48 Hours in Shanghai
Daniel Allen
A century ago the Chinese city of Shanghai was busy earning itself notoriety as the world's preeminent hotbed of hedonism. By the 1920's the self-proclaimed "Paris of the East" had become the center of all Asian commerce and boasted some of the finest architecture, cuisine, nightlife and shopping on the continent.
While today's Shanghai is far more conservative, it remains a city overflowing with joie de vivre and jarring juxtapositions. Elderly, pyjama-clad women share street corners with willowy, designer-clad beauties, while street food vendors peddle their delectable wares beside Michelin star-quality eateries. Once you get your bearings, a weekend in town means forty-eight hours of fascination and fun.
DAY ONE Morning
Shanghai is a mecca for those who love their street food. Friendly, family-run food stalls dot every neighborhood, hawking mouth-watering eats for a handful of pocket change. For breakfast with a difference, start your day at the intersection of Changle Lu and Xiangyang Nanlu, which comes alive each day with locals lining up for jianbing (savoury pancakes), shengjian mantou (fried pork buns) and congyoubing (scallion oil pancakes).
Shanghai is also a city of surprises. Home to over 4000 skyscrapers, it still contains pockets of great natural beauty. Made all the more lovely by its urban surroundings, the compact Yu Garden on Renmin Lu is the city's most famous expanse of greenery, created as a private retreat by a Ming Dynasty governor. Once neglected and damaged, the garden has now been restored to its former glory and boasts a beautiful maze of pavilions, rockeries, bridges and fish ponds.
Sitting above the artificial lake in front of Yu Garden is Huxinting Chalou, Shanghai's oldest operating tea house. But it's the nearby Old Shanghai Teahouse (385 Fangbang Zhonglu), with its sound track of gramophone records, collection of antiques and views of Laojie (Old Street), that offers many their most memorable tea house experience.
DAY ONE Afternoon
For a quick but tasty lunch take a taxi to Tsui Wah at 251 Xizang Nanlu. This Hong Kong-style cha canting (tea restaurant) offers a range of delicious staples such as Macanese egg tarts, toast covered in condensed milk, pineapple buns and, of course, superb milk tea. The home made fish balls come highly recommended.
After lunch take another cab to 50 Moganshan Lu, an industrial maze of converted warehouses and factories in the Putuo District which now houses the city's modern art scene. Mix it up with art aficionados, students and models as you witness the unfettered creativity of contemporary China After an afternoon perusing the galleries and studios, unwind over a cappuccino in a gallery cafe while discussing the relative merits of Zhang Xiaogang and Damien Hirst with local artists.
DAY ONE Evening
The Bund, Shanghai's iconic sweep of Western architecture along the Huangpu River, has long been home to the city's finest (and most expensive) eateries - most of which are housed in stately, fin-de-siecle buildings. To go easy on your wallet, however, check out Lost Heaven on 17 Yan'an Donglu. Just footsteps from the Bund, this classy, romantic restaurant serves up the finest Yunnanese food in Shanghai.
After your meal stroll along the Bund and take in the feng shui fantasia of glass, steel and neon that is Pudong, rearing up into the night sky across the Huangpu. Locals joke that other Shanghai residents need a passport to enter this ever-rising Chinese version of Manhattan.
DAY TWO Morning
Despite its futuristic buildings and preponderance of neon, Shanghai still has plenty of deeply rooted culture on view if you know where to look. Those who can drag themselves out of bed early enough (the earlier the better) should make a beeline for Fuxing Park for a spot of people watching. Each day this attractive green space plays host to legions of pensioners unselfconsciously indulging in all manner of exercise - tai chi, spinning tops, kite flying and ballroom dancing are just some of the activities on display.
After a well-earned breakfast, head over to Dongtai Lu for another slice of traditional Chinese culture. This busy thoroughfare - which runs for three blocks between Changde Lu and Fuxing Zhong Lu - is packed with small stalls and pint-sized boutiques offering everything from Ming vases and Mao's Little Red Book to period biscuit tins and calligraphy brushes.
Nothing harks back to Shanghai's colonial era more than the French Concession - ensconced within its leafy avenues one could almost be in a French county village. Today the quarter's tree-lined boulevards are striving to reclaim their Gallic joie de vivre, with a growing number of the area's mansions housing chic cafes, artisanal shops and European-style boutiques. It's the perfect place to wander, browse and shop.
Those who have built up a thirst should check out the Song Fang Maison de Thé on Yongjia Lu, a three-story townhouse where guests can sip 70 premium Chinese teas and French blends. The tea shop's aquamarine tins, emblazoned with Mao-era propaganda art, make a great souvenir or holiday gift.
With its blocks of well-preserved buildings, the French Concession is a treasure trove of history. Around the corner from Fuxing Park stands one of the former residences of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who founded the Republic of China in 1912. Operated in partnership with the Shanghai Museum, the site offers a compelling glimpse into the life of this political luminary. The former residence of his wife, Soong Ching-ling, which she moved to after his death, is equally fascinating.
DAY TWO Afternoon
For lunch head to Old Jesse on Tianping Lu (advance reservations essential). Identifiable by a small, yellow-lit sign and the handful of culinary devotees milling outside waiting for their table, this legendary Shanghai restaurant is renowned for its cuisine rather than its decor. The hong shao rou (red braised pork belly) is divine.
For those looking to combine a little upmarket retail therapy with a touch of local history, Shanghai's Xintiandi district is the perfect afternoon destination. A trendy shopping, eating and entertainment area, complete with restored shikumen ("stone gate") houses set off narrow alleyways, it's a diverting blend of nineteenth century architecture and twenty-first century lifestyle.
One of the most popular shops in Xintiandi is Shanghai Tang, one of China's first domestic luxury brands, offering a chic collection of clothing and accessories. For a cultural counterbalance visit the Shikumen Open House Museum on Taicang Lu, which boasts a meticulous recreation of a middle-class Shanghai home from the 1920's, complete with period comic books and iron beds.
DAY TWO Evening
Home to an eclectic range of cafes and restaurants, Xintiandi also makes a great place to chow down. And when it comes to dining, nothing says Shanghai more than the city's iconic xiaolongbao - a plump dumpling crammed with juicy pork mince and a shot of meaty broth. With an outlet in Xintiandi, Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung is generally regarded as serving up some of the most superior buns in town.
When you've polished off a bamboo steamer or three of dumplings, take the mellowness a stage further at the nearby JZ Club. Dark and smoky with subtle lighting and quality music, Shanghai's premier jazz club hits the high notes with nightly performances by local and international acts. In a city that's swinging once again, what better venue to relive the good times of yesteryear.
