The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a spacious Public aquarium with one of the largest underwater tunnels in the world. It showcases fish and sea creatures from around the globe and aims to educate the public on the need to protect and preserve the living wealth of the earth’s seas and oceans.
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium was opened for public viewing in 2002. It occupies an area of 20,500 square meters and was a joint venture by the Straco Corporation of Singapore and the China Poly Group of China. The aquarium has more than 450 species from all five continents and 4 oceans. The species are grouped in thematic zones.
Notable species include a 17 inch long Orlanda Goldfish named after Bruce Lee, aquatic animals and fish from the Yangtze River like the giant salamander and Chinese sturgeon, unique species from the Amazon and the rivers of Africa, South East Asian species, deep sea fishes, sharks, jellyfish, sea dragons and electric eels.
Visitors walk through a hundred meter tunnel surrounded by glass walls to view the vast array of exhibits in the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. It receives over one million visitors every year from China and all over the world.

One of the tallest structures in Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower commands spectacular views of the Huangpu River and the Bund. The architecture was inspired by a Tang Dynasty poem by Bai Juyi about the sound of pearls falling on a jade plate.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is 468 meters high and was designed by Jiang Huan Chen, Lin Benlin and Zhang Xiulin of the Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. The structure consists of a series of spheres supported by slanted columns. It stands on a green lawn that resembles the jade plate in the poem that inspired the tower. Each sphere houses spaces where commercial or recreational activities take place. Double Decker elevators take visitors and office goers ups and down. They have a capacity of holding up to fifty people and travel at 7 meters per second.
The Oriental Pearl Tower has a revolving restaurant, a hotel, a shopping area, children’s recreation establishments and radio and TV stations. The observation deck has a glass floor where visitors can see through to the bottom of the tower. It also houses the Shanghai Municipal History Museum.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is the icon of modern Shanghai. It belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers because of its uniqueness of design that combines Chinese traditions with modern technology.

The Natural Wild Insect Kingdom, Shanghai is the first living pet and insect museum in China. Besides insects, it has other aquatic and land animals. The object of the museum is to educate children through interactive programs and shows about the different types of natural habitats and the insects and other creatures that live in them.
The Natural Wild Insect Kingdom has exhibits grouped according to habitat. Countryside, forest, valley, desert, swamp and rainforest are some of the habitat groups showcased at the museum. There are also zones like the butterfly valley, insect gallery and a zone dedicated to amphibians and reptiles. It covers over 3000 square meters and hosts over 200 species. The museum is designed that visitors can clearly view all the creatures within.
Entertaining shows are held for children like an insect parade, a honey gathering show and food grabbing show. Children are encouraged to take part in interactive activities like touching, feeding exhibits and fishing for goldfish. There is a café and toy shop at the basement level where visitors can relax after touring the museum. They can rent a bucket and net from the well stocked toy shop for the goldfish fishing activity.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is one of the five most entertaining activities for tourists in Shanghai. It is an underwater tunnel fitted with spectacular audio visual effects for entertaining adults and children who go across the Huang Pu River from downtown Shanghai to Pudong.
The ride through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel lasts 6 minutes. The tunnel was completed and opened to the public in the year 2000. There are two entrances, one on the Bund at Nanjing Donglu and the other in Pudong near the Riverside promenade.
Visitors board a small carriage at one end. The carriage takes them through the tunnel that flashes kaleidoscopic neon lights in varying patterns. Blow up dolls pop up during the ride and sway in front of the carriage. A voice commentary tells the story of geological origin of the earth as the carriages rush along to the other bank of the river. The intention is to take visitors on a ride from space to the centre of the earth and back again.
The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel ride is more expensive than getting across the river on the Metro or by ferry. The ride is however, quicker and more fun for visitors especially children.

Once, the principal financial hub of China and the Far East, the Bund forms part of Zhongshan Road in Shanghai. The major institutions of the former international settlement stood here and the 52 buildings along the waterfront have an array of European architectural styles.
The Bund comes from the Indian word for embankment. The Bund of Shanghai is on the western bank of the Huang Pu River starting from the Waibadu Bridge to the Nanpu Bridge. When Shanghai was a major trade centre, European banks and financial institutions were located at the Bund. It was also the location of the consulates of Russia and Britain, an English club and a Masonic lodge. A 771 meter retaining wall runs along the bank of the river. Railings were placed on top of the wall and a promenade was designed alongside.
The embankment had many statues of prominent colonial and European statesmen before the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. Today, there is a bronze statue of Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai after the communist takeover at the Nanjing Road intersection and a Monument to the People’s Heroes at the Northern end.
The Bund area was restored to attract tourism in the 1990s and today visitors can walk along this stretch of Europe in Shanghai and take in views of the Huang Pu River.

The Shanghai Railway Museum is for serious Railway enthusiasts. It showcases the 100 year old history of railways in Shanghai and East China. All exhibits are placed on railway tracks or inside railway carriages giving visitors the feeling that they are passengers on a train while at the museum.
The Shanghai Railway Museum is housed in what was once the Shanghai old North Station. It was built by the British in 1901 in the classic style of railway stations in England. The building has four floors where exhibits are displayed. The indoor exhibition hall covers 1000 square meters and the area with outdoor exhibits covers an area of 1300 meters.
Exhibits include two early locomotives including one donated by the United Nations relief and Rehabilitation Fund to help the recovery of the Chinese economy complete with a luxury carriage used by high class officials in the 1940s and another small steam locomotive which ran on a narrow gauge track. It was used in the rugged mountain tracks of the Yunnan province. Other notable objects include models of locomotive and railway vehicles showing the development of railways in China. There are also many interesting railway related old photographs and cultural relics for those interested in the history of Railways in East China.