Shanghai Travel Guide

The Huangpu River is Shanghai's mother river, ~113 km from Dianshan Lake through the city to the Yangtze at Wusong, splitting old Puxi from new Pudong. Its banks gather the Bund's 'Exhibition of International Architecture,' Lujiazui's skyscrapers (Oriental Pearl, Shanghai Tower, SWFC) and lively riverside walks — the natural axis of Shanghai's 'ancient-modern, East-West' character. A night cruise mirrors neon on the water, bridges glowing — the romance of the 'Magic City'; morning ferries and freighters tell of its role as a golden waterway and economic lifeline.

The Shanghai Museum, on People's Square in Huangpu, Shanghai, China, is among China's first-grade national museums and a central-locally jointly built institution. It moved to its People's Square home in 1996, with the East Hall expanding displays in 2024. Holding over a million items, it is famed worldwide for bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy and painting, with a dozen thematic galleries tracing the pinnacle of classical Chinese art. The building embodies 'round heaven, square earth,' its south entrance framed by four white-marble arches. A crossroads of Jiangnan heritage and Shanghai's cosmopolitan culture, it is the top gateway to classical Chinese aesthetics and the city's spirit, busy with acclaimed special exhibitions.

Yu Garden sits in the Old City of Huangpu, Shanghai, China, a private garden begun in the Ming Jiajing era by Pan Yunduan for his father's enjoyment — its name means 'pleasing one's parents.' Pavilions, rockeries, ponds and carved beams distill the essence of Jiangnan gardening, honored as a famed southeast garden; the Jade Rock, Dianchun Hall, Zigzag Bridge and Mid-Lake Pavilion are classics. Outside lies the City God Temple bazaar and Yu Garden old street, packed with snacks and time-honored shops — a microcosm of Shanghai's blend of old and new.