●Things to See & Do好玩的
The Bund 外滩
Walk the riverfront at golden hour: colonial banks on one side, the Pudong skyline on the other — the whole 20th century in one photograph.
Wukang Road 武康路
The prettiest stroll in the city: plane-tree avenues, Art Deco villas, and the famous Wukang Mansion at the corner. Come for the coffee, stay for the street.
Yu Garden 豫园
A Ming-dynasty classical garden tucked behind the old city walls — rockeries, carp ponds, and a maze of curved corridors. Go early before the crowds.
Shikumen lanes 石库门
The grey stone-gated lane houses where old Shanghai lived. Wander Xintiandi's restored lanes, then find the lived-in originals nearby for the real thing.
●Food & Drink好吃的
Soup dumplings 小笼包
The city's pride: paper-thin skins holding hot pork broth. Eat them with a ginger-vinegar dip, and never rush the first bite.
Pan-fried buns 生煎
Crisp-bottomed buns sizzled in oil, filled with juicy pork and spring onion — the breakfast of choice for half the city.
Yanduxian 腌笃鲜
A slow winter soup of cured pork, fresh pork, and spring bamboo shoots — the taste of the season, boiled down to a bowl.
●Folk Customs Few Have Heard Of民间习俗
01
City God Temple fair 城隍庙庙会
Every Chinese New Year, the old temple quarter fills with lanterns, snack stalls, and fortune-tellers. Join the crowd for the flower-and-lantern fair that has run for centuries.
02
Shanghai opera 沪剧
A local opera sung entirely in the Shanghai dialect, born from riverside folk songs. Today it survives in the old teahouses of the city's western districts.
03
Summer evenings in the lanes 弄堂乘风凉
On hot nights, residents of the old shikumen lanes drag bamboo chairs and watermelon outside to catch the breeze — a neighbourly ritual of fans, gossip, and cool night air.