Jake and I explored Shanghai together for a couple of days before work began for me. We saw several of the big tourist destinations:

The Bund

This area, known as Wàitān, is the area on the west bank of the Huangpu River. A wide pedestrian walkway separates the river from many upscale buildings. This is a fantastic area to see the lit up Shanghai skyline at night.

Views of Puxi

Views of the Pudong skyline

Nanjing Road

This is a very lively pedestrian road that runs directly west away from the Bund, and we stopped for some very tasty ice cream.

Yuyuan

This area contains an old traditional Chinese garden, although it was closed by the time we arrived. Instead, we wandered around a nearby area with many old buildings interspersed with new buildings modeled after the older ones.

Jingan Temple

This Buddhist temple houses a gigantic silver Buddha. It is a fairly large complex situated in the middle of a bustling city (the temple was originally a long trek from the city, but the city grew). Now, there’s even a subway station underneath the temple. And some of the temple walls have been modified so that modern shops are situated at the edges of the temple, underneath the temple sides.

French Concession

We only spent a small amount of time in this area, although I returned some weeks later to see Tianzifang. After walking around and attempting to see some of the old European architecture through the trees, we found Xujiahui Park and relaxed there for a bit. Some young boys were disrupting the peace by shooting water at the black swans and carp.