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Previously known as the Paris of the East, Shanghai is one of China's most cultured and populated cities. The epitome of Chinese modernity and economic power, Shanghai possesses a futuristic pace poetically balanced by century's old wisdom. Large-scale building projects emerge from the ground like alien palaces, while much of the city still keeps a rough-around-the-edges charm as clattering trolleys and masses of
pedestrians and bicyclists fill the streets with their organized
chaos.
Cultural attractions include the basics and much more with everything from chic restaurant and clubbing scenes to a variety of architecturally notable churches, pagodas and temples. The city's colonial past is apparent in the narrow streets of formerly French neighborhoods or the East-meets-West waterfront area of the mile-long Bund. Shopping is one of the city's favorite pastimes: An overstuffed bag in hand is practically a prerequisite for several of Shanghai's shopping districts, which are utterly crammed with department stores and malls.
The Museum of Ancient Chinese Art reigns as one of the country's most impressive. Its contemporary architecture with a sleek, square-based yet cylindrical structure, houses ancient Chinese treasures, like bronze sculpture, ceramics and jade. A more landmark stop for Shanghai visitors is the Oriental
Pearl TV Tower, with a dizzying height of 468 meters. The world's
third tallest TV tower stretches above the skyscrapers with a Jetson's-like spaceship shape of large spheres and rigid columns. Inside, countless sources of eye candy lure tourists in to shopping, entertainment and dining attractions.
It's hard to imagine now, but the small harbor and fishing village of Shanghai stayed petite from the early Song Dynasty (960-1279) until 1842, when the Brits transformed it into a huge foreign port for the trade of silk, tea and opium. Thus was born the "Wild West" of the East, with gamblers, prostitutes, beggars and other shifty characters roaming the streets. The city of Shanghai gave birth to the Communist Party in 1921, later embraced Europeans escaping the Holocaust, and throughout the centuries has been a breeding ground for Chinese intellectuals and revolutionaries. Now one of the country's most ideologically and socially advanced cities, Shanghai continues to stride forward with
its ever-international spirit.
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