Shanghai

Hard action during the first Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix in September 2004 happened in this racing circuit. Its management offers one-lap rides for an exciting tour of the grandstands, towers, and many other facilities in this state-of-the-art sports venue that could accommodate around 200,000 spectators during the annual Formula 1 event.

One of the oldest entertainment venues in Shanghai once housed a brothel, a gambling casino, and other illicit pleasures of the colonial settlers. It is now host to far more wholesome leisure activities such as the Beijing opera, acrobatics and Chinese gong fu performances.

While the focal point of one’s visit to this busy marketplace is a bowl of delicious noodles, you should be prepared for some bizarre ingredients and food items your palate isn’t really accustomed to. A “performance” from the skilled stall holders seals the deal: they could juggle woks and pots to their artisan heart’s content, and indeed dining the street-smart way is the best way to get through this night market.

This massive Art Deco building was once known as the Cathay Hotel, and is part of The Bund’s birth in the early 20th century. Recently refurbished, it remains faithful to its original magnificence with its first-class service to a traveling businessman or a flighty tourist.

This modern circus venue is home to the Shanghai Acrobat Troupe and other top-notch circus artists during Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays nights. It could accommodate 1,638 viewers and has excellent acoustics and computer-directed lighting system for the ultimate circus experience in Shanghai.

The pompous buildings in this district, dating mostly from the 1920s, were preserved by the communists as monuments of capitalism, signifying what could probably be Western exploits. Now these buildings—including the former offices of HSBC, Customs House, shipping companies, and consulates—are occupied or given a new “lease” on life by hotels, art galleries, designer boutiques and upscale restaurants.

Take the million shoppers visiting this busy 5-km street every day: Nanjing Lu is nothing short of a fashionable district, perhaps Shanghai’s most prosperous shopping zone. Famous for high-end shopping malls and designer boutiques, it is also home to the internationally renowned Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel and antiques haven, Jing’an. The East Road (Nanjing Donglu), once popular for its dance halls and restaurants, still pulses with life and recreation at night.

This museum boasts of 120,000 Chinese art exhibitions, a world-famous collection of bronzes spanning more than 2,000 years and 20,000 books in its library. An architectural wonder in itself, the building resembles an ancient tripod when viewed sideward and marvels in its spot-lit and soundproof galleries.

Housed in the former premises of the racecourse club, the Shanghai Art Museum is an art deco building, comfortable in its showcase of traditional and modern Chinese fine art ranging from calligraphy to paintings to pop art.

Built 400 years ago during Emperor Jia Jin’s rule (Ming Dynasty), this national heritage site enlivens southern Chinese style, a dramatic union of miniature landscapes, peaks, waterfalls, caverns and many others. Other star features include the 19th-century theater and the gingko tree sharing its birth date with this magnificent garden.

Asia’s highest communications tower, reigning on the Shanghai skyline at 468 meters, has 11 spheres that contain shops, a revolving restaurant, a hotel, several offices, and observation galleries. The Municipal History Museum, a journey through the city’s turbulent past, could be found at the basement.

This Chinese pagoda-inspired structure, towering over the city at a dizzying 420 meters, was completed in 1999, turning out to be the fourth tallest building the world. The observation deck on the 88th floor (thus the Observatory 88) offers stunning views especially on a clear day.

This museum speculates what Shanghai will probably look like in the year 2020. Its star attraction, a giant scale model of the city by 2020, fully occupies the third level of this uber-modern building that vouches for the city’s penchant for models and multimedia displays.

Kept in traditional Chinese style, this beautiful green space in Shanghai mainly offers a small lake, a pavilion with a Moroccan-themed bar and restaurant, and an array of flowerbeds and manicured lawns. There are plenty of reasons to prolong your stay: quality time with the kids in the play area, kite flying, tai chi and kickboxing sessions, an afternoon meal shared with co-workers or friends, or perhaps a simple stroll in the wonderful vicinity.

Opened to the public in 1998, China’s first custom-built opera house has been hosting major local and international concert and performances, among them the Russian Kirov Ballet and the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.