Yu Yuan Garden was built in the Ming Dynasty in the 18th century. It is a famous classic garden in Southeast China with more than 40 vista points, including pavilions, chambers, towers, halls, ponds and rockeries. Outside Yu Yuan Garden is the City God Temple Bazaar, which has stores that sell traditional Chinese arts and crafts, medicine and souvenirs.

A spectacular space in the heart of the city, People’s Square is the second largest square in China. It was formerly the site of the city’s race course and sports arena. Today, amidst landscaped greenery, the square is framed by the Shanghai Municipal Government Building, the state-of-the-art Shanghai Grand Theater, the Shanghai Museum and the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. 

Jade Buddha Temple was built in the Qing Dynasty. It is well-known in China especially for its fine stately jade statues of Buddha. Two cherished statues of Sakyamuni (a sitting one and a reclining one) are kept in the Jade Buddha Chamber. Besides, a lot of bestowal is collected. The architecture is in the style of the Song Dynasty, with symmetrical halls and courtyards, upturned eaves and bright yellow walls.

The Bund is Shanghai’s waterfront boulevard, most well known for its iconic buildings built before 1949. The promenade is a hive of activity in the morning, full of residents practicing ballroom dancing, kung fu, qigong and Tai’chi. The rest of the day, visitors stroll along, snapping photos of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower on the opposite bank. In the evenings, lovers come out for romantic walks amidst the floodlights accentuating the buildings’ architecture.

The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower stands tall in Pudong Park in the up and coming Lujiazui district. An iconic symbol of modern Shanghai, the distinctive design boasts 11 spheres resembling pearls. Views from the viewing platforms are spectacular as they afford panoramic views of Pudong and the Bund on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River.

Located in the city center near the site of the First Congress Hall of the Chinese Communist Party, Xintiandi - New Heaven and Earth - is an urban tourist attraction imbued with the city's historical and cultural legacies. Visitors will delight in the host of dining, retail, entertainment, cultural, recreational, commercial and residential facilities housed in restored "Shikumen" houses - an old form of building architecture unique to Shanghai.

This pagoda is the oldest and largest in Shanghai. It was built in the year 274 and then rebuilt in the early Song dynasty (10th century). The temple buildings date from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and follow the original Song Dynasty seven-hall design. In the temple are Buddhist scriptures, gold seals and Buddhist statues.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen was the key figure in the 1911 revolution which brought down the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty and is revered as the founder of modern China. He lived in Shanghai from 1918 to 1924 and compiled a library of 2,700 volumes, many books in English and other foreign languages. After his death, Soong Ching Ling continued to stay here till 1937. Located in a quiet residential area reminiscent of London or Paris.

The main venue of the APEC meeting in 2001, the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum occupies a total floor space of 98,000 square meters. With "Nature, Man and Science and Technology" as its main theme, the museum enlightens visitors through an integration of exhibition, education, scientific study and exchange, exhibits’ collection and production, and leisure and tourism. The seven exhibition areas cater to adults and children alike: the Earth's Crust, Life, Light of Wisdom, Audio-Video Paradise, Cradle of Designers, Children's Garden, and Natural Science. The museum also features a large 3-D screen cinema, a 360-degree circular screen cinema and a 4-D screen cinema.

Located in People’s Square, the landmark Shanghai Art Museum is distinguished by its clock tower. In addition to exhibition halls, the Art Museum also has a conference room for academic exchanges and art appreciation and an academic activity room; turning the museum into a modern art center that integrates collection and research, exhibition, aesthetic education, and art appreciation.

The museum is one of the four largest in China, housing a collection of 12,300 pieces of art in 23 categories of valuable cultural relics. Permanent galleries include bronze, ceramics, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, furniture, jade, seals, coins, minority arts, and bamboo, wood and lacquer wares and ceramics.

Founded in 1983, the Shanghai History Museum relocated to the Oriental Pearl Radio and TV Tower in 2000. More than 40,000 exhibits collected by the Museum over the years reflect Shanghai’s past and modern historical backgrounds. These include the bronze tigers which used to stand proud at the entrance of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, printing machines from the Commercial Press and a 1930’s model of the Bund.

Situated next to Xintiandi, the Museum of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn millions of visitors through its doors. It was here on July 23, 1921 that 13 members of the Community Party of China held their first national congress, marking the birth of the Party. The exhibits cover the history of the Party's birth, the forming of nationwide communist teams and life-sized waxworks of the 13 members, including Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China.

An impressive showcase that details Shanghai’s past, present and future, the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall maps out the vision of the city’s urban planners. A sprawling model of the city in 2020 is the centerpiece on the third floor of the museum, while a recreated 1930’s old street in the basement takes visitors to the past. 

Dong Tai is spread over two blocks and has many shops and vendors selling vintage goodies, furniture and bric-a-brac. Items vary from international gems such as chairs imported from New York City in the 1930s, to local pieces such as furniture from old Shanghai theaters. Experienced antique collectors will be able to pick up some excellent buys.