With skyscrapers going up faster than old houses can be preserved, plus restaurants, bars, and shops opening and closing faster than the palate and wallet can keep up, Shanghai continues to change at warp speed. As the designated host of the 2010 World Expo, and a big beneficiary of China's recent accession to the World Trade Organization, Shanghai, pulsating with energy, vitality, and possibility, is once again attracting record numbers of foreigners and Chinese flocking here to stake out their share of the ever-expanding pie. Here are the latest changes, openings, and offerings in a city that is easily the most exciting in China, if not the world.
The formerly biennial Shanghai International Film Festival is now an annual affair moved up to June from its original fall dates.
The highly anticipated Maglev train is now running between Pudong International Airport and Lóngyáng Lù Metro Station, where travelers can connect to the Metro Line 2 subway. However, few travelers actually use the new train to get to town -- navigating Shanghai's crowded subway system with luggage and changes of train is more of a hassle and takes almost as long as a taxi or an airport shuttle (the latter recently expanded its service to a wide range of downtown hotels). Completion of the Lúpu Bridge west of the Nánpu Bridge now offers another, faster option of reaching downtown from Pudong Airport, reducing the journey to around 45 minutes in regular traffic. New higher-speed trains, some with soft-sleeper cars only, have now reduced the journey between Shanghai and Beijing from 14 hours to 12 hours. There are special soft-sleeper ticket counters at the railway station and around the city. Shanghai's waterfront continues to undergo massive changes as the old Shíliùpu Wharf is no longer a working dock. It is currently being renovated into a marina, park, and commercial complex due to open sometime in the next 4 to 5 years (although projected dates by Chinese authorities are never realistic). However, the plan is to finish the Wharf in plenty of time to impress visitors when Shanghai hosts the 2010 World Expo. Boats serving the Yángzi River and Putuó Shan now berth at Wúsong Passenger Terminal (tel. 021/5657-5500), where the Huángpu River flows into the Yángzi.
Shanghai's preparation for the 2010 World Expo doesn't end here -- related construction on subways, roadways, hotels, and museums continues unabated. Expect traffic delays and allow enough time to reach your destination. At least traffic assistants at major intersections now help control pedestrian and automobile traffic.
Accommodations
New four- and five-star hotels continue to open in Shanghai. While demand has ratcheted to unprecedented levels, the glut of high-end hotels continues to mean highly competitive discounts except during times when large conventions, expos, and, special events such as Formula One racing come to town, at which point hotel rates actually approach their published rack rates. Leading the way for the luxury hotels is the stunning JW Marriott (tel. 021/5359-4969), which finally opened at Tomorrow Square in late 2003 after many months of delay as tallest hotel west of the Huángpu River. Other new aspiring five-star hotels include the handsome and colorful Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel (tel. 021/3871-4888) in the Jin Qiáo business area of Pudong; the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel (tel. 800/820-2525 or 021/3313-4888) just off the Nánjing Lù Pedestrian Mall; and the Hong Kong-run Mayfair Hotel (tel. 021/6240-8888) next to Zhongshan Park in the developing area of northwestern Shanghai. Happily, Pudong Airport now has the Ramada Pudong Airport Hotel (tel. 021/3849-4949) located within a 10-minute walk.
The Pudong Shangri-La Hotel (tel. 800/942-5050 or 021/6882-8888), still boasting the best views of the Bund, is getting ready to open its new wing in 2005, which should bring the total number of rooms to around 1,000. The Hilton Hotel (tel. 800/445-8667 or 021/6248-0000) is in the middle of a long-term upgrade to its rooms, which, when complete, should feature such luxurious amenities as flatscreen televisions and bedside curtain controls.
Many other hotels took advantage of the SARS-related tourist lull in 2003 to upgrade their rooms and facilities, including the Huá Tíng Hotel Towers (tel. 021/6439-1000), and other four-star outfits such as the Broadway Mansions Hotel (tel. 021/6324-6260) just north of the Bund, and the Héngshan Hotel (tel. 021/6437-7050) at the southern end of trendy Héngshan Lù.
Beyond the slick modern towers, an increasing number of hotels are now located inside restored colonial mansions and old Art Deco buildings: On the northwestern edge of the French Concession, the acid-trip that is the Héngshan Moller Villa (tel. 021/6247-8881), once firmly closed to the public as the headquarters of the Communist Youth League, is now an overpriced but still fascinating hotel worth a visit; the Art Deco Yangtze Hotel (tel. 021/6351-7880) is getting raves for its facilities, location (just east of People's Square and within walking distance of Nánjing Lù and the Bund), and most of all its reasonable prices; and even the old backpacker standby, thePujiang Hotel (tel. 021/6324-6388) has upgraded and now rents out four "celebrity" rooms (including one in which Albert Einstein stayed). Budget travelers need no longer settle for hovels, not with the no-frills but totally charming Jùyng Binguan (tel. 021/6466-7788, ext. 885/886) and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Guest House (tel. 021/6437-2577), both located in the French Concession.
Where to Dine
The dynamic Shanghai dining scene continues to bedazzle with new openings, led by the world-class restaurants at Three On the Bund complex: Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Jean Georges (tel. 021/6321-7733) may finally appease folks who complain about Shanghai's mediocre French fare; former executive chef of London's Mezzo restaurant, Australian David Laris, promises to serve up "new world" cuisines at Laris, while the Whampoa Club will test master chef Jerome Leung's ability to take traditional Shanghai recipes and make them all his own. Meanwhile, Xin Tiandì restaurants continue to proliferate; especially noteworthy is the Cantonese/Shanghai eatery Crystal Jade Restaurant (tel. 021/6385-8752), out of Singapore, which churns out the best xiaolóng bao dumplings and hand-pulled noodles on either side of the Yángzi River. Shanghai cooking is more exciting than ever, headlined by the three branches of Shanghai Uncle (tel. 021/6339-1977), which puts a delightfully modern and creative spin on old classics. Other Chinese cuisines are rapidly gaining popularity in Shanghai, with standouts including the Húnán Di Shui Dòng (tel. 021/6253-2689); the Sìchuan Ba Guó Bù Yi (tel. 021/6270-6668); and the utterly delightful Guìzhou find, Lao Tán (tel. 021/6283-7843).
Continental and fusion fare continue to sport exciting new faces: Mesa (tel. 021/6289-9108), from the former chef of T8 and one of the former owners of the bar Face, boasts a chic French concession restaurant offering creative nouvelle cuisine, while lovely La Villa Rouge (tel. 021/6431-9811), located in the restored red brick mansion that formerly housed EMI Recording Studios, serves up winning French-fusion cuisine from its team of Japanese chefs.
Chic, nouvelle Japanese dining has arrived with the post-modern Bauhaus-style Shintori Null II (tel. 021/5404-5252). Thai and Indian cuisines continue to catch on with locals.
The SARS-driven downturn closed many restaurants, but one victim, Le Garçon Chinois (tel. 021/6445-7970), happily reemerged as a Spanish restaurant (despite its French name which translates to "The Chinese Boy") tapping into the latest tapas craze.
What to See & Do
With Shanghai's goal of housing 100 museums by the World Expo of 2010, museums continue to sprout. Two worthy mentions include the Shanghai Music Conservatory Oriental Musical Instrument Museum (tel. 021/6437-0137, ext. 2132), with its range of rare and traditional Chinese and ethnic minority musical instruments; and the Shanghai Bank Museum (tel. 021/5878-8743) in Pudong, which traces the history of Chinese banking, especially apropos for this city, but at press time, the museum was inexplicably open only to tour groups. Most exciting is the new Bibliotheca Zi-ka-wei (tel. 021/6487-4095) next to the Xújiahuì Cathedral, the former library of the Jesuits, which has preserved remarkably well its collection of over 560,000 volumes. Due to high rents, the Museum of Ancient Chinese Sex Culture has been forced out of Shanghai to the neighboring village of Tóngli.
The Daoist temple Báiyún Guàn in the old Chinese city is apparently no match for a new Taiwanese development, and at press time, it was being relocated next to the Dàjìng Gé, the old city wall (tel. 021/6385-2443), or at least what's left of it.
Alas, the Jinj Jiang Tourist Bus, which used to stop at the major sights, has been discontinued.
Formula One racing now includes Shanghai. At press time, the suburb of Antíng was in the midst of hosting the event, which promises to spawn a whole new Chinese spectator sport, if only the locals can afford the tickets or find some convenient way to get out there.
Shopping
The biggest changes on the shopping front continue to be the turnover in retail stores. Two large new malls, Super Brand Mall (tel. 021/6887-7888) in Pudong (the mall to be seen at) and Raffles City (tel. 021/6340-3600) at People's Square, do their part to make Shanghai even more of a consumer city than it already is. Shanghai's Friendship Store (tel. 021/6337-3555), meanwhile, has moved from its original Beijing Lù glass house to a new address at Jinlíng Dong Lù 68. The Xiangyáng Clothing Market continues to thrive despite WTO prohibitions forcing a number of vendors underground. These vendors without visible stalls will nevertheless find you the moment you approach the market, armed with laminated photos of all their knockoffs. Do not go with them. The Dongjiadù Fabric Market in the southern part of the old Chinese city sells silks, cashmere, and yards of every fabric imaginable at less than half the cost at retail stores, and there are even tailors on-site to turn your dream outfit into a reality. Tàikàng Lù in the southern part of the French concession is a trendy street of artists' lofts, stylish retail stores, and hip nightclubs, though there have been rumors of the street being developed for higher rent-paying establishments.
After Dark
Nightlife continues to flourish despite or perhaps because of the large turnover of bars and clubs. Màomíng Lù has replaced Jùlù as Shanghai's main bar and clubbing street. Hot new nightclubs include the ultrapopular Guandii (tel. 021/3308-0726) next to the still popular California Club in Fùxing Park; the ultrapretentious Babyface (tel. 021/6445-2330) on Màomíng Lù; and the too-eager B.Boss (tel. 021/6467-0031) off Tàikàng Lù. New bars worth mentioning include the chic Manifesto (tel. 021/6289-9108), by the same folks operating the new restaurant Mesa, and Amber (tel. 021/6466-5224) on Màomíng Lù. Shanghai's jazz and blues scene has a few more new venues to draw artists from around the world. Club JZ (tel. 021/6415-5255) in the western part of the French Concession is unpretentious with good acoustics, and is considered one of the best places in town to hear improvisational jazz. CJW, with one outlet in Xin Tiandì (tel. 021/6385-6677) and another with fabulous views on top of the Bund Center (tel. 021/6339-1777), attracts quality jazz acts from abroad, but its stiff drink prices tend to keep away all but those with expense accounts.
Out of Shanghai
The water village of Zhouzhuang, though pretty, has become such a tourist trap that we found two less commercial but no less charming water villages for you to explore instead. Tongli, only 20km (12 miles) away from Suzhou, is a pretty water town that's now also home to China's first sex museum. The still-quiet town of Nánxún, located between Suzhou and Hángzhou, is unique for its traditional gardens and houses that blend both Chinese and Western architectural characteristics.