Shanghai, in the rising Pudong, east of the Huangpu River, has fast become home to multinational companies with operations in China and Asia. After successfully hosting 99' Fortune Global Forum - where world business leaders gathered the city was then well-poised to welcome political and business leaders from the region and around the globe to the APEC 2001 meeting.

Shanghai boasts a rich nightlife. To see Shanghai's spectacular skyline by night, take an evening cruise around the harbour. Or, head out to the theatre, opera, discos, acrobat shows, karaoke clubs and upscale lounges, or bargain in the designer boutiques that are open day and night along Nanjing Road.

Shanghai enjoys an international reputation for excellent cuisine, with more than 10,000 specialty dishes found here. You have a wide range of dining choices in some of the finest restaurants in China, or you can opt to eat on the streets from one of the many vendors that instantly appear at meal times.

The Bund
Stretching about a 1.6 km along the Huangpu River, once known as the Wall Street of Asia, China's most famous waterfront is lined with 1930's-era buildings. One of the most elegant and famous of these is the Peace Hotel, recently remodelled; it towers over the harbour and offers wonderful views. The water front park along the Bund is a popular meeting place for Chinese and foreign visitors, as well as occasional performers. Early morning visitors will see young and old practising Tai Ji, martial arts, and ballroom dancing. Side streets in the area have charming 20's and 30's style shops and restaurants.
The Bund (Waitan) is one of the most noted architectural symbols of Shanghai. The word "Bund" derives from an Anglo-Indian word for an embankment along a muddy waterfront. The Bund in Shanghai was first used when the first British company opened a office there in 1846.The Bund, or the waterfront,is now surrounded by about 50 various buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance along from No.1 to No.33, west of No.1 East Zhong Shan Road.

Many of the buildings along the bank are banks. The others are commercial buildings, national organizations, restaurants, clubs, shops etc. The Bund showcases the architectural buildings of finance and trade. And these big banks and big companies are of international character, so Shanghai is internationalized. Most of the architectures were frist constructed before 1930s. Most of the buildings have had no big change. People have made the best use of the fine architecture as a contribution for Shanghai showing herself in the international community. The Bund has become the centre of international finance as well as the touring spot which formss as a pretty picture of the Shanghai City.

Seeing the Bund in daylight is one thing. But seeing the Bund at night is great when the all of the buildings are flood lit.

Nanjing Road
The ultimate shoppers' Mecca and Shanghai's "Fifth Avenue" offers China's greatest variety of retail stores, restaurants, sweets shops, gift boutiques, and cozy night clubs.
 

Temple of the Jade Buddha
Jade Buddha Temple, is the most famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai. Located at 170 Anyuan Road, the temple was established in 1918 with the style of the Song Dynasty. It is an active temple with over 70 monks. The outside of the temple is recognized by the bright yellow walls.

It houses a 1.9-metre-tall jade statue of Buddha carved out of a single piece jade whose color is lustrously and spotlessly white. The look of the the figure is dignified with a kind face. Besides, this rare treasure in the world, there is another jade Buddha statue in a reclined position.

Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The crystal-clear white jade makes the Buddhas more vivid and bright. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and covered by the agate and the emerald, picturing the Buddha at the action of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand holding the head and the left hand putting on the left leg. The peaceful face depicts the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world.

The history of the Jade Buddha Temple is not very long as other temples in China, the ancient and classical architectural style makes the temple unique in this modern and busy city. The Jade Buddha Tower, Devajara Hall and Mahavira Hall consists of the main building of the temple. Nearby there are the Kwan-yin Dian Hall, the Amitabha Dian Hall, the Zen Tang Hall, the Dining Room and the Recumbent Buddha Hall. The Sitting Buddha is in the Jade Buddha Tower while the Recumbent Buddhas are in the Recumbent Buddha Hall.

The Jade Buddha Temple is a nice site to go whether you are a Buddhist or not; the peaceful and super-natural atmosphere gives you a kind of fullness to your busy life.

The Old Town
It is easy to lose yourself in the narrow, winding alleys of Shanghai's Old Town. Stroll through the local bazaar and shop for traditional handicrafts, crossover the pond for lunch and tea in Huxinting Teahouse and then rest in the Garden of the Purple Clouds of Autumn and enjoy its classical Chinese landscaping.
 

Yuyuan Garden
Yuyuan is the most famous garden in Shanghai. It is located in the heart of Shanghai's Old City, one of the few existant old tourist places in Shanghai. Close to the gardens is Shanghai's bazaar, a great number of small streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to the tourists and local people. It is called garden "Yuyuan" - because "yu" in Chinese means "peace and health"-- a place of peace and comfort in the heart of busy Shanghai. It can date back to the Ming Dynasty. Now a hot tourist destination, Yuyuan Garden was first built as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan. He used almost 20 years and all of his savings to construct a garden in an attempt to please his parents in their high ages.

Main atteactions in Yuyuan Garden:

• Sansui Hall

Once named ¡°Leshou Hall¡±, the Sansui Hall was constructed with five spacious rooms in Qing Dynasty style to entertain his guests. Later it was served as kind of celebration and announcement of imperial edicts.

• Big Rockery

The Grand Rockery, made by Zhang Nanyan, a famous rockery artist in Ming Dynasty, is regarded as the best treasure of the Yu Garden and the best rockery in South China.

• Elegant Jade Rock

The Exquisite Jade Rock standing before the Yuhua Hall is one of the three most famous rocks in China. The other two are ¡°Ruiyun Rock¡± in Liu garden, Suzhou and ¡°Zhouyun Rock¡± in Hangzhou flower nursery.Elegantly shaped, the Exquisite Jade Rock is about 4 meters high. It is a piece of featuring rock from Lake Tai in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. It is featured by its wrinkled appearance, slender shape, transparent nature, and lots of holes due to the eroded by water.

• Stone City

It is a stone exhibition show holding a great number of stone sculptures and engravings. It is loved by tourists for its visual arts and human values.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is 468 meters high. Tourists can get to several observatory decks. In fine weather people can have a commanding view of The Bund and Shanghai, Chongming Island and the Yangzi River in the distance. The tower also has a hotel, revolving restaurant, karaoke parlors and bars. The ground floor features a shopping area, cafe and an international city exhibit.

The design for the Tower uses eleven spheres (or "pearls") and three huge columns connecting the green grass below to the blue sky above. There are six high speed passenger elevators inside the column bringing visitors up to the viewing platform which commands good views of the city. One of the most attractive aspects of the tower is the lighting. A computer controlled system alternates the light on the tower according to the weather conditions.

The Children's Palace
Once the palatial home of a Shanghai millionaire; children now come here to study performing arts, calligraphy, and ancient handicrafts, as well as science and modern technologies. It is very enjoyable and a true photographer's paradise.

Other places of interest include Shanghai Museum (the selection of over 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times), Shanghai Stadium, Grand View Garden, Shanghai Wildlife Zoo, etc.