Shanghai

Shanghai is a city of contrasts: the Bund preserves the riverfront scale of treaty-port architecture while Pudong puts the modern skyline directly across the Huangpu River.

The old city, Yu Garden area, former concession streets, museums, cafes, and design hotels make Shanghai useful for travelers who want China to feel urban and easy on arrival.

Its railway network also turns the city into a base for softer Jiangnan extensions such as Suzhou gardens, Hangzhou West Lake, and nearby water towns.