I am just starting to read about China. Very big country with very very big cities. And apparently Shanghai is divided in 2 by a river that is difficult to cross in terms of traffic. The general impression I get is the part on one side of the river is where all the business stuff is - and the other side is where something else (I'm not sure exactly what).

Can you explain to me in very basic terms what I will find on either side of the river (and if you have personal opinions about which side of the river you like - I'd like to hear those too). Any comparisons to any cities in north American and Europe (where I've traveled a lot) would be appreciated. I recall someone here saying he wouldn't want to be on X side of the river during the weekend - because it's dead. Sounds like the Wall Street area on a weekend. Am I anywhere near correct? But - even if true - what is the other side like? Robyn

You want to be on the west (xi) side of the Huangpu river... Puxi. Pretty much everything worth seeing/doing in SH is there, though I will concede that Lujiazui (the financial district in Pudong) has come a long way over the past 5 years. Even still, there is more of everything --including "business stuff"-- on the west side.

yes, the sights are on the puxi side but don't forget that the east side has a couple of million inhabitants now with the amenities that go with it. I like to go to Pudong for running as the streets are a bit quieter and wider.

I used to live over there and sort of enjoyed the "downtown San Jose" feel, and the new infrastructure (sewers in particular; some parts of the old city smell really bad) is nice.

But, for tourists, I can't think of any valid reasons (not even "but, the PH is such a cool hotel") to stay there.

And to give it historical context, the west side is where everything developed over the last 100+ years and where the historical "concessions" are/were. Pudong is the new part of the city.

I can't think of a good analog in the US or Europe offhand--perhaps Manhattan versus Jersey City? Or Istanbul-Europe side/Asia side? Neither is a great analog other than as a tourist where you would want to spend your time (and I don't mean to sell short Jersey City or the Asian part of Istanbul).

Isn't Pudong called "Pu Jersey"

And just to counterbalance our estwhile posters above, I have stayed in Pudong on every trip I've ever made to Shanghai. Not only did I survive, I somehow managed to enjoy the experience.

There are both subway and ferry lines crossing the river and they are not impacted by traffic. Cheap and efficient, too.

P.S. The Park Hyatt is SUCH a cool hotel!

While neither the components of the city fabric, nor the development patterns are the same, there's a reason most people prefer to stay on the north side of the Thames River in London. Same for the Puxi side of Shanghai. At least if you are a tourist rather than a businessperson primarily needing proximity to his/her Pudong office.

Pudong does have something to offer:

You could hit on foot in one day:
Pearl TV Tower
Jin Mao Tower
World Financial Tower
Aquarium
taxi to Maglev

then you pretty much did Pudong.

Want the feel of classic/old Shanghai? Go to Puxi. Want the feel of suburb big city Shanghai where there's lots of new development? Go to Pudong.

That being said, Lujiazui (Pudong) is an exception to Pudong, regardless of where you want to go you should go to Lujiazui to check out many of the aforementioned places.

Lujiazui is amazing in terms of 'big architecture' and has some good bars with good views, but yes, from a tourist point of view Puxi is more packed with sights. Whatever you do, however, don't leave Shanghai without a visit to Lujazui to get some neck cramp looking up at the tall buildings!

I would also recommend to check a "What's on" guide for performances at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center on the Pudong (East) side. This is in fact a concert hall (or rather several concert halls).

The building itself is very impressive, though not worth a visit just to look at, unless architecture is really your thing. If you are lucky though you may catch a performance from a visiting orchestra (alas I can't really recommend going to hear any of the local orchestras). The acoustics in the main hall are very impressive (I say that having both been in the audience and on stage).

The aquarium really is quite good (well worth the rather steep admission price). Since all of those tall buildings feature similar variations of the same view, why not pick just one? Personally, I'd go to Suntory for lunch instead (50 floors up is good enough for me and that's some of the best Japanese food in China).

Been to Dalian, Beijing and Shanghai aquariums. I liked Dalian the best, divers feed great white sharks.

I believe they have aquariums in Qingdao, Guilin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, not sure about other cities.


As far as tall buildings in Shanghai, if you wanted to pick one it would be World Financial Center. Instead of paying to go to the observation deck you can go up
to the PH bar 100 Century Ave and have a drink and look down on Pearl Tower and Jin Mao. Would be nice to do this on a clear day.