Visit Shanghai and embrace the world! Trip preparations and recollections.

China is one of those tempting and exotic countries to travel to, but not open enough to foreigners. Therefore, it is one of the most challenging destinations for travel preparation and organization. Here, the previous experiences of people who have already visited play an essential role. Although Beijing is the capital of China, Shanghai is more popular because it is more developed. People often know that they call Sangai Chinese New York, and they are right. Whether you plan to travel to major cities or inland, China is a very safe country.

Due to its size, it is best to plan an independent trip without an agency. This way you can decide for yourself which places you want to visit and for how long. For Shanghai, in particular, I think that even a month is not enough to get around everything. I spent a little less than six months there and missed touring the whole city. In the following text, I will mention only a few of the places worth visiting.

Note: Under the Chinese Aliens Act, every foreigner is required to report to the local police 24 hours after entering the country.

Preparing for the trip

To make your trip is completely carefree, be sure to put these household items, besides regular ones (documents and money), in your travel bag.

1. WeChat. It is an app for communication, payment, and a form of a social network. WeChat is convenient for communicating, as it is free, and allows unlimited messaging and making calls, as long as the user has a good Wi-Fi connection.
   
2. First aid kit. No, I don’t think of a Swedish band. It is an actual first aid. Traveling can be very exciting, and if you are careless, you can hurt yourself or hurt someone else. That is why it is good to always bring a small first aid bag with you. Bring pills for headaches, nausea, and discomfort if you have problems with allergies, climate change, and most importantly probiotics.
   
3. Gps/maps. Since GPS doesn’t work in China, without a VPN, you will need something like BeiDou Navigation. Keep in mind that apps like Facebook, Youtube, Twiter, Whatapp, etc., don’t work in China without a VPN. Also, VPN is illegal in China, but I saw that every other foreigner is using it. Perhaps, a printed map would be the best choice.

Before the final purchase of airline tickets, think carefully about the date and length of stay. Try to avoid the dates of national holidays at least a week before and after the official dates. It is getting more expensive, the crowds become unbelievable! Tickets for all domestic transport sell out quickly. When you book a hotel, see if they accept foreigners. Some hotels don’t have machines to scan passports, only Chinese ID cards.

There is reliable and in the top five recommended website in English for China trains. However, it asks you to scan the passport for each ticket and person as an attachment to the request. Personal data and passport numbers are required.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

The museum is huge and in the glass building around which and inside are a lot of people. It is easy to find in Pudong Shanghai with metro. The building itself is fascinating and looks promising! As in any other museum and most places in China, you will need an ID or passport to buy tickets. There is a possibility to book or buy tickets online which can be handy during holiday seasons. The whole museum is arranged into several parts:

• biology – forest and rainforest in the middle of the museum
• geography – fuel, ore mining & astronomy
• physics – a place to examine the accuracy of many physical theories 
• technology – computer history, robotics, cameras, and all kinds of technological innovations
• anatomy- there is room for prototypes of human organs as well as a separate place for mental health and strength.  

The museum is open from 09:00 to 17:15. It is closed on Monday except for holidays. I spend a whole day there, and it wasn’t enough. The place itself has several hundred thousand square meters. Spend one day here, there would be no regrets. 

Downtown

The Shanghai Bund is a place where foreign and local cultures come together. In the very center of the city, there are different styles of architecture. A lot of counties have contributed to building. These buildings testify to the turbulent history and modern liveliness of Shanghai. I’ve chosen a few places for you to visit downtown. 

• M50 Creative Park. Anyone who enjoys modern art will love the M-50 area. It is full of art shops and exhibition spaces. You can spend a few hours walking around the exhibition spaces, talking to artists and their representatives.
• Nanjing Road. It is Shanghai’s main street, with its nearly six kilometers in length and numerous shops. Nanjing Road reminds me of New York’s Fifth Avenue.
• People’s Square. Shanghai People’s Square consists of an open square, the People’s Park, and several important buildings located on its surface: a theater building, the Shanghai Museum, administrative buildings, and an urban planning showroom.
• Yu Yuan Garden and Yuyuan Bazaar. It was created about 500 years ago and is divided into seven thematic areas. Beautiful place for a day walk. The open area consists of a lotus with a lotus and an embankment around it.
• The French Quarter of Shanghai is a real attraction, little France, which stretches near Huaihailu Street. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area was inhabited by real French, who left behind an entire culture that the Chinese carefully preserved.

Shanghai Museum of Sun Yat-Sen’s former residence

The whole complex has three exhibition areas, the Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen, the Sun Yat-sen Museum, the temporary exhibition hall, and the leisure porch. There are more than one thousand cultural relics and related materials displayed. One of my favorite places is the study room. It was the place where Dr. Sun lived and engaged in revolutionary activities. 

The Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen in Shanghai is a European cottage-style house at No. 7, Xiangshan Road. Visiting time is between 9 and 16:30, closed on Mondays, except holidays. There are small discounts for groups, students, and seniors. If you visit Shanghai, this is a place not to be missed because of its national and historical importance.

On March 4th, 1961, The Former Residence was designated by the State Council as one of China’s first major government-protected cultural sites. The Former Residence opened to the public in 1988.

Other places to visit in Shanghai

Located on the Huangpu River Shanghai, is one of the most famous cities in modern China. The city itself has almost 25 million inhabitants, and the wider area includes 35 million people, which makes it the largest city in the world. Today, Shanghai is a Chinese and world business center, and a place where new technologies are perhaps the fastest to introduce. There are many places to visit.

Don’t miss the ride on the fastest train in the world. It’s faster than a bullet. The Shanghai Maglev train, which can reach speeds of up to 400km / h, is the first commercial high-speed train in the world.

The Oriental Arts Center is another place that is worth visiting. I had the opportunity to listen to a concert in the magnificent hall. Every year, countless outstanding performers from China, but also other countries, perform under the spotlight of the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

Shanghai is also known as a paradise for shoppers. It is full of local markets, shops, and malls. Each major shopping center offers a wide range of premium goods, both domestic and imported.

This city offers many traditional and Buddhist temples, some of which have been turned into museums. A visit to the east is often associated with a visit to Buddhist culture.

This largest and most populous city in China offers a great variety of fairs. From science and technology fairs, through food to history and shopping. People from all over the world visit fairs.

Another place to visit is the Shanghai community fellowship. SCF is an international, multi-denominational congregation in the heart of Shanghai, China. Whether you are just visiting Shanghai or staying for a while, come and worship! There are two services every Sunday 2 pm and 4 pm, in English. There are other services like Café connect- my favorite!