Some tips for traveling Shanghai

<Some tips for traveling Shanghai>

1. Be careful of your cellphone and wallet especially in the subway and the place where people are crowded because there are many pickpockets.

2. Don' follow the people who suggest drinking Chinese traditional tea especially at Yuyuan. That's because they are swindlers.

3. Watch out for cars. In Shanghai, both walkers and drivers ignore traffic lights.

4. If you are young, I recommend free traveling because Shanghai's subway system is good to do free traveling and it's cheaper than a package tour.

5. I recommend you to stay at a lodging which is close to East Nanjing Road. That's because from there, generally you can reach tourist attractions easily.

6. If you have a time to spare, I recommend you to visit Hangzhou or Suzhou because if you ride in a high-speed train, it takes short time.




*Thank you for visiting my blog and if you have any question, please ask me!

Useful Chinese expressions for traveling

 I suggest that before traveling Shanghai, you learn Chinese intonation and pronunciation. That's because Shanghai people are not good at speaking English than I expect. Therefore I will introduce some useful Chinese expressions on the assumption that you already know Chinese intonation and pronunciation.

Those are Chinese expression of number.

 

-Hi: nǐ hǎo

-Thank you: xièxie

-I don' need: búyào

-I can't understand: tīngbudǒng

-How much is it?: duōshǎoqián?

-This: zhège

-Check,bill: mǎidān

-Where is ~?: ~zài nǎr?

-Wash room: xǐshǒujiān

 



Smog in Shanghai

 In these days, smog covers the Shanghai. That's why not only airport but also expressway were shutdown. On the news, announcer said fine dust is ten times more than WTO's thresholds. Even elementaries in Nanjing were issued the closing of school. I heard that this phenomenon won't be improved time soon. Therefore, I recommend you not to go Shanghai until this phenomenon will be improved. If you have a plan to go Shanghai inevitably, it would be better to follow these three brief thing!

1) Control sanitation: You have to wash your hands and brush your teeth often. Also, It would better to sterilize your portable appliances like cellphone by alchol.

2) Abstain from going out: If you go out inevitably, you have to wear a mask. Furthermore, you have to close windows and clean your house often.

3) Drink water often: Drinking water and gargling is helpful to prevent from getting a respiratory disease.

IKEA

 IKEA: I think you know what IKEA is. It's international famous furniture store. IKEA sells a lot of unique, nor expensive furniture and ornaments. In Korea, there isn't IKEA but it will open at Gwangmyeong in 2014.

 If you get off line1,4 Shanghai Sports Center Station, take exit7 and go straight, you can get there easily.

If you have a time to spare, I recommend you to drop by IKEA! I think IKEA is attractive furniture store.

Red Town

 Red Town: At Red Town, you can get a sense of Shanghai's art. Red Town is a cultural art town which opened in 2007.
 

 

 To get there, get off line10 Hongqiao Station and take exit4. At exit4, if you turn left and walk about 5minutes, you can found out the Red Town sign.

 

 Usually, many art museums ban to take photograpgs or touch the works of art. However, at Red Towm, I feel I become part of art. You can take special pictures as you like.

Inside of the building, there are many works of art to look around. 

 

 

 

*Until now, we looked around 3 artistic places: Taikang Road, Moganshan Road, Red Town. I think it's good they have no entrance fee. Therefore, I want you to visit those three places because they are fine and they don't give financial burden to you.

 

Moganshan Road

 Moganshan Road: Moganshan Road is not relatively known to the tourists even to the people who live in Shanghai. Originally, Mogansan Road was factory indutrial area but it reformed as galleries of Shanghai's young artists. If you like the trace of artist and have time to spare, I recommend you to visit there.

 

 To get there, get off line3 and 4 Zhongtan RD, take exit 2, turn right and cross the street and then walk 10minutes!

 

 There are also graffiti arts. It may be not all that than Tianzfang but I like Moganshan Road because I could feel not commercial atmosphere but attachment of Shanghai artists for art.

 

Taikang Road(Tianzifang)

 Taikang Road: At narrow alley of Taikang Road, Shanghai artists' galleries and boutiques are gathered. Also, there are stylish cafes and brunch restaurants so Taikang Road is called as Soho of Shanghai.

 

If you come upstair from the line9 Dapuqiao Station, you can find out Tianzifang.

 

 

 

 Each narrow alley is very unique. firstly, Tianzifang was formed by artist like Hongdae, Korea so there are many unique souvenirs and works of art. I disappointed that my camera doens't express Tianzifang's atmosphere. If you see there in person, it will look better! 

 

Xintiandi & The Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai

 Xintiandi: At Xintiandi, there are a lot of  splendid buildings, cafes, restaurants and shopping malls. However, their price is so high so if you have money to spare, I recommend you to eat dinner at Xintiandi.

 

 

 You can get here by getting off  line10, Xintiandi Station and taking exit6. Also, there is The Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai.

 

 

 

 Now, The Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai is exhibited to adiences after being restored. However, its financial condition is bad so it may close the door. Also, it's owned by not Korea but China so China earn the enterance fee(15yuan/person) of The Provisional Government of Korea. I was very sad about it so I want Korea government to take some actions for our history. I couldn't take photos inside of there because it is banned. Anyway, If you are Korean, I want you to visit there!

Yuyuan(Yu Garden)

 Yuyuan: It's one of Shanghai's places where you can feel traditional China. Therefore, it's good place to buy Chinese souvenir and take souvenir photographs. If you want to enter the Yu Garden, it costs 30yuan.(If you have a certificate which can prove that you are a student, it costs 15 yuan.)

 

 It takes about 5minutes to get Yuyuan if you get off line 10, Yuyuan Station and below pictures were taken in the Yu Garden.

 

 

 Yu Garden: Yuyuan Garden is an excellent model of classical Chinese gardening architecture under state preservation. It was built during the reign of Ming Emperor Jiajing(1559) as the private garden of Pan Yunduan, an administration commisioner of Sichuan Province. With an area over two hectares. The Garden is famous for a number of architeture marvels, including the Big Rockery. The "Naturally·Hollywood·Jade" Boulder, the Hall of an Emerald Touch of Spring, the Acient Opera Stage and the Inner Garden. Also well-protected in the garden are precious cultural relis showing the best of China's tradition of art.


 After you look around Yu Garden, I recommend you to eat dumplings. There is a very famous dupling restaurant called Namsang Dumpling.

 

It's very delicious and it' 20yuan.

 

 

Yuyuan's night view is also beautiful!

 

 

※Be careful of the Chinese who suggest going to watching tea show and drinking some tea. I and my friend were rooked so each person paid 48yuan for a very tiny cup of tea. They can speak English and they access to Foreigners kindly.(T_T)

 

People's Square

 People's Square: People's Square, where subway's line 1 and line 2 meet, is a Shanghai's major transportation point. Atmosphere of here is similar with Myeongdong, Korea and here are from big department stores and shopping malls to great and small gift shops and  restaurants. If you go straight along the street from the People's Squre Station, you can arrive at East Nanjing Road and Waitan. Therefore, if you plan to visit these places at one go by walk, comfortable shoes is necessary.

Exit 3 is connected with Raffles city and exit 5 and 6 is connected with East Nanjing Road.

 

 Also, there is a Shanghai Museum. One of disappoint thing is it supports English, France and Japanese but it doesn't support Korean. However, its enterance fee is free so I think visiting Shanghai Museum is not bad choice!

 

There was a Shanghai Art Gallery but it moved from here to Shanghai Expo. You can meet Shanghai Art Gallery in Shanghai Expo.

 

 

If you take exit 2, you can pass the Shanghai Traditional Street in 1930s.

 

 

Shanghai Traditional Street in 1930s is underground shopping area.

 

Nanjing Road

 Nanjing Road: Nanjing Road is Shanghai's the best shopping street which penetrates core of Shanghai from east of Waitan to west of Jeong-an Temple. Nanjing Road is very long so it is divided into East Nanjing Road and West Nanjing Road and the street stretched from People's Square to Waitan is the East Nanjing Road. This place is like a Myeong-dong in Korea. I recommend the people who want to shop at one go.

If you get off a subway at line 2 East Nanjing RD station and take exit 1 or 4 or get off at line 1, 2, 8 People's Square station and take exit 19, you can get to the Nanjing Road.

 

 If you take exit 1 or 4 of the East Nanjing RD station, there would be small train like the green one in upper picture. It costs 2yuan for a one-wat ticket and it will bring you end of the long shopping street. You can also ride this train from end of the long shopping street to exit 1 or 4 of East Nanjing RD station.

I think that you can spend your time efficiently if your lodging is near the Nanjing road. Shanghai's good places to visit are connected one another as a line: Pudong-Waitan(The bund)-Nanjing Road-People's Square.  Also, Nanjing Road is near with Yuyuan(Yu Garden), Mogansan Road, Xintiandi and Taikang Road.


※My friend had her cellphone picked on the Nanjing Road so you have to be careful it!
 (of course in the subway too)

Waitan(The bund)

 Waitan(The bund): Waitan is famous for foreigners as 'The bund'. There are from Shanghai's the first hotel which opened in 1846 to many buildings of 1900's western style. Now, those historical buildings are used as Shanghai's the best club, restaurants, brand-name product shops and so on.

 

(This picture was taken at Pudong.)

 

 There are two ways to get Pudong. The first way is taking a ferry. the ferry carries people from Pudong to Waitan or from Waitan to Pudong and it's only 2yuan!!(a one-way ticket) It takes about 10minutes and you can enjoy Pudong and Waitan at the same time. I recommend you to take this ferry.

 

I took these pictures in the ferry.

 

 

 

The second way is getting off a subway at line2 East Nanjing RD station and taking exit 7 and going straight along the Nanjing East RD.

 

 

 

After going straight along the Nanjing East RD, you can see this sight.

 

 

These pictures were taken at Waitan. Isn't Waitan beautiful? I think the best place of Shanghai is Waitan! (there are ferries in the last picture :-))