Shanghai

Shanghai's recorded history starts modestly — a fishing county established in 1292 on the Yangtze delta. Everything changed in 1843, when the treaty port opened and foreign concessions rose along the Bund; within a century the city was known as the 'Paris of the East', Asia's finance and fashion capital. After 1990, Pudong — once farmland across the river — grew into one of the world's densest skylines, completing Shanghai's role as the bridge between China and global capital.

Today the municipality covers 6,340 km² of delta plain with about 24.9 million residents across 16 districts. Huangpu district holds the classic riverfront: the Bund's colonial facades face Pudong's towers across the water. Xuhui and the former French Concession preserve leafy villa lanes; Jing'an carries temples and boutiques; and Hongqiao in the west bundles the second airport, the main HSR terminus and a growing business district.

Shanghai has two airports: Pudong International (PVG, 30 km southeast) handles most international long-hauls and is linked to Longyang Road station by the world's first commercial maglev (8 minutes, up to 300 km/h); Hongqiao (SHA, 13 km west) serves domestic and regional flights and shares a complex with the Hongqiao rail hub.

Three main stations — Hongqiao (Beijing 4.5 h, Hangzhou 45 min), Shanghai and Shanghai South — anchor the rail network. In town, 20 metro lines form one of the world's largest systems (¥3–15 by distance), the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel and ferries cross the Huangpu, and taxis start at ¥14. The maglev plus metro combo covers airport-to-downtown in about 40 minutes.

Shanghai cuisine ('benbang') is defined by 'hongshao' red-braising, seasonal river delicacies and a gentle sweetness. Add the city's legendary xiaolongbao and breakfast street culture, and eating becomes the best way to tour the lanes.

• Xiaolongbao — soup dumplings; the original Jia Jia Tang Bao and Nanxiang Steamed Bun in Yu Garden.
• Shengjian — pan-fried pork buns with scalding broth; Yang's Fry-Dumpling is a legend.
• Benbang classics — hongshao rou (red-braised pork) and xunyu at Old Jesse or Fu 1088.
• Hairy crab — autumn's luxury (Oct–Dec), steamed with ginger tea.
• Paigu nianao — pork chop with rice cakes, a Shenhua-football-era street classic.
• Where to go: Yu Garden bazaar for snacks, Tianzifang & Anfu Road for café culture.

Shanghai is China's fashion capital — from century-old department stores on Nanjing Road to flagship malls on Huaihai and the designer lanes of the former French Concession. Tailoring, silk, tea and vintage finds make it rewarding beyond the brands.

• Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street — Asia's oldest shopping street, from First Department Store to the Bund.
• Plaza 66 & Deji-style malls — Nanjing West Road luxury corridor in Jing'an.
• Tianzifang — lane-side studios, crafts and design gifts in converted shikumen.
• Xintiandi & Huaihai Road — heritage blocks with flagship boutiques.
• Qipu Road — wholesale-fashion warren popular with stylists (bargain hard).
• Local specialties: silk, qipao tailoring (Jing'an), Longjing tea and Shanghai-style pastries.

Shanghai after dark is the most varied in China: rooftop bars above the Bund, jazz cellars, riverside cruises and the world's densest concentration of live-music venues. The Huangpu views at night are the city's signature experience.

• The Bund & rooftops — Bar Rouge, Mr & Mrs Bund and skyline terraces facing Lujiazui.
• Xintiandi & Huaihai — polished cocktail lounges in restored shikumen blocks.
• Juliana/JZ Club — the city's storied jazz basements and live houses.
• Huangpu River night cruise — 50 minutes past both illuminated waterfronts.
• Julu Road 158 Fang — a courtyard compound of bars popular with young locals.

Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are ideal — mild, walkable weather along the Bund and the concession lanes. June–mid-July brings the plum-rain season and humid heat; August can swing by typhoons; winters are damp-chilled rather than freezing but reward indoor shopping and jazz cellars. Avoid the National Day week (Oct 1–7) for crowds.