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Shanghai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neoclassical HSBC Building to the art deco Sassoon House.
A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved, most notably the French Concession. Despite rampant redevelopment, the old city still retains some buildings of a traditional style, such as the Yuyuan Garden, an elaborate traditional garden in the Jiangnan style.
The lights of the Bund and Puxi skyscrapers at night.
In recent years, a large number of architecturally distinctive, even eccentric, skyscrapers have sprung up throughout Shanghai. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre in the People's Square precinct and Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.
Shanghai has couple of great museums which are worth visiting and a nice aquarium as well. Podong and Pushi area are completely vast and make the two side of city completely far and isolated from each other.
In fact in this trip as we were there for business we couldn’t be bother to go around the city for all we have seen before .
When we were back I was comparing Xian as an old cultural and historical city with Shanghai, which is commercial and industrial .shanghai is located on east the Chinese sea and absorbing too many tourists and business people from all around the world.
The traffic is horrible there and without Metro line you are crippled. Cost of life is almost as twice as Xian which is located on the North West of China.
The interesting part of Xi'an itself is the area inside the city wall. This is the old part of town and inside are the Bell and Drum Towers, huge Ming-era towers built to house the city's bell and drum. The Muslim quarter is just west of the Bell Tower. You can easily spend a day inside this area: rent bikes and ride along the walls peering down onto daily Xi'an life, wander around the towers and then stroll into the Muslim quarter, snack on street food and find yourself a bargain in the markets. There's lots to see in the surrounding area too, not to mention the Army of the Terracotta Warriors.
City Walls:
The walls were built on the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's imperial residence in Chang'an (read more about Xi'an's History). While most ancient Chinese cities had walls, most have been knocked down to make way for modern-day roads. Fortunately for you, the Ming-era walls are still mostly intact. Take a few hours to climb up and rent bikes at the top. It's a great way to see Xi'an.
Temples & Such:
Xi'an has some lovely temples to visit.
* Big Goose Pagoda, Dayan Ta - originally built in 648 by a Tang prince, this temple compound has been beautifully restored. Its buildings and gardens offer a park-like atmosphere in which to wander. The pagoda was built to store sutras brought back from India by a Chinese monk.
* Small Goose Pagoda, Xiaoyan Ta - was originally built in 684 in honor of Tang emperor Gaozong.
* Great Mosque, Daqingzhen Si - one of the largest mosques in China. Just five minutes from the Drum Tower in central Xi'an, the courtyard can be visited by non-Muslims.
* Temple of Eight Immortals, Baxian An - Xi'an's largest Taoist temple.
* Forest of Steles Museum (former Confucius Temple), Beilin Bowuguan - largely a collection Silk Road history, the museum has some English labels and the area around the museum has been renovated in Ming-era style so is interesting in itself.
Ban Po Neolithic Village:
Many tours to Xi'an will include a stop at this "village" which is basically a museum housing the pits where the remains of this village have been unearthed. A few interesting artifacts are inside the museum, but it's not terribly interesting unless you happen to be a big fan of Neolithic Man.
The Army of the Terracotta Warriors:
The Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors & Horses Museum is by far the top reason people visit Xi'an. The museum is just a half hour outside Xi'an by car or bus. Read more about visiting the Army of the Terracotta Warriors.
There are so many big malls and brands from west there. people are not traditional anymore. Everybody is so busy ,running and rushing to work place and time is too essential as nobody care for anything else.
It is good sometimes to have a trip to Eat coast of China and see how much are the differences in life style between east and west in one country.
I DO LOVE TO BE THERE FOR SHOPPING AND STROLLING IN BIG MALLS AND ENJOY MY TIME CHOOSING DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL CUISINES BUT NOT MORE THAN THAT.
