Magical Shanghai

My friend Jeff has been sent to Shanghai on a work assignment for a few months.  He has graciously let me borrow some of his photos!  (Thanks for sharing, Jeff!)

Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population, and also the largest city by population - more than 24 million as of 2013 -  in the entire world!

The Pearl TV Tower by night

Shanghai is a global financial center and a transportation hub.  The world's busiest container port is in the Shanghai harbor.

Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in East China.  It has been a center for trade and shipping for 2,000 years!

National Day is one of only seven official public holidays in the Chinese year.  It is held for three days, from October 1st through the 3rd.  Jeff arrived just in time to see it.  Here we have a crowded pedestrian-only street during "National Day" in Shanghai:

Nanjing Road

The amount of people in the streets is mind-boggling.  Jeff also said the fireworks display was incredible and seemed to go on forever.

National Day celebration on Nanjing Road

The British, French, Americans and Japanese have all had their influence on Shanghai's development into one of the world's most modern and sophisticated cities.

Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong Park

The Pearl Tower (above) is 1,536 feet high, making it the world's sixth and China's second tallest TV and radio tower.  Visitors can travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people and move at the rate of seven meters per second.

According the the Travel China Guide website:

The inner tower is a recreational palace, while the Shanghai Municipal History Museum is located in the tower's pedestal. The large lower sphere has a futuristic space city and a fabulous sightseeing hall. From here, on a clear day a visitor can see all the way to the Yangtze River. The base of the tower is home to a science fantasy city. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges. The pearl at the very top contains shops, restaurants, (including a rotating restaurant) and a sightseeing floor. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower's three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

As mentioned, it's not far from the Bund, the 1,500 meter-long promenade along the waterfront which has both modern and historic buildings (below).  The Bund consists of 19th century colonial buildings built by the British after the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842.  For years this area was considered Shanghai's richest and most prosperous section and earned the nickname, the "Wall Street of Asia".

Buildings along the Bund - on the far left you see Shanghai's Pudong Development Bank and Customs House

On the far left in the photo above, you can see Shanghai's Pudong Development Bank and Customs House.  The buildings in the middle and to the right are old colonial buildings and represent some of the oldest and most historic buildings in the Bund.

It's been fun reading about this intriguing city!  I'm looking forward to more posts and interesting photos from Jeff in the future.  I hope you are too!