China
Shanghai

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Hangzhou

Shanghai center at night, China

...Shanghai where lifestyle is the key, not ancient sites though charming...

Old Shanghai, China

...old bits can still be found, mainly in the Chinese city south of the Bund or...

Shanghai, Yu Yuan Gardens, China

...in and around the 1559 built, 20,000 sq.m oasis of Yu Yuan Gardens.

Suzhou canal, China

Nearby Suzhou offers similar tranquility,...

Three Gorges, Yangtze River, China

...or jump on a Yangtze River cruise for peaceful viewing in a world of blah.

Pictures left side: Shanghai's famous Pudong area skyscrapers little more than fields 20 years ago; old buildings not awaiting the wrecking ball, yet; a classic Suzhou canal. Right side: Shanghai city centre, where every night is a neon-lit boogy night; the serene Yu Yuan Gardens with pavilions and stunning landscapes constructed by a Chinese army officer; one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River [aka Yangtzi] , only recently navigable by both ferries and tourist cruise boats.

Shanghai, Asia's version of Manhattan, is more about bling and less about Ming than Beijing...with dazzling skyscrapers, fashionable people, funky restaurants and bars, rivers of cars, oceans of noise, superb new transport systems and a ferocious night life. Perfect for travellers who pursue sensory overload but not so good for seekers of old Chinese lifestyles though the 1930's French Concession zone, Jade Buddha Temple, Fuxing Park, the YuYuan Gardens and a few crumbling hutongs around them still offer a glimpse of the past.

Photos: Beijing | Xian | Yangshuo | Silk Road Pictures | Tibet

China Shanghai

China
Shanghai