longer complain about the dearth of good French fare in town. Jean Georges' building-mates, Laris ("new world cuisine") and The Whampoa Club (Shanghainese), continue to improve on already excellent food, carving out a real place for themselves on the world map of dining. The expansion of the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel has made it home to some of the city's finest restaurants including the excellent Cantonese restaurant Fook Lam Moon.

239 Restaurant and Bar is a lovely addition to the ranks of restaurants serving tasty and reasonably priced Continental//fusion fare. In addition to serving fine Spanish food, Le Garcon Chinois has returned to its Vietnamese roots and now serves spring rolls and papaya salad along with tapas and paella (on separate floors of course), and we've added Gu Yi here because Hunan cuisine is still all the rage. Those craving Singaporean can check out the as-yet-lesser-known Singapore Cuisine restaurant, whose food is considerably more inspired than its name.

What to See & Do in Shanghai

New museums that have opened include Madame Tussaud's Museum and Shanghai's own Museum of Contemporary Art in a rebuilt and restored People's Park (Renmin Gongyuan). There is also a new, rather small China Sex Culture Museum, located at the Pudong end of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. The Propaganda Poster Art Center is worth visiting if you like revolutionary art, but the Shanghai Music Conservatory Oriental Musical Instrument Museum has been kicked off their Music Conservatory premises and is slated to reopen in late 2007 at an undisclosed location.

Shopping

The former Dongjiadu Fabric Market in the southern part of the old Chinese city has moved a few blocks to become the South Bund Fabric Market. The now indoor market still sells silks, cashmere, and yards of every fabric imaginable at less than half the cost at retail stores, with on-site tailors to turn your dream outfit into a reality. After years of authorities trying to shut it down, the Xiangyang Clothing Market selling knock-off designer goods finally closed in July 2006. At press time, many vendors appear to have relocated to two other main areas: the Qipu Lu Market in Zhabei District, and the Yatai Xinyang Fashion and Gift Market at the Science and Technology Museum (Shanghai Keji Guan) stop on Metro Line 2 in Pudong, though the viability or longevity of either is by no means guaranteed

The gargantuan Paul Andreu-designed City Mall, located next to Jing An Temple, is the latest Shanghai super mall, though this one was still a bit quiet and devoid of shoppers at press time.

With the contemporary art scene taking off in Shanghai, galleries and artists' studios have been popping up at several locations around town including at Moganshan Lu 50, in the northwest part of town just south of Suzhou Creek; Taikang Lu 210; and The Bridge 8, in the southern part of the French Concession.

Shanghai After Dark

Nightlife continues to flourish despite (or perhaps because of) the large turnover of bars and clubs. Tongren Lu has replaced Maoming Lu as Shanghai's main bar and clubbing street, and will no doubt be replaced by another bar street during the life of this book. Hot new nightclubs include Fabrique, in The Bridge 8 complex just north of Taikang Lu, and Mint, on the second floor of Ladislau Hudec's "Green House" on Tongren Lu. Babyface has moved to a new location on Huaihai Lu and is still as popular and pretentious as ever. At press time, Pier One, a complex with several dining and dancing establishments, had just opened south of the Suzhou Creek.

The hippest of the new bars is Bar Rouge at Bund 18, with glorious night views of the Bund and Pudong. Other new bars of note include Barbarossa, a funky Moroccan-themed restaurant/bar/club on a lake in the middle of People's Park; Big Bamboo, bagging the best sports bar title; the underground Mural, with excellent all-you-can-drink deals; and Shuffle bar, which boasts live music every night. Happily, the down-home, unpretentious Blue Frog has opened another outlet on Tongren Lu in addition to the original on Maoming Lu. Two new hotel bars worth mentioning, Jade on 36, in the new Tower Two at the Pudong Shangri-La, and Sky Dome, lodged in the flying saucer atop the Radisson New World Shanghai, will have you flying high.