Shanghai 上 海 - Other Scenic Spots 其它景点

Disney-Like Theme Park 迪斯尼式公园

A 373-hectare-Disney-style Theme Park built in Shanghai’s Qingpu District aims to show that learning is not just from textbooks any more. At this as-yet unnamed park, which opened in October 2001, children can camp, play sports, touch the high-tech arms, spacecraft and robots and meet famous historical figures from Chinese philosopher Confucius to gravity guru Newton. There are also Internet facilities. Other attractions include a “Tarzan”-like jungle adventure and a Mother Nature coping challenge a la the Tom Hanks blockbuster “Cast Away.” The park is a vision of the Shanghai Education Commission and includes a museum, science laboratory, Internet connections and sport facilities. The largest one in Asia, the park can serve as many as 4,000 students on overnight camping outings. On weekends and national holidays, non-students would be granted admission.

Work is on track on building a 700-by-25-meter boulevard featuring images of 160 distinguished scientists from China and overseas. The boulevard is also lined with 400 different types of plants. Students can get up close and personal with people of excellence in sciences. This way they come away with a deep impression, paving an easy way to build knowledge. Education experts laud the park as a solution to the limited space provided in crowded Shanghai for extracurricular activities. Many local schools do not have enough space for sports or recreation because of the downtown area’s dense population.

Pudong 浦东

Bordering the East China Sea and at the estuary of the Yangtze River, Shanghai Pudong New Area is situated at the junction of China’s “golden coast” and “golden waterway.” Covering an area of 522 square kilometers, it has a population of about 1.4 million. In April 1990 the Chinese Government declared an important policy of developing and opening-up Pudong, which has attracted the world attention. After more than ten years’ development, with a mint of money from overseas fed into the mammoth construction in the Pudong area, remarkable achievements have been made, of which the four key zones have become the vanguard of developing and opening-up in Pudong. These four key zones include Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone, Jinqiao Export Processing Zone, Zhangjiang High-tech Park Zone, and Waigaoqiao Free-Trade Area.

Since 1970s, especially since 1980s, for the fast development of New Pudong Zone, three big Bridges and four underwater tunnels have been built between Shanghai’s Pudong and Puxi (the city proper of Shanghai). To residents and visitors alike, set amidst the Huangpu waters formed by the Suzhou Creek and the Yangtze River estuary, is acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and bustling cities in the world.

Shanghai Grand Theatre 上海大剧院

Construction of the Grand Theatre in Shanghai started in 1994 and completed and put into use in August in 1998. The total cost for the Shanghai Grand Theatre was US $ 144.5 million. In February 1994, Jean-Marie Charpentier and Associates, a French architectural firm, beat out 12 other firms from 11 countries to design the theatre.

Located on the northwest corner of the People’s Square, the theatre has a striking arc roof and gleaming glass walls revealing the interior to passers-by. At night, with its lights turned on, the building looks like a glittering crystal palace.

The theatre actually houses three stages—a 1,800-seat main stage for ballets, operas and symphonies, a 600-seat medium theatre for chamber orchestras and a small 200-seat auditorium for dramas and fashion shows. The acoustics are good enough for performers’ words to be heard clearly at any corner of the main theatre.

Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆

Established in 1952, the Shanghai Museum has a collection of more than 120,000 rare cultural pieces including bronze artifacts, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, lacquer wares, oracle bone inscriptions and coins. The museum is especially famous for its collection of bronze pieces. The 1,200-square-meter showroom has housed more than 400 beautifully decorated bronze artifacts, which reflect the development of the Chinese society from the 18th century BC to the 3rd century BC. With its dark green colour, the showroom conveys an artistic atmosphere of history and culture. The ancient statue showroom has over 120 statues on display, including the simple and coloured wood statues from the Warring States period (475-221 BC). Buddha statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and the pottery figures (including horses and soldiers) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Visitors can also get a clear picture of what the ancient seals looked like in the past in the Seal Showroom. The room, consists of four parts, has over 500 seals on display, which date from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC). Entering the showroom of furniture of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties the visitor almost feels s/he is in a Chinese-style garden and mansion. In a 700-square-meter showroom, more than 100 pieces of furniture are on show. In the Coin Gallery, the visitor can find nearly 7,000 coins made from a variety of metals including bronze, gold, iron and copper, which chart the development of coinage in China.

The museum also has a library collection of more than 200,000 books on Chinese art and history. It also has an Archaeological Department, which takes charge of archaeological fieldwork. To date, the department has successfully discovered 27 cultural heritage sites over the past decade.

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium 上海海洋馆

As one of the largest ocean aquaria in Asia, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is located beside Oriental Pearl TV Tower and features the longest underwater viewing tunnel extending 155 meters, making it the longest in China. The aquarium is divided into eight zones with 28 species and a total of more than 10,000 precious fish from four continents and five oceans. Currently, the highlights include Sawfish, Jellyfish, Sunfish, Leafy and Weedy Sea Dragons, Octopus, Shark Eggs and King Penguins.

Shanghai Wild Life Park 上海野生动物园

Located in Nanhui District, and encompassing 153 hectares, Shanghai Wild Life Park is China’s largest state-owned one. It boasts six zones for visitors to see cheetahs, lions, bears, tigers and other animals. For the sake of safety, visitors have to stay inside vehicles while touring the areas where animals are kept in the wild. There are also animal shows, shopping centers and barbecue areas.

The Bund 外滩

The Bund, which extends from Jinling Road in the south to the Waibaidu Bridge over the Suzhou Creek (the whole project of the cleanup of the Suzhou Creek is estimated to cost 20 billion yuan or US $ 2.42 billion and by 2010 hopefully the river will once again be clean enough to encourage marine life back to the area) in the north, is on the western bank of the 114-kilometer-long Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. It is a 1.5-kilometer boulevard and used to be called the Huangpu Shoal. Walking along Zhongshan Road, visitors can enjoy the fade grandeur of old Shanghai, for this was the Bund, where the great trading houses and banks had their headquarters. ON ONE SIDE IS A LINE OF IMPOSING 1930S European buildings, while the other is the Huangpu River. The Bund underwent a face-lift several years ago, which included raising the level of the breakwater to prevent flooding. The raised pedestrian promenade gives a wonderful view of the Huangpu River with the futuristic-looking buildings of the New Pudong Area rising on the other side. Across the Waibaidu Bridge is the Shanghai Mansions. On the 22nd Floor of the Mansions, you will find yourself above the tree line, and unfurling below you, a marvelous view of the bustling city of Shanghai with a sea of buildings in all their majesty. The architecture, along the Bund is unanimously honoured as a “World Architectural Fair.”

Wusongkou Port 吴淞口

Wusongkou Port on the estuary of the Hunagpu River functions as the Shanghai Port Terminal for domestic passengers, taking the place of 130-odd-year Shiliupu at the Bund. The move is an important part of Shanghai’s century project to turn the Huangpu River, used mostly for industry, into a true “Mother River,” which can offer Shanghai’s people beautiful scenery and enjoyment. Encompassing 24.5 hectares, the terminal, the investment in which has been roughly estimated at 200 million yuan (US $ 24.2 million), runs 700 meters along the coastline and has a channel 11 meters dep. The port has corresponding land transportation, commerce and entertainment facilities. A 180-meter-high iron tower to lift up high-pressure wires is a landmark, and the visitor will be able to take elevators to a platform 120 meters above the ground to enjoy a view of the estuary. The terminal serves as the water gateway to the city and a transportation hub, which is expected to drive development in the north of the city. The port will serve the regular routes that now run through Shiliupu Wharf, such as boats to Dalian of Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, the Zhoushan Archipelago of neighbouring Zhejiang Province, Shanghai’s three islands of Chongming, Changxing and Hengsha, and cities along the Yangtze River. Disenbarked visitors to the city can be delivered to any part of the city via buses or taxis or to neighbouring Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces via long-distance buses. There are more and more luxury tourism liners on international routes and officials hope that people who wish a relaxing trip will choose to explore the Yangtze River. Wusongkou opened in 2003.

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