Shanghai

A municipality at the mouth of the Yangtze: the Bund's international-style buildings, shikumen lane houses, Jiangnan gardens and Lujiazui's towers face each other across the Huangpu River.

History: Shanghai opened as a treaty port in 1843; the modern concessions, the Bund building complex and shikumen lanes are physical witnesses to its urban history; Yu Garden was first built in the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty and is a Jiangnan classical garden; the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Library and similar institutions are modern cultural bodies. Shanghainese belongs to the Taihu branch of Wu Chinese and is not fully intelligible with Mandarin; Benbang cuisine is known for rich oil and dark soy sauce with balanced sweet and salty flavours. Zhujiajiao, Qibao and similar towns are water towns in Shanghai's suburbs, varying in commercialisation. Legend: Claims about the Bund's "Lovers' Wall" and Tianzifang's "spontaneous gathering of artists" are mostly later embellished Legend-type narratives; the real history of shikumen lanes is as a product of modern urban residence mixed with commerce. Explanations of old Western-style houses as "former residences of famous people" should follow door plaques and exhibitions — do not treat film and TV plots as history.

• The Bund (Wàitān): the international building complex, Huangpu River night views and Waibaidu Bridge.
• Yu Garden (Yù Yuán) and the City God Temple: Nine-Turn Bridge, Huxin Pavilion, Exquisite Jade Rock and Nanxiang soup dumplings.
• Shikumen and Xintiandi (Shíkùmén / Xīntiāndì): the Shikumen Museum and lane walks.
• Lujiazui (Lùjiāzuǐ): Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center observation decks (any one will do).
• Zhujiajiao (Zhūjiājiǎo): Fangsheng Bridge, Kezhi Garden and rowing boats.

Arriving: Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai and Shanghai South stations are rail hubs, Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport are airports, and metro lines 2 and 10 and others link Hongqiao station with the airports. In town: the metro network is dense; the "Metro Metropolis" app scans for rides, with single fares mostly on the order of a few yuan, priced by distance, subject to official announcement; buses and ferries (such as the Bund–Dongchang Road route, fares on the order of a few yuan) supplement it. Suburbs: metro line 17 reaches Zhujiajiao, and metro line 11 goes directly to Disneyland. Tickets and payment: metro accepts transit cards, transit codes and single tickets; taxis and ride-hailing may surge and queue at morning and evening peaks, per platform display; shared bikes are charged by time, on the order of a few yuan.

• Red Line: Do not smoke or eat in the metro, museums or historic buildings (per site rules), and do not climb or cross outside the Bund riverbank railings; in exhibition halls, follow signs on no flash and no photography.
• Taboo: ① When photographing in lanes and residential areas, do not block lane passages or shoot into residents' windows — shikumen remain lived-in spaces. ② When queuing at time-honoured shops, do not jump queues or hold places for many people; Shanghai queue culture is strict and jumping queues easily causes conflict.
• Good Manners: Stand on the right of metro escalators, leaving the left side as a passage; talk quietly at peak times and keep backpacks in front; book popular spots such as Yu Garden and museums in advance and visit off-peak.

Most museums, including the Shanghai Museum, close on Mondays — check official websites before travelling; bring an umbrella in the plum-rain and typhoon seasons; Bund night lighting has fixed illumination hours, subject to that day's notice; Disneyland and popular restaurants must be booked in advance, as on-site queues can be very long.