City guide · 上海 Shanghai
Shanghai
World architecture facing Lujiazui across the river — a century-long symphony of Haipai street life and the Bund's grand foreign parade
Shanghai lies on the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta, where the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek meet, and is China's largest economic centre. Over the more than 180 years since the port opened, the Bund's world architecture and the skyscraper cluster of Lujiazui on the opposite bank have faced each other across the river, while the shikumen lanes and the cafés of the plane-tree districts hold the texture of Haipai (Shanghai-style) culture. Sixteen districts, three mother rivers and a resident population of twenty-four million together make up the living picture of this megacity: the aroma of shengjian buns in the early morning, the convenience-store lights late at night, the global faces of expo season — Shanghai's character is a curious blend of the pragmatic and the modern.
History
How the city came to be
Shanghai stands at the mouth of the Yangtze. Huating County was established in the Tang; Shanghai Town was set up in the Song; and in the 29th year of Zhiyuan under the Yuan (1292), Shanghai County was formally established. From the mid-Ming onwards, Shanghai rose on cotton textiles and maritime trade into an important town of Jiangnan, and by the Jiaqing era of the Qing it was already "the thoroughfare of rivers and seas, the metropolis of the southeast". Shanghai opened as a port in 1843; the Bund's world architecture rose, and Shanghai swiftly became the financial and trading centre of the Far East, as well as the birthplace of modern Chinese industry, the labour movement and the Chinese Communist Party. The Shanghai Special Municipality was established in 1927. After reform and opening-up, Pudong was developed and opened up in 1990; the Lujiazui financial city and the Yangshan deep-water port have made Shanghai an international centre of economy, finance, trade, shipping and scientific and technological innovation, and it hosted the World Expo in 2010.
- 1292Shanghai County is established under the Yuan dynasty
- 1843Shanghai opens as a port; the Bund area is demarcated as concessions
- 1921The First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is held in Shanghai
- 1927The Shanghai Special Municipality is established, directly under the National Government
- 1949Shanghai is liberated on 27 May
- 1990The CPC Central Committee announces the development and opening-up of Pudong
- 2010Shanghai hosts the World Expo
- 2023New cultural landmarks such as the Shanghai Museum East open in succession (the People's Square branch and the East branch operate in parallel; refer to official announcements)
Stories
Stories of the city
The Exquisite Jade Rock and the origins of Yu Garden
Legend · Yu Garden
Yu Garden's most famous stone is the Exquisite Jade Rock: this Taihu stone peak, about 3.3 metres high, is pierced by seventy-two holes and is famed for the test of pouring a stream of water on top and watching it flow from every hole, or setting a furnace of incense below and watching smoke rise from every hole. Legend has it (legend only, without firm evidence) that it was originally a rock gathered for Emperor Huizong of Song's Genyue garden in Bianjing under the "flower and rock convoys", which sank beside the Huangpu River in transport and was later bought by Pan Yunduan and placed in the garden. The garden's origin carries the same human warmth: in the Ming Jiajing era, the official Pan Yunduan, so that his father Pan En could enjoy his old age in peace, began building this garden in 1559 — "Yu" taking the meaning of pleasing one's elderly parents. Sadly, by the time the garden was completed his father had already died, and this garden built for filial devotion became Shanghai's longest-lasting memorial. The Dianchun Hall in the garden still carries the marker of the Small Swords Society headquarters site — one still, one stirring — exactly the two faces of Yu Garden's four hundred years.
Yu Garden through the centuries
History · Yu Garden
Yu Garden was founded in the 38th year of Jiajing of Ming (1559); Pan Yunduan built it over nearly twenty years on grounds of more than seventy mu; later the family declined and the garden gradually fell into neglect. In the Qianlong era of Qing, Shanghai gentry bought and restored it, assigning it to the City God Temple; in the mid-19th century the Small Swords Society used the garden's Dianchun Hall as its headquarters, and the garden was repeatedly damaged amid the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and other wars. From 1956 to 1961 the Shanghai municipal government funded a full restoration and opened it to the public; in 1982 it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. The surviving garden covers about 30 mu, divided into six scenic areas — Sansui Hall, Wan Hua Lou, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Lou, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden — complete with dragon walls, Taihu stone peaks and Ming-Qing buildings.
Guarding and donating the Da Ke Ding
History · Shanghai Museum
The circulation of the Da Ke Ding is itself a history of guarding cultural relics in modern times: this great Western Zhou ding was unearthed in Fufeng, Shaanxi in 1890 and passed into the collection of the bibliophile Pan Zuyin; its inscription of nearly three hundred characters records the royal investiture of Da Ke by the Zhou king. During the War of Resistance, Pan's descendants risked themselves to secretly transfer and bury the Da Ke Ding, the Da Yu Ding and other treasures, escaping plunder; in 1951 Pan's descendants donated both dings to the state, and the Da Ke Ding entered the Shanghai Museum, even being lent to Beijing for exhibition in 1959. When the Pan family donated the ding they expressed a single wish — that the vessels might remain at the Shanghai Museum for good. Today the Da Ke Ding stands in the East branch's Bronze Gallery, telling the story of the Bronze Age's ritual system and writing together with the group of Shang and Zhou masterpieces around it. The Da Ke Ding is therefore often called the anchor of the Shanghai Museum's Bronze Gallery: inscription, form and the history of its guardianship — three layers of story stacked on a single vessel.
History of the Shanghai Museum
History · Shanghai Museum
The Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952, taking ancient Chinese art as its collecting line; it holds over a million objects, with one of the highest proportions of precious relics in the country, and bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy and painting are its four most celebrated categories. The People's Square building fully opened in 1996, its exterior expressing the idea of a round heaven over a square earth; to expand display space, the East branch was built in Pudong New Area and opened progressively from 2024, its permanent exhibition systematically presenting the categories of bronzes, sculpture, calligraphy, painting, jades, seals and sigils, coins, ceramics and archaeology, while the People's Square branch turned to hosting major special exhibitions. The two branches run in complementary roles — the two faces of one museum.
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Yu Garden
A famous Ming-dynasty Jiangnan garden coexisting with the City God Temple market — the origin point of old Shanghai
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Shanghai Museum
Half of China's ancient art history packed into one museum — among the highest temples of bronzes and ceramics
The Bund, Shanghai
A museum of world architecture facing Lujiazui — one river to understand a century of China's modernisation.
Local life
Food and local daily life
Yu Garden
Must-try
- Nanxiang xiaolong mantou
- Lübolang pastries
- Ligao tang pear-syrup candy
- City God Temple five-spice beans
- Crab-roe xiaolong and soup-dumpling noodle dishes
Nanxiang xiaolong mantou (originating in Yuyuan, in the two classic flavours of crab roe and fresh pork); Lübolang pastries (fine boat-shaped dim sum such as "eyebrow" crisps and osmanthus pulled cakes); Ligao tang pear-syrup candy (a century-old brand, a soothing throat sweet); City God Temple five-spice beans (cream flavour, best with tea); Crab-roe xiaolong and soup-dumpling noodle dishes (several choices within the commercial district)
| Where to eat | Inside the Yuyuan commercial district, the Nanxiang Mantou Shop, Lübolang and the Old City God Temple snack plaza are the most concentrated; to avoid tourist prices, walk to the old shops around Fangbang Middle Road and Fuyou Road |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | The Nanxiang Mantou Shop runs separate dine-in and takeaway queues — check before ordering; dip xiaolong in ginger-and-vinegar and pierce them to drink the soup first; at the snack plaza, top up or scan to pay before collecting food, and at meal times grab seats first before splitting up to buy |
| Typical price per person | CNY 60–120 per person (market reference); a snack combination runs CNY 40–80 per person, and a sit-down meal at Lübolang and the like CNY 150–300 per person |
| Tips | Snacks beside the Nine-Bend Bridge carry an obvious premium; the same pastries are better value at old shops around the old city; during the lantern fair all dining queues, so eat first, then stroll |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
Shanghai Museum · Shengjian mantou · Xiaolongbao · Benbang dishes in rich oil and red sauce · Crab-roe noodles · Pork chop with rice cakes
Must-try
- Shengjian mantou
- Xiaolongbao
- Benbang dishes in rich oil and red sauce
- Crab-roe noodles
- Pork chop with rice cakes
Shengjian mantou (pan-fried buns with crisp bottoms and plenty of juice — the emblem of Shanghai snacks); Xiaolongbao (thin skin and rich soup, with the knack of lifting gently and moving slowly); Benbang dishes in rich oil and red sauce (braised pork, oil-exploded prawns, caotou quanzi); Crab-roe noodles (an autumn-winter seasonal dish of picked crab roe as a topping); Pork chop with rice cakes (a fried pork chop with glutinous rice cakes dipped in spicy soy sauce)
| Where to eat | Around the East branch, Century Avenue and Dingxiang Road offer benbang restaurants and mall dining; from the People's Square branch, Nanjing Road and the Yunnan South Road food street are walkable, with long-established brands concentrated there |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | When eating xiaolongbao, open a "window" first and sip the soup to avoid scalding; benbang dishes run sweet and rich, so ask the shop for less sugar when ordering if you prefer; long-established restaurants queue at meal times as a rule — go off-peak or take a number early |
| Typical price per person | CNY 60–150 per person (market reference); snacks and simple meals run CNY 30–60 per person, and a sit-down meal at a long-established house CNY 150–250 per person |
| Tips | After the East branch, stroll on to the neighbouring Oriental Art Center or Century Park; on special-exhibition days, see the exhibition before eating, to avoid the double crush of the museum and the malls at midday |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
The Bund, Shanghai · Shengjian mantou · Xiaolongbao · Pork chop with rice cakes
Must-try
- Shengjian mantou
- Xiaolongbao
- Pork chop with rice cakes
Shengjian mantou (crisp-bottomed, soupy pan-fried buns), xiaolongbao (Nanxiang soup dumplings), pork chop with rice cakes, scallion-oil noodles, Shanghainese braised pork / oil-fried shrimp
| Where to eat | The food street on South Yunnan Road, the Nanxiang bun shop at the City God Temple / Yuyuan, restaurants at Waitanyuan / East Nanjing Road |
|---|---|
| Typical price per person | Snacks CNY 40–80, Shanghainese dishes CNY 120–200 |
| Tips | View restaurants on the Bund charge a big premium, so treat 'eating for the view' and 'eating for the taste' separately; with xiaolongbao, bite a small hole and sip the soup first to avoid scalding. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
Darrylsnow · CC BY-SA 4.0