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A walk along the Yellow River
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From the world's fastest train to breathtaking skyscrapers to culinary specialities to fake brands, there's never a dull moment at Shanghai
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ATTRACTIONS GALORE The Mag Lev train clocks 430 kmph using the principle of magnetic levitation.
As ones flies over Shanghai on the Yangtze delta, one is but awestruck by the skyscrapers that dot the Pudong and Puxi or the eastern and western banks of the other major river, Huangpu or the Yellow River. As you touch down the tarmac, yet another technological marvel greets you — the Mag Lev, the world's fastest train that works on the principle of magnetic levitation, clocking 430 km per hour. This train transports you to the mainland. Shanghai plans to have more of them shortly.
A few decades ago, if Shanghai was a marshland today it is the commercial and cultural capital of China. Breathtaking office complexes merge with hi-fi streets, not to forget MacDonald's and other food chains and multi-level malls in between. Till recently, Xiang Yang or the fake market, with its immaculate copies of Armani, Rolex, Dior, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, boasted a commendable footfall. The maple-lined parks and street food stalls outside the "fake" street tempt visitors to take a long walk and feast on a sumptuous fare.
While on cuisine, a plethora of upmarket and traditional restaurants offer authentic (read non-spicy) seafood and meat dishes. But the presence of Italian pasta joints, Haagen-Dazs, Starbucks and even a Punjabi eatery, makes for other options for the non-adventurous types. Bar streets with their glitzy Woodstock Bar and karaoke bars rev up after midnight.
The Chinese opera is a treat to watch. For architecture buffs, the skyline is sheer poetry. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the tallest in Asia. With a futuristic space city, a plush hotel for state guests, shops and restaurants, it also services the various television and FM radio stations. Glass facades and multi-storey buildings break your preconceived notions of natives dressed in qipao, walking past pagoda-style structures and tea bars. The latter, incidentally, is restricted to quaint corners of Yu Garden, where you can pick up herbal tea.
Yu Garden, the one-stop shop for all things traditional, has architecture in stark contrast to the high-rises in the business districts. Find here silk scarves and robes that you can take back as souvenirs. Key chains with insects in embedded in resin are a popular gift item as are animal pendants, depending on the year of birth.
If you are lucky, you can pick up sandalwood fans for 25 CNY each (Chinese Yuan; 1 CNY is equal to Rs. 6) and jade paintings for 100 CNY. The word here is a bargain. While here, try the choco bar at 3 CNY.
Life's little pleasures go on in the Huangpu river with the Shanghai skyline forming the backdrop
Commuting is smooth with subways, taxis and public transport completing the circle. Known as the "kingdom of bicycles" till 1980s, Shanghai is today the land of Volkswagen Santana, the popular automobile. Sleek limousines and other cars such as Hyundai can be seen zipping past the ring road. People live on three levels, as oft said of Shanghai — on the road, above and under the road (read subways).
The elevated roads are a marvel. The system ensures the 19 million population of the city never faces traffic jams. There are a few streets steeped in history such as Edward Street built on a creek, dividing French and British colonial establishments.
A walk on the promenade on the bund is a must. A reminder of the 1840s-1930s period when Shanghai was a fishing village inundated by periodic floods, the bund was built as an embankment. The night cruise on the river is worthwhile here.
Learn a smattering of Mandarin if you must before you embark on your trip. It would go a long way since a very small percentage of people speak English here. Also carry ready-to-eat food.
Recommended
The weather fluctuates during spring, summer, autumn and winter. Gear up adequately after checking the weather forecast online.
SYEDA FARIDA
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