Originally Posted by
SP03
In fact, most of the people at People's Square are locals (apparently the
Marriage Market is there).
Not really. Most of the people who flood E Nanjing Road are domestic tourists or recent transplants, not too many true locals. Same with Lujiazui area. Marriage markets exist in many public parks in Shanghai, not unique to People's Square park.
Originally Posted by
SP03
Try to pick a hotel that's new or recently renovated, as hotels in China vary significantly in quality and the best predictor is how old they are.
Most hotels there are fairly new by Western standards. Yes, many domestic travelers seem to care whether a hotel is 1-year old or one that's, say, 4-year old. To me, it doesn't make much of a difference.