Top 5 Tourists Destinations in Shanghai

Once a fishing and textile town, Shanghai has transformed itself to a leading global city with significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology and transportation. It is also considered as a major financial hub and the busiest container port in the world. Its cosmopolitan atmosphere alongside a rich Chinese culture offers its visitors a unique experience thus making a vacation spent in Shanghai truly splendid.



Here's some of the well known tourist destinations in Shanghai that will keep every visitor occupied for the entire duration of stay in this largest metropolitan city of China :.




Yuyuan Gardens



Tourists will surely enjoy the relaxed and calm atmosphere of the Yuyuan Gardens which is situated at Anren Jie, Shanghai. It is a famous classical garden built by a Ming Dynasty officer Pan Yunduan to provide a pleasing and quiet place for his parents in the time of their old age. Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters, built in traditional Chinese style featuring pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters with unique features. There are six main scenic spots in this garden which enthralled every visitor who spent for an air ticket to China Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden.



Sansui Hall was originally built to entertain guests however during the later years upon its completion, it became a place where gentlemen and bookmen hold their ceremonies. It is the largest structure in the garden having five halls with the height of 9 meters (about 30 feet). Visitors will see pavilions, corrigidors, streams, courtyards and natural features as they wander through the area of Yule Pavilion and Wanhua Chamber. In the eastern side of Wanhua Chamber lies the Dianchun Hall. It served as the headquarters of a revolutionary group Xiaodao Hui who fought against the government of Qing Dynasty. The coins made by Xiaodao Hui and the bulletins they proclaimed are currently displayed in the Dianchun Hall. Located across the Yuhua Hall is the true treasure of the Yuyuan Garden which is the exquisite Jade Rock. The rock is 3.3 meters in height with 72 holes. The most interesting thing about this rock is when someone burn a joss stick below the rock, the smoke will float out from all of the holes. Then similarly, when water is poured from the top of the rock, water will flow out from each hole creating a fascinating sight. The Inner Garden on the other hand was built separately during the 1970s but now it became a part of Yuyuan Garden. This part is compact and exquisite offering the most fascinating scenic view of rocks, pavilions, ornamental ponds and flower halls.




The Bund



The Bund is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. It is situated in the west bank of Huangpu River from the Waibaidu Bridge to Nanpu Bridge and runs 1500 meters (0.93 mile) in length. At the west side of the Bund are the 26 various buildings of different style of architecture including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance which are the main and famous attraction of the Bund. The 1,700-meters (1,859 yards) long flood-control wall, known as 'the lovers' wall', located on the side of Huangpu River from Huangpu Park to Xinkai River and once was the most romantic corner in Shanghai in the last century. After renovation, the monotone concrete buildings that lovers leaned against in the past have been improved into hollowed-out railings full of romantic atmosphere. Standing by the railings, visitors can have a 'snap-shot' view of the scenery of Pudong Area and Huangpu River. It is said that visitors who have purchased air tickets to China and visited this wonderful city but failed to tour The Bund, have not really seen China at all.




Dianshan Hu Lake



Another famous destination in Shanghai is the natural freshwater lake in the west of Zhu Jiajaio named Dianshan Hu Lake. It is the only natural lake in the whole municipality of Qingpu and the rest of Shanghai region. It is 12 times larger than the west lake of Hangzhou and home to various aquatic species like fish, shrimp and crabs. The lake is also an important source of water in the region thus the water quality is monitored and kept within the standard level. Just nearby on the eastern side is the garden of Grand Scenery. It has the Song-Qing-Ming form of architecture built around 1984. It is well known as Heng Lou Meng theme park which provides music and exhibits about the popular stories of Chinese novels complete with costumed characters. There is also a large public bathing area on the eastern bank of the lake.




Oriental Pearl TV Tower



Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the must-see attractions in the city of Shanghai. It is a television and radio tower with the base being held by 3 slanting posts measuring 7 meters wide. It has double-decker elevators to transport people up to 1536 meters high. The main feature of this structure is the three observatory levels within the tower namely futuristic space city also known as space module, the sightseeing hall and the revolving restaurant. The panoramic view from these observatory levels is simply breathtaking that one shouldn't miss.




Four Cornered Pagoda



Four Cornered Pagoda commonly referred to as "Fang Ta" was a pagoda of the Xing Sheng Temple built during the Song Dynasty between 1068 - 1094. It is 48.5 meters high structure with nine stories. It became famous because of its particular shape - four cornered, which is quite scarce among pagodas. The temple went derelict after ages but the pagoda still stands. During 1975-1977, the pagoda undergone repair and a garden had been built around it. So far, this is the only pagoda which allows visitors to climb all the way to the top.




Shanghai is definitely a city which offers a unique holiday experience. With all the cheap air tickets to Shanghai offered by various travel companies online, one shouldn't miss the opportunity to see the beautiful gardens of Shanghai as well as the magnificent historically significant structures of the city.




Besides the above mentioned tourist spots, there is the Jade Buddha Temple, Freedom Bridge, People's Square, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Guyi Yuan, Shanghai Theater, Lu Xun Guju, Huai Hai Road, Nan Jing Road and many more. Have a great time at this beautiful city, embellished with scores of remarkably magnificent architectural structures and places!