Yuyuan Garden, known as Town-god Temple
(one-and-a-half-hour tour)
Located in Nanshi District, the garden covers an area of about
20,000 square meters. It is one of the famous classical
gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. More than 400 years
ago, Pan Yongduan, an official of the Ming Dynasty, ordered
the construction of this garden. It took 18 years, from 1559
to 1577, to complete. The garden is not big but there are 50
scenic spots and historical sites, such as Sansui Hall, Big
Rockeries, Dragon Wall, Inner Garden, a theatrical stage and
Dianchun Hall. In 1853, a detachment of the insurgent “Small
Swords Society” had it's headquarters at Dianchun Hall.
After 1950, the garden was largely renovated, and is opened to
the public in 1961. The Nine-zigzag Bridge, Hexin Pavilion, a
teahouse and a bazaar are favorite holiday spots for visitors.
Jade Buddha Temple (1-hour tour) Located in
the western part of Shanghai, it is a famous Buddhist temple.
It was built in 1882 in the architectural style characteristic
of the Song Dynasty and rebuilt in 1918. In the first
courtyard is the Tianhuang (Heavenly King) Hall, in the second
courtyard Daxiong Baodian (Hall of Mahavira) and in the third
courtyard a two-storey building. On the first floor is an
abbot priest room and on the second floor a jade Buddha
chamber, in which a statue of seated Buddha is enshrined. The
statue is carved out of a single piece of white jade, 1.92
meters in height. On the two sides of the chamber are
collections of Buddhist scriptures, totaling some 7,000
copies.
Longhua Temple (40-min tour) With a
history of approximately 1700 years, it is the oldest and
largest ancient temple in Shanghai. It is said to have been
built by Sun Quan, King of Wu, for his mother during the Three
Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280). The temple houses Buddhist
scriptures, gold seals and images of Buddha of the Tang
Dynasty, Five Dynasties, Ming and Qing dynasties. Major
attractions include the Tianwang (Heavenly King) Hall, Hall of
Mahavira and Hall of Jade Buddha. In front of the temple is a
40-meter high Longhua Pagoda, a 7-storey, octagonal brick
structure, with heavy, curved eaves. Listening to the
bell-striking at night at Longhua is known as one of the
“eight scenes of Shanghai.” A bell-striking ceremony is
held on New Year's eve every year. Many tourists from home and
abroad come here to attend the ceremony to express good wishes
for the country and the people in the coming year.
The Bund (1-hour tour) A
frequently-visited place by tourists, it is about 1.5
kilometers long, along the bank of the Huangpu River in the
east. The 52 buildings in the west are in the architectural
style of various countries, such as France, Britain, Spain and
Greece, as well as buildings of the Renaissance. The European
architecture of the Bund has become a symbol of Shanghai. At
one time it was the political, economic and cultural center of
Shanghai, under the control of Western powers. After numerous
renovations, many new buildings have sprung up and old
buildings have retained their original styles with proper
maintenance. A long wall for flood control has been built
along the bank with a spacious walkway. Early in the morning,
people often gather there to do morning exercises. During the
day, it is a favorite venue for sightseeing, and in the
evening, it is a rendezvous for lovers. Neon lights make the
Bund all the more magnificent.
Shanghai Museum (two-and-a-half-hour tour) Established
in December 1952, the Shanghai Museum was relocated to the
People's Square in 1996. It is a museum of ancient arts, large
in scale and with advanced facilities. It covers a floor space
of 38,000 square meters. It is a 5-storey round building with
two stories underground, sitting on a square base. It implies
that “the sky is round and the ground is square.” There
are eleven exhibition halls, one hall displaying donated
relics and three general exhibition halls. The museum has
120,000 pieces on display, including bronze ware, pottery,
ceramics and paintings.
Nanpu Bridge (1-hour tour) The total
length of the bridge is 8,346 meters. Its net clearance for
navigation is 46 meters high, which permits 55,000-ton ships
to pass through. The main bridge is 846 meters long. It is a
twin-tower and stayed-cable structure; the bridge approach is
7,500 meters in length, the deck is 3,035 meters in width with
6 lanes. It was open to traffic on December 1, 1991. The
Shanghai people's dream of having a bridge over the Huangpu
River has come true.
Yangpu Bridge (1-hour tour)
Located on the lower reaches of the Huangpu River, the bridge
is 7,658 meters in length and the main body is 1,172 meters.
It is also a twin-tower and stayed-cable structure, with its
main arch spanning 602 meters. The bridge was open to traffic
in October, 1993.
The Oriental Pearl Tower (one-and-a-half-hour tour) The tower
is 460 meters high. The designers set the eleven beautiful
spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the
blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The
whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor, which
gives one the impression that pearls of various sizes are
dropping onto an emerald plate.
The tower consists of three big columns which are 9 meters in
diameter, the space module, the upper sphere, the lower sphere
and tower base. The lower sphere is 50 meters in diameter, its
first floor is a sightseeing corridor, which is 98 meters
above sea level; all floors are equipped with recreational
facilities. The upper sphere is 45 meters in diameter and its
sightseeing floor is 263 meters high and 45 meters in
diameter. It is the best place to get a bird's-eye view of
Shanghai. In the upper sphere is a rotating restaurant and 20
karaok rooms. The space module, which towers into the sky, is
350 meters above sea level. It has a deluxe sightseeing floor
and a conference hall, ready to serve heads of states and
VIPs.
People's Square (one-and-a-half-hour tour) The People's
Square and the People's Park are located at the site of the
former Shanghai Race Course. A large-scale renovation of the
people's square began in May 1988 and was completed in 1994.
The square covers an area of 140,000 square meters, housing
the Shanghai municipal government mansion, Shanghai Opera
House and Shanghai Museum. The 600-meter long and 32-meter
wide People's Boulevard is paved with granite and flanked by a
5.5-meter-long strip of grass and a 6.5-meter-wide lane for
non-motor vehicles. In the square are a fountain and a 80,000
square meters of grass, trees and flowers. Today, the People's
Square has become Shanghai's political and cultural center, a
combination of culture, greenery and beauty.
National Tourist Resort of Sheshan
The Sheshan Tourist Resort is located in the north of
Songjiang County in Shanghai, 30 kilometers from the downtown
area. It is the only natural beauty of mountains forest in
Shanghai, with a total area of 47 square kilometers.
The National Tourist Resort of Sheshan (NTRS) is attracting
with its natural lanscape and up-to-date facilities for
culture and recreation. It is the best choice for holiday
making, sports and sightseeing. In the area are the Shanghai
Small Sheshan Cultural Park, the Shanghai Royal Garden Holiday
Village and the Shanghai Asian Club Holiday Village.
Special Economic Zone
Pudong New Development Area An area of
52.8 kilometers .in circumference with a population of 1.51
million, Pudong has 13 residential districts and 28 township
under its jurisdiction. Currently, it has a planned
construction of eight key undersized developing areas,
including Lujiazui banking and trade area, Waigaoqiao bonded
area, Jinqiao export processing area and Zhangjiang high
technology garden area. By the end of June 1997, 4,616
foreign-funded projects had been introduced with a total
investment of 21.6 billion yuan. 72 emporiums of 500 top
international companies have entered Pudong. Foreign capital
banks and the regional headquarters of transnational companies
have also entered the area, one after another.
Located in Nanshi District, the garden covers an area of about
20,000 square meters. It is one of the famous classical
gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. More than 400 years
ago, Pan Yongduan, an official of the Ming Dynasty, ordered
the construction of this garden. It took 18 years, from 1559
to 1577, to complete. The garden is not big but there are 50
scenic spots and historical sites, such as Sansui Hall, Big
Rockeries, Dragon Wall, Inner Garden, a theatrical stage and
Dianchun Hall. In 1853, a detachment of the insurgent “Small
Swords Society” had it's headquarters at Dianchun Hall.
After 1950, the garden was largely renovated, and is opened to
the public in 1961. The Nine-zigzag Bridge, Hexin Pavilion, a
teahouse and a bazaar are favorite holiday spots for visitors.
Located in
the western part of Shanghai, it is a famous Buddhist temple.
It was built in 1882 in the architectural style characteristic
of the Song Dynasty and rebuilt in 1918. In the first
courtyard is the Tianhuang (Heavenly King) Hall, in the second
courtyard Daxiong Baodian (Hall of Mahavira) and in the third
courtyard a two-storey building. On the first floor is an
abbot priest room and on the second floor a jade Buddha
chamber, in which a statue of seated Buddha is enshrined. The
statue is carved out of a single piece of white jade, 1.92
meters in height. On the two sides of the chamber are
collections of Buddhist scriptures, totaling some 7,000
copies.
With a
history of approximately 1700 years, it is the oldest and
largest ancient temple in Shanghai. It is said to have been
built by Sun Quan, King of Wu, for his mother during the Three
Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280). The temple houses Buddhist
scriptures, gold seals and images of Buddha of the Tang
Dynasty, Five Dynasties, Ming and Qing dynasties. Major
attractions include the Tianwang (Heavenly King) Hall, Hall of
Mahavira and Hall of Jade Buddha. In front of the temple is a
40-meter high Longhua Pagoda, a 7-storey, octagonal brick
structure, with heavy, curved eaves. Listening to the
bell-striking at night at Longhua is known as one of the
“eight scenes of Shanghai.” A bell-striking ceremony is
held on New Year's eve every year. Many tourists from home and
abroad come here to attend the ceremony to express good wishes
for the country and the people in the coming year.
A
frequently-visited place by tourists, it is about 1.5
kilometers long, along the bank of the Huangpu River in the
east. The 52 buildings in the west are in the architectural
style of various countries, such as France, Britain, Spain and
Greece, as well as buildings of the Renaissance. The European
architecture of the Bund has become a symbol of Shanghai. At
one time it was the political, economic and cultural center of
Shanghai, under the control of Western powers. After numerous
renovations, many new buildings have sprung up and old
buildings have retained their original styles with proper
maintenance. A long wall for flood control has been built
along the bank with a spacious walkway. Early in the morning,
people often gather there to do morning exercises. During the
day, it is a favorite venue for sightseeing, and in the
evening, it is a rendezvous for lovers. Neon lights make the
Bund all the more magnificent.
Established
in December 1952, the Shanghai Museum was relocated to the
People's Square in 1996. It is a museum of ancient arts, large
in scale and with advanced facilities. It covers a floor space
of 38,000 square meters. It is a 5-storey round building with
two stories underground, sitting on a square base. It implies
that “the sky is round and the ground is square.” There
are eleven exhibition halls, one hall displaying donated
relics and three general exhibition halls. The museum has
120,000 pieces on display, including bronze ware, pottery,
ceramics and paintings.
The total
length of the bridge is 8,346 meters. Its net clearance for
navigation is 46 meters high, which permits 55,000-ton ships
to pass through. The main bridge is 846 meters long. It is a
twin-tower and stayed-cable structure; the bridge approach is
7,500 meters in length, the deck is 3,035 meters in width with
6 lanes. It was open to traffic on December 1, 1991. The
Shanghai people's dream of having a bridge over the Huangpu
River has come true.
The tower
is 460 meters high. The designers set the eleven beautiful
spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the
blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The
whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor, which
gives one the impression that pearls of various sizes are
dropping onto an emerald plate.
The People's
Square and the People's Park are located at the site of the
former Shanghai Race Course. A large-scale renovation of the
people's square began in May 1988 and was completed in 1994.
The square covers an area of 140,000 square meters, housing
the Shanghai municipal government mansion, Shanghai Opera
House and Shanghai Museum. The 600-meter long and 32-meter
wide People's Boulevard is paved with granite and flanked by a
5.5-meter-long strip of grass and a 6.5-meter-wide lane for
non-motor vehicles. In the square are a fountain and a 80,000
square meters of grass, trees and flowers. Today, the People's
Square has become Shanghai's political and cultural center, a
combination of culture, greenery and beauty.
An area of
52.8 kilometers .in circumference with a population of 1.51
million, Pudong has 13 residential districts and 28 township
under its jurisdiction. Currently, it has a planned
construction of eight key undersized developing areas,
including Lujiazui banking and trade area, Waigaoqiao bonded
area, Jinqiao export processing area and Zhangjiang high
technology garden area. By the end of June 1997, 4,616
foreign-funded projects had been introduced with a total
investment of 21.6 billion yuan. 72 emporiums of 500 top
international companies have entered Pudong. Foreign capital
banks and the regional headquarters of transnational companies
have also entered the area, one after another.