A taste of Shanghai's heritage
Written: Aug 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great cosmopolitan area, new and old, shopping, restaurants, etc.
Cons: Not enough green...concrete jungle; weather is moody
The Bottom Line: The Bund is great for shopping and eating. A little crowded but where in China is it not? Well read my review to find out...
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| titaniumtommy's Full Review: The Bund |
The Bund is a great part of Shanghai that shows the influences of the outside world on not only the city, but China in general. On one side of the river (Pu Xi) you have the European style buildings that were erected when the British and French divvided up Shanghai around the turn of the century. On the other side of the river (Pu Dong) you have the ultra modern, almost futuristic TV Tower, Jin Mao tower, and other office buildings. The contrast is amazing, especially if you get on a river barge...you really get a sense of what Shanghai is about...the old influences melding with the newer. The river barges are a cheap and easy way to get across...beware during rush hour times since they get crowded and the fumes from the motorcycles that people ride aboard can be toxic.
Another fun way to cross the river is the new Tourist Tunnel. It's located just off Nanjing Road. You will see signs leading to the tunnel on both sides of the river. It's basically a Disneyland land ride mixed with cool club lights and music. A neat albeit expensive (40Yuan roundtrip if I remember correctly) way to cross the river. The subways are the fastest way to get across...also dirt cheap.
There's not much on the Pu Dong side except the TV Tower and Jin Mao Tower. Both offer expensive elevator rides to the top. Worth it for the view...Jin Mao gets you higher so don't bother with the TV Tower. Jin Mao also has a pretty rocking club in it...although don't stay too long or you'll need an expensive cab ride to get back to Pu Xi....the subway stops running around midnight.
There is a great park in Pu Dong though...something totally unexpected since most of this area is office buildings. If you exit the tourist tunnel and bear left all the way, just follow the road past the bus/subway transit station. You will see the park after a little walk. To enter the park, follow along the same road that the subway station was on and turn left when you get to the other corner of the park (you'll follow along one edge of the park)....it's a little bit of a walk, but it's the only way in. Once in the park you will enjoy something that is rare in crowded China...space. There is a lot of it here. And great grass to sit on too...also another rare commodity. You will see a constant stream of people taking bridal photos too...pretty fun to watch. There is a small lake filled with fish to feed as well. All in all, this park is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Shanghai.
A lesser known place along the Bund is the Tropicana night club which has nightly salsa and other latin rhythms. It's free to get in and the drinks are pretty stiff. Great decor too...they also have free instructors on some nights and the place is usually pretty empty so you get the instructors to yourself most of the time! They speak English, Russian, and usually Spanish and/or Portugese depending on where the guest band is from. Not many Chinese people know how to cut a rug to latin rhythms since China was pretty closed off to the rest of the world during the heyday of latin dance...but this place is great! Tropicana is located on Fuxing Lu if I'm not mistaken...you can probably get the exact details of it's location in that's Shanghai or city weekend magazine.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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Epinions.com ID:
titaniumtommy
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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