Shanghai Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Shanghai

Perhaps more than any other Chinese city, Shanghai deserves to be called the “face of modern China.” Despite modern look, the city emerged on a map as far back as 751 AD. Shanghai County was established under the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century, although the city character, as we know it today, began to take shape in the aftermath of the first Opium War in 1842. The post-war treaty opened Shanghai to international trade, bringing the influx of cosmopolitan adventurers from around the world searching for easy fortune. And they sure found it in Shanghai, prompting the city's rapid development to the glamorous shine still visible today in the opulent facades along the famous Bund and the downtown area.

That flow of migrants entailed a construction boom, leaving mark on Shanghai's architectural scape. The eclectic, vibrant mix of colonial, Art Deco, and postmodern influences has made Shanghai an architectural wonder equally appreciated by both idle wanderers and cultured professionals.

Over the years, Shanghai has evoked many associations and labels, such as “Paris of the East”, “Paradise of Adventurers”, “Queen of Eastern Settlements”, “New York of the Far East”, “City of Palaces”, and “Yellow Babylon of the Far East”, to mention but a few. Each nickname has some truth to it, reflecting the city's outstanding trading location at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Centuries on, trade remains as important to Shanghai as ever, particularly now that the city undertakes one of the most daring development programs the world has ever known. The economic rise of China since the mid-1990s, echoing the construction boom of the 1930s, has refreshed the city skyline with thousands of brand-new high-risers and some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, such as the Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center, and the Jinmao Tower. Shanghai's fondness of high-rising projects doesn't stop here and has hundreds more in the planning.

This self-guided introductory walking tour of Shanghai takes you to some of the glitziest as well as traditional spots in the city, starting with The People's Square, passing by the famous Bund promenade, the lovely traditional Yuyuan Garden, and culminating with the timeless Shanghai Confucian Temple.