Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Citizen of Canada, Member of the World!
Programs: AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG... you get the picture
Posts: 2,091
not that i'm the voice of experience, but i've been told that Shanghai changes her face every 6 months or so... she "modernizes" so rapidly. When I visited the city in '99 and 2000, it was quite amazing. From a tourist perspective, there's shopping for knock-offs and brand-names alike, sightseeing up the Yangtze (and along the Huangpu River at night!). Go visit the Bund if you are an architecture buff... stunningly preserved bank buildings from the early 1800's. If you like staring at skyscrapers, stroll along the Pu Dong side of the Huangpu and gaze at the Jin Mao Hyatt (89 floors!).
Visit the Yu-Yuan gardens. Check out the Shanghai museum. Walk down Nanking Road (one of the busiest streets i've ever walked on).
Personally, if you have time, it's worth it to take day trips out to Su Zou (called the Venice of the Orient) and Hang Zhou... the lakes and the hills of Hang Zhou are quite beautiful. They also have an incredibly ancient temple and pagoda in the area. Amazing history.