Cheap Shanghai Vacation Packages
One of the most populous cities in China, Shanghai is the largest city in the country and offers a plethora of exciting sightseeing opportunities for those who have no concerns with traveling a bustling city. It is a fun city that also offers quieter historic districts and attractions its tourist sites. Its location at the mouth of the Yangtze River allows it to offer opportunities for exploration by water along the coast and its inland waterways. Major highlights of a visit to Shanghai incorporate a lot of world-class museums and art galleries, several beautiful gardens and parks, and a number of fine old temples and traditional pagodas.
Places of Interest in Shanghai
Zhongshan Lu
Also known by its Anglo-Indian name of Bund, Zhongshan Lu is a spectacular promenade running along the west shore of the Huangpujiang River. This promenade is mainly popular among travelers as the area has retained a European feel that is particularly remarkable in the several old French and English buildings that now serve as boutique stores, offices, galleries, and restaurants. The stroll here includes the Bund's 52 unique buildings built in an assortment of styles incorporating Renaissance, Neoclassical, Gothic, Baroque, and Romanesque influences.
Yu Garden
Also known as the Garden of Happiness, Yu Garden is located to the northeast of the old town and was laid out in 1559. The garden covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters and boasts an inner and an outer garden. Outer Garden is the oldest section with further alterations being made in the 18th century when the main hall of the park, Sansui Tang, was added. The Inner Garden boasts the artificial rocks having great historical importance. It also includes features typical of a classical Chinese writer's garden.
The Shanghai Museum
China's most important museum of classical Chinese art, the Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952. The museum is in a modern building that is a great example of modern architecture in itself. The unique round top and square base of the building includes displays of ceramics and bronzes from prehistoric cultures to the 19th century seals, ink drawings, and calligraphy, along with a large collection of art from ethnic minorities. The museum also features a large collection of furnishings, coins, and jade from the Ming and Qing periods. Located within the premises, Shanghai Natural History Museum is one of the largest museums of natural sciences in the country.
The Jade Buddha Temple
A wonderful and serene place to visit for spiritual travelers, the Jade Buddha Temple houses two Shakyamuni's statues brought with him by the monk Huigen from Burma. The building of this temple is divided into three halls and two courtyards. The building includes the magnificent Hall of the Kings of Heaven that is remarkable for its statues of two Shakyamunis and the four heavenly kings.
