Taikang Lu

Shanghai's trendiest fashionistas, hippies, hipsters and artists are flocking to narrow pedestrian Lane 210, Taikang Lu and surrounding lanes in this, one of Shanghai's youngest art districts, to browse the boutiques and lounge about in the many stylish, hole-in-the wall cafes.

The Bund

For many, the Bund (Waitan to the locals) is the face of Shanghai. Even as the city transforms itself, growing upwards and outwards at a tremendous rate, the Bund's Art Deco and Neoclassical facades appear much as they did during Shanghai's previous heyday as China's most international city, way back in the 1920s and '30s. Of course, the surroundings have changed radically since then.

The Jade Buddha Temple

The Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Si) was built during the troubled reign of the Qing Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) and burned down after having been occupied during the 1911 revolution. The temple takes its name from the original two white jade Buddha statues that abbot Hui Gen brought with him from Burma—a sitting statue about 1.95 meters (almost 6 1/2 feet) in height and a smaller reclining Buddha.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

Rising above the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline like something out of an old science fiction flick, the Oriental Pearl Tower holds a special place in Shanghai's recent history. Before the early 1990s, the east bank of the Huangpu was a low-rise jumble of warehouses and muddy settlements. The erection of the tower, completed in 1995, served as a symbolic declaration of Shanghai's future-forward orientation and grand ambition.

Nanjing Road

When people mention Shanghai's Nanjing Road, they're probably talking about Nanjing Dong Lu (East Nanjing Road), a pedestrian shopping street running for blocks between the northeast corner of People's Square and the Bund. If you spend more than a couple days in Shanghai, you'll likely end up pushing your way through the crowds beneath the neon signs and signature Shanghai mix of brand-new high rises and late colonial-period architecture. The shopping is varied and good, though lacking the upscale brand-name cachet of Huaihai Zhong Lu or Xintiandi on one hand or the bargain-basement prices of "fakes" markets like the one at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum subway station on the other.

Yu Garden

Yuyuan (Yu Gardens) is a classical oasis—albeit a generally crowded one—in Shanghai's relentlessly modernizing cityscape. The gardens, completed in 1577 by the aristocratic Ming Dynasty Pan family, retain their original grace and elegance even in the face of throngs of tourists and the commercial hubbub of Yu Bazaar just on the other side of the garden walls.

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai Museum is one of the four big museums in China, with an exhibition area of 12,000 square meters, including 12 special exhibition rooms and 120,000 pieces of treasures such as bronze ware, chinaware, calligraphy, painting and various other types, among which bronze ware, chinaware, calligraphy and painting are the most characteristic of all. The building of Shanghai Museum is round on the top and square in the foundation, symbolizing the ancient Chinese saying that "the sky is round and the earth is square". Seen from afar, the whole building resembles an ancient bronze ware.