Top Ten Ritziest Hotels in Shanghai

For the past decade, Shanghai’s upscale hotels have mostly targeted corporate travelers, but leisure visitors now enjoy a broader array of large luxury and small boutique options. The upcoming Shanghai World Expo is expected to bring in an estimated 70 million visitors and ambitious plans for long-term tourism growth are bringing names like Park Hyatt, Conrad, Jumeirah, Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, W, Banyan Tree, and Fairmont through 2010, while a small portfolio of design-led hotels is slated to grow and flourish. Location remains the key to which one you choose. Hotels in the French Concession and near the Bund offer the most convenience for tourists. Despite the lofty views, staying east of the river in one of the Pudong’s high-rise hotels can mean taxi rides and inconvenience.

• Le Royal Méridien Shanghai
  

The gorgeous view of Shanghai skyline is only the start of the royal treatment at Le Royal Méridien, the tallest hotel in Puxi, West of Shanghai

With considerable panache, Le Royal Méridien executes its Art Deco–inspired design throughout its 770 rooms, high above People’s Park on central Nanjing Road. Above the eleventh-floor lobby, black lacquer–framed mirrors line hallways, and airy guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows. Chic marble bathrooms, plush velvet couches and club chairs, and beds with down duvets and oversized square pillows round out the stylish accommodations. Ai Mei, the Chinese restaurant already known for its dim sum, is entered through a door frame of glass tanks filled with goldfish; the menu at Allure—roasted lobster with risotto, beef tenderloin with goose liver—is worth the culinary detour. Even the spa here caters to a late-night clientele, staying open until 11 p.m., for those who can’t sleep without a signature egg-white, vodka, and cucumber facial.

Le Royal Meridien Shanghai (Shanghai Shimao Huangjia Aimei Jiudian, 上海世茂皇家艾美酒店)

Address: 789 Nanjing Dong Lu, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China
Chinese Address:  上海市黄浦区南京东路789号
Phone: 021-3318-9999
Website: Le Royal Meridien Shanghai

• JIA Shanghai

Best Boutique Hotel: JIA Shanghai serves as your stylish home away from home.

Housed in a renovated 1920s townhouse on hip Nanjing Road, this is wunderkind Singaporean hotelier and restaurateur Yenn Wong’s follow-up to the original Jia in Hong Kong, designed by Philippe Starck. The 55 rooms combine luxe comforts—think plush beds, blackout curtains, plasma TVs, iPod docks, and ceiling-mounted Bose speakers—with trendsetting boutique styling, including artwork by photographer Russel Wong, outsize tubs in gold Bisazza-tile bathrooms, and furnishings by Minotti, Moroso, and Hans Wegner. Each room has a small kitchenette with a microwave oven, cookware, and serving dishes. The two stunning penthouse suites have extra theatrical flourishes, including contemporary art, a sunken circular Jacuzzi, and a shower that converts into a steam room. The chic lobby lounge, where you’ll be served complimentary continental breakfast and afternoon tea, is dressed with giant Chinese bird cages and lacquer tableware. Shanghai’s shaker-makers reserve dinner tables at Issimo, a modern Italian eatery created by Japan-based restaurateur Salvatore Cuomo. This is the place to stay for sophisticated small hotel chic.

The lounge of Issimo restaurant at JIA Shanghai

JIA Shanghai (上海JIA精品酒店)

Address: 931 West Nanjing Road, Jiangan District, Shanghai 200041
Chinese Address: 上海市静安区南京西路931号（近泰兴路）
Opening Date: August 2007
Number of Rooms: 55 rooms and suites, including two penthouse suites
Rate per Night: 2,000 to 10,000RMB
Phone: 021-6217-9000
Website: www.jiashanghai.com

• URBN Hotel

Serene little URBN is China's first carbon-neutral hotel, implementing eco-friendly elements such as solar shades and water-based A/C, and allowing patrons to buy carbon credits.

Tucked away on a side street north of Jing’An Temple, this 26-room design hotel is built around an enclosed slate and bamboo courtyard with calming water fountains. Constructed using reclaimed local materials —such as gray factory bricks, mahogany, and slate—Urbn wears its eco-conscious credentials on its sleeve; the hotel also tracks its ecological footprint and matches it in carbon credits. The rooms, in five categories, are all relatively small but make good use of space with low-level beds and a sunken “lounge” area, complete with hemp cushions on the broad benches and a wall-hung flat-screen TV. Neat in-room design touches include mahogany floors and wall paneling, desk chairs made from compressed cardboard, and under-floor bathroom heating, plus free Wi-Fi and iPod docks. Contemporary Australian-Asian cuisine is served in the ground-floor restaurant, Roomtwentyeight.

This modestly luxe, environmentally-friendly suite was built with recycled materials drawn from dilapidated French Concession villas.

URBN Hotel  (Yayue Jiudian, 上海雅悦酒店)

Address: 183 Jiaozhou Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市静安区胶州路183号
Phone: 021-5153-4600
Website: www.urbnhotels.com/urbn-shanghai

• Park Hyatt Shanghai

Park Hyatt Shanghai, world's most vertiginous hotel, is on floors 79 through 93 of the Shanghai World Financial Center, in the Pudong district.

Shanghai hotels are rising ever higher—and top of the pile is this deluxe cloud buster on the 79th through 93rd floors of the 101-story, 1,615-foot Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong. The Park Hyatt Shanghai can now claim the twin titles of world’s highest hotel and world’s highest restaurant. New York City–based Tony Chi created the interiors to resemble a sophisticated modern Chinese residence, hence the series of gates, halls, and chambers. The lobby itself is on the 87th floor and the spa and fitness center have prime city views from the 85th level. The 174 rooms are an impressive size (an average room is 645 square feet), plus there is 24-hour butler service, a technology concierge, and a walk-in dressing room and flat-screen TV in the bathroom and bedroom. The hotel’s highest highlight is 100 Century Avenue, an integrated three-level fine-dining restaurant (serving Western, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine) and lounge bar on the 91st to 93rd floors.

The hotel's highest highlight is 100 Century Avenue, an integrated three-level fine-dining restaurant and lounge bar on the 91st to 93rd floors.

Park Hyatt Shanghai  (Shanghai Baiyue Jiudian, 上海柏悦酒店)

Address: 100 Century Avenue, 79th–93rd Floors, Shanghai World Financial Center, Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区浦东世纪大道100号上海环球金融中心79-93楼
Phone: 021-6888-1234
Website: www.parkhyattshanghai.com

• The Portman Ritz-Carlton

Despite some heavy competition, this is still a favorite for many business travelers and world leaders (George W. Bush stayed here during the APEC Conference in 2001).

The Portman Ritz-Carlton was the city’s first luxury hotel when it opened in 1998, on the major shopping thoroughfare Nanjing Lu. The hotel  completed a multimillion-dollar, top-to-bottom face-lift of the guest rooms, bars, restaurants, and facilities in 2008. The circular pale-marble lobby gives way to 610 rooms—request one of the newly renovated ones, which feature gleaming dark-wood traditional furniture, accents of gold and brown, and sliding doors that lend an Oriental air. Guests are spoiled for choice when it comes to dining: There are four house restaurants to choose from, including Palladio, which serves modern Italian dishes in a formal setting. Luxury-brand lovers will delight in the neighboring upscale Plaza 66 mall. Though the hotel is centrally located at the Shanghai Center, surrounding office buildings mean that finding a cab during rush hour can be difficult—hotel guests do get preference in the taxi line, but the queue lengthens noticeably during peak times, from 4 pm until 8 pm.

The Portman Ritz-Carlton  (Shanghai Boteman Lijia Dajiudian,上海波特曼丽嘉酒店)

Address: 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, Jingan District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市上海市静安区南京西路1376号
Phone: 021-6279-8888
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com

• St. Regis Shanghai

In the lobby of St. Regis Shanghai, an elaborate alabaster light fixture echoes the tobacco-leaf pattern of the inlaid marble.

Every guest is a VIP at the St. Regis. The amphitheaterlike lobby sets the stage for the most indulgent hotel experience in Shanghai. The 318 rooms in this 40-story red-granite tower—its design lauded by Architectural Digest—spare no expense, with Bose wave radios, Herman Miller Aeron chairs, and rain-forest showers that give you the feeling of being under a waterfall. At 500 square feet (152 sq. m), standard rooms compare to other hotels’ suites. The two women’s-only floors are unique in Shanghai. Butlers address all your needs 24/7 (you can even contact them by e-mail) from in-room check-in to room service, and as part of a new program, they can arrange to escort guests personally to visit local artist studios. The hotel’s location—15 minutes from the riverfront—is a drawback, but the fitness center and 24-hour gym, along with the remarkable Danieli’s Italian restaurant add to this pampering property’s appeal.

Spacious and elegant double-height living room of The Imperial Suite at St. Regis Shanghai

St. Regis Shanghai (Shanghai Ruiji Hongta Dajiudian, 上海瑞吉红塔大酒店)

Address: 889 Dongfang Lu, South central Pudong, Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address:上海市浦东新区东方路889号
Phone: 021-50504567
Prices ¥3,313-¥3,478 ($473-$497/£237-£249) standard; from ¥6,378 ($911/£456) suite (up to 60% discounts)
Website: www.stregis.com/shanghai

• The Peninsula Shanghai

The 14-story luxury Peninsula Shanghai hotel, with 235 rooms and suites, is the first new structure on the storied riverfront Bund since the Bank of China in 1927.

The Peninsula Shanghai, an Art-Deco inspired hotel on Shanghai’s historic Bund, is dressed to impress, from its stepped, faux Deco facade to the grand pillared lobby decorated in cool celadon tones (a string quartet plays on a theatrical balcony in the afternoons) to the restored 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II for airport transfers. This is a hotel that makes the most of its outlook over the future-scape Pudong skyline, the Peninsula Spa by Espa features a skylit indoor swimming pool and a layered crème marble terrace, while the terrace of the 14th-floor Sir Elly’s Restaurant has panoramic river views. The pick of the hotel’s five restaurants is Yi Long Court, serving classic Cantonese cuisine in a luxurious chocolate and dark-blue Shanghai Deco dining room with Qing dynasty furnishings. The hotel’s 235 guest rooms, styled in a pale gray-green or cerulean blue, start at a spacious 600 square feet and go up to the 4,300-square-foot Presidential Suite. All have 1920s Shanghai mahogany and ebony furniture. The in-room technology is best in class, with thoughtful additions such as a Nespresso machine positioned at shoulder level, a desktop iPod dock, a 1,000-channel Internet radio, and an in-bath phone system that filters out the sound of the water. Another flick of a switch dims the bathroom lights and turns on relaxing spa music.

The Peninsula Shanghai features 235 generously large guestrooms (44 of which are suites). Ipod docks, free wireles

The Peninsula Shanghai (Shanghai Bandao Jiudian, 上海半岛酒店)

Address： 32 Zhongshang Dong Yi Lu, The Bund, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address:上海市黄浦区中山东一路32号
Phone: 021-2327-2888
Website: www.peninsula.com/Shanghai

• Pudong Shangri-La

The Shangri-La Pudong occupies one of the most prized locations in Shanghai: overlooking the Huangpu River, opposite the Bund, near the Pearl Tower in Lujiazui.

With its new 36-floor glass tower, the Shangri-La is set to give its Pudong competitors a run for their money. It may not tower as high as the Grand Hyatt, but this hotel’s gorgeous views stretch across the Huangpu River to the stately Bund and rival those of its taller (and sometimes more fogged-in) neighbor. All of the 950 modern rooms are unfussy, accented with Asian touches such as raw silk throws and pillows. Rooms also have broadband Internet, and satellite TV—just be sure to request accommodation that overlooks the water. Not one but two indoor pools and full-service gymnasiums satisfy the sporty, while those hoping to unwind can enjoy a massage in the Oriental opulence of the Chi spa. Eleven restaurants offer options to suit every taste, but there is no better place for a drink and nibble than Jade on 36, an eclectic fusion restaurant perched on the 36th floor. Though the Pudong location means that during rush hour (4 p.m.-9 p.m.) it can take 45 minutes to get downtown by car, taxis are cheap and plentiful, and those in a hurry can hop on the metro, which is only a five-minute walk from the hotel.

The Pudong Shangri-La boasts a slew of trendy designer restaurants including the luxurious Nadaman Restaurant and Sushi Bar, designed by Super Potato

Pudong Shangri-La Hotel (Pudong Xianggelila Fandian, 上海浦东香格里拉大酒店)

Address: 33 Fucheng Lu, Southwest of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, adjacent to Riverside Ave/Binjiang Da Dao, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Chinese Address:上海浦东新区富城路33号
Phone: 021-6882-8888; 800-942-5050
Prices ¥3,050-¥3,300 ($436-$471/£218-£236) standard; ¥3,550-¥3,750 ($507-$536/£254-£268) executive level; from ¥5,150 ($736/£368) suite
Website: www.shangri-la.com

• The Grand Hyatt Shanghai

From its perch on the upper floors of the Jin Mao Tower, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai With Art Deco furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows has splendid views of the Bund and Pudong

The Grand Hyatt Shanghai takes up the top 34 floors of the monolithic 88-story Jin Mao Tower—the fifth-tallest building in the world—so you can imagine the views: vertigo-inducing panoramas over the city’s skyscrapers and streets, abetted by the ubiquitous floor-to-ceiling windows. (Request a west-facing room for views of the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the rest of the Shanghai skyline’s kitschy excess.) If you can tear your gaze from the neon spectacle outside, you’ll find the hotel’s interiors are pretty sumptuous: All 555 rooms have contemporary furniture (lots of glass, lacquered wood, and velvety neutral-toned upholstery) accented by traditional Eastern artwork. The marble baths have multiple-head “shower towers” that engulf you in water and mist; if these aren’t enough of a full-body experience, you can head to the steam baths and hot tubs at the on-site spa. The hotel’s dozen restaurants, bars, and clubs include the Patio, a 33-story atrium where you can listen to live jazz; Cloud 9, on the 87th floor, where the views will make you dizzier than any cocktail; and Club Jin Mao, where you can sample local specialties, such as deep-fried eel with honey soy sauce and braised bean curd with hairy crab roe. While the Pudong location is oriented more for business than pleasure, the Line 2 Metro station is just a five-minute walk away, and a horde of cheap cabs waits outside to whisk you across the Huangpu River to the Old City.

Grand Hyatt Shanghai (Shanghai Jin Mao Junyue Dajiudian, 上海金茂君悦大酒店)

Address: 88 Century Boulevard, Jin Mao Tower, Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address:上海市浦东新区世纪大道88号
Phone: 021-5049-1234
Prices: ¥3,800-¥4,100 ($543-$586/£272-£293) standard; ¥4,450-¥4,800 ($636-$686/£318-£343) executive level; from ¥5,700 ($814/£407) suite
Website: www.shanghai.grand.hyatt.com

• The Westin Shanghai

Perched between the Bund and People's Square, Wesin Bund Center hotel attracts a mixed clientele

Popular with travelers on an expense account, this centrally located hotel—part of the office-heavy Bund Center—is just a short walk from the swish restaurants and nightlife of the Bund. The glitzy atrium lobby features a neon-lit glass staircase and artificial palm trees, while the 570 rooms are kitted out in earth tones, with polished wood paneling and rain forest showerheads in the dark granite bathrooms. A new wing, the Grand Tower, opened in 2007; formerly serviced apartments, rooms here are more spacious, albeit pricier, than in the main building. With so many business travelers passing through the halls, service can feel a bit impersonal and corporate—front desk clerks eagerly push upgrades at check-in. There are three restaurants—we liked the wood-fired pizzas at Prego better than The Stage’s buffet—as well as a fitness center, swimming pool, and branch of the Banyan Tree spa.

The Westin Shanghai (Shanghai Weisiting Dafandian, 上海外滩中心威斯汀大饭店)

Address: 88 Henan Central Road, 3 blocks west of the Huangpu River, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市黄浦区河南中路88号
Phone: 021-6335-1888
Prices: ¥3,245 ($464/£232) standard; ¥3,970 ($567/£284) executive level; from ¥9,730 ($1,390/£695) suite
Website: www.starwoodhotels.com/westin

• Travel Deals: World Expo in Shanghai

With an expected attendance of 70 million, this year’s World Expo in Shanghai – which runs May 1 to Oct. 31 — will  most likely mean  higher hotel rates in the city. But good deals can still be found.

For the duration of the Expo, Marriott is offering 20 percent off staysof two nights or more, and the package includes two single-day admission tickets. Rates start at 1,120  renminbi (or about $161 a night at 7  renminbi to the dollar). Book by March 31 at marriott.com or (800) 228-9290. Use the promotional code ADP.

Hilton is offering the same discount for any reservation made 21 days in advance at the Hilton Shanghai, through Oct. 1. There’s no minimum stay, but rates start at about $216 a night.

For a cheaper option, the Shanghai Metropole Hotel, a 141-room hotel near the Bund, has rooms from $80 a night. And ChinaHotels.org, a hotel booking site based in China, has rooms for as little as $25 a night.

• What to See & Do

Top Ten Shanghai Must-See Attractions
Modern Architectural Wonders of Shanghai

• Where to Dine

Taste of Shanghai – A Guide to Shanghai’s Best Food

Modern Architectural Wonders of Shanghai

Just as many of New York City’s most iconic landmarks rose in breathtakingly brief succession a century ago,  Shanghai has been growing faster than anywhere else in the World since the early 1990s, ever – at one point, a quarter of the world’s cranes were in use here. By contrast to the restrictions and limitations of European and American cities, Shanghai, with its seemingly boundless possibilities and the upcoming 2010 World Expo, has become something of a construction free-for-all, a playground for some of the most celebrated names in architecture. The result has been some of the world’s most ambitious building projects – from China’s next tallest building to brand-new futuristic cities.

• Jin Mao Tower: the world’s finest skyscraper since the Chrysler Building

Architecturally a blend of the monumental Art Deco of the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings and the balanced composition of the traditional Chinese architecture of tiered pagoda, the Jin Mao Tower renews the long-standing Shanghai tradition of blending Western and Chinese styles, resulting in a dynamic hybrid that beautifully compliments the Bund’s colonial-era façades across the Huangpu River.  Like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the building’s proportions revolve around the number 8, associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. The 88 floors are divided into 16 segments, each of which is 1/8th shorter than the 16-story base. The tower is built around an octagon-shaped concrete shear wall core surrounded by 8 exterior composite supercolumns and 8 exterior steel columns. Three sets of 8 two-story high outrigger trusses connect the columns to the core at six of the floors to provide additional support. The enormous barrel-vaulted atrium, lined with staircases arrayed in a spiral, is the city’s most spectacular interior.

Jin Mao Tower (Jinmao Dasha, Chinese: 金茂大厦)
Location: 88 Century Boulevard, Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Pudong, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区世纪大道88号
Constructed: 1994 – 1998
Height: 420 m (1,390 ft)
Floors: 88
Use: Office, Hotel (Grand Hyatt), observation (88th floor), retail
Architect: Adrian Smith of  Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

• Tomorrow Square

One of the city’s characteristic landmarks, thanks to the pincers on the roof.  The silvery futuristic skyscraper,  designed by the Atlanta-based architect, John Portman, is shaped like two squares on top of each other, with the upper on rotated at 45 degrees.

Tomorrow Square (Mingtian Guangchang, Chinese: 明天广场)
Location: 399 Nanjing Xilu, Western Side of People’s Square (Renmin Gongyuan), Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市黄浦区南京西路399 号
Constructed: 1997-2003
Height: 286 m (938 ft)
Floors: 60
Use: Office, Hotel (JW Marriott), restaurant,apartments
Architect: John Portman & Associates

• Shanghai World Financial Center: China’s Tallest Building
  

The Shanghai World Financial Center isn’t just well known—it’s been making headlines for more than a decade. Its original 1993 design was halted after foundations were completed, just before the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. And the building also suffered a fire in August 2007, although damage was minimal. Named as the Best Tall Building in the World 2008 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the 492m-high Shanghai World Financial Center was designed by US super skyscraper specialist Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.  The building’s most distinctive architectural feature is the aperture at the building’s top, which has a trapezoidal shape resembling a bottle opener. It was originally a circular shape (“moon gate”, a traditional element in Chinese gardens) but was changed after locals protested that the circular hole resembled the rising sun on the Japanese flag. The stunning all-glass 100th-floor observatory at the height of 470 m (1,542 ft.) is the world’s tallest observation deck.

World's highest observation deck inside the Shanghai World Financial Centre

Shanghai World Financial Center (Abbr.SWFC, Shanghai Huanqiu Jinrong Zhongxin, Chinese: 上海环球金融中心)
Location: 100 Century Boulevard, (Shiji Dadao), Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区世纪大道100号
Constructed: 1997-2008
Height: 492 m (1,614 ft)
Floors: 101
Structure: Steel-framed and steel reinforced concrete
Cost: RMB 8.17 billion ( US $1.2 billion)
Use: Office, Hotel (Park Hyatt), museum, observation (94th, 97th and 100th floor), retail
Architect: William Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
Structural engineer: Leslie E. Robertson Associates RLLP (LERA)
Developer: Minoru Mori , Mori Building Co.
Website: www.swfc-observatory.com

• Shanghai Tower: China’s Next Tallest Building
  

Reaching for the sky, the spectacular design for the Shanghai Tower is a twisting, winding marvel of modern architecture. At 632 meters (2,073 ft), Shanghai Tower is said to rise 140 meters higher than neighboring Shanghai World Financial Center –currently the world’s highest observatory – securing its title as the tallest building in China. Shanghai Tower emphasizes sustainable design and innovative high-performance features. Organized in nine cylindrical sections, the segments are placed atop of one another, the tower has a double-skin facade that encloses the stacked buildings, while a triangular exterior layer creates the second skin, which rotates as it rises. The spaces between the two facades create nine atrium sky gardens. Shanghai Center Tower, slated to be completed in 2014, will be the second tallest building in the world surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 828 meters (2,717 feet).

Shanghai Tower (Shanghai Zhongxin Dasha, Chinese: 上海中心大厦)
Location: Yincheng Zhonglu, Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区银城中路
Groundbreaking Date: November 29, 2008
Estimated Completion Date: 2014
Height: 632 m (2,073 ft)
Floors: 128
Cost: RMB 15 billion ( US $2.2 billion)
Use: Office, Hotel, observation, retail
Architect: Gensler, assistance from the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University
Structural engineer: Consentini Associates, Thornton Tomasetti

• Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre

The Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre is a magnificent, glass-faced, flower-shaped building that houses a concert hall, entrance hall, opera theatre, exhibition space and performance hall – they form the five petals of a butterfly orchid. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu, who was  responsible for the National Center for the Performing Arts (aka “The Egg”, 2007) in Beijing. To strengthen the effect of something delicate and unearthly, lights on the roof change color with the cadences of the music being played inside.

Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre (Shanghai Dongfang Yishu Zhongxin, Chinese: 上海东方艺术中心)
Location: 425 Dingxiang Lu,Century Park, near Yingchun Lu, Metro Line 2 Science and Technology Museum Station, Pudong District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区丁香路425号
Constructed: 2000-2004
Auditorium capacities:
Philarmonic Orchestra Hall: 1,979 seats
Lyric Theatre: 1,054 seats
Chamber Music Hall: 330 seats
Phone: 020-6854-1234
Architect: Paul Andreu Architecte associated with ADPi and ECADI
Website: www.shoac.com.cn

• Jiushi Corporation Headquarters

The glass facade of Norman Foster’s forty-story tower, in the South Bund area, curves elegantly to make the most of fantastic views across the Huangpu River. It is also one the most eco-friendly buildings in Shanghai.

Jiushi Corporation Headquarters (Jiu Shi Tower, Jiushi Dasha, Chinese: 久事大厦)
Location: 28 Zhongshan Nanlu, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市黄浦区中山南路28号
Constructed: 1995-2001
Height: 168 m (551 ft)
Floors: 40
Use: Office
Architect: Foster and Partners

• Oriental Pearl Tower: The Earliest Symbol of New China
  

Love it or hate it, the 468m-tall poured-concrete shocker of a tripod tower has become a symbol of Pudong and of Shanghai’s renaissance. Erected in 1995 and hailed as the tallest TV tower in Asia, the Oriental Pearl Tower features 11 differing sized spheres joined by three columns. The design is said to be based on a Tang dynasty poem that describes the tinkling of pearls on a jade plate: The silver and dark-red spheres represent the pearls, while the Huangpu River symbolized the jade plate. Still more fancifully, the architects liken the city’s Yangpu and Nanpu Bridges to “Chinese dragons frolicking with the pearls of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.”  The tower is dazzling when illuminated at night and you can always join the queue for the stunning panoramas of Shanghai.

Oriental Pearl Tower (Dongfang Mingzhu Dianshita, Chinese: 东方明珠电视塔)
Location: 2 Lujiazui Lu, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区陆家嘴路2号
Constructed: 1991-1995
Height: 468 m (1,535 ft)
Floors: 14
Construction Type: Concrete
Use: Communication, hotel, observation, restaurant
Architect: Jia Huan Cheng of Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd.

• Shanghai Grand Theatre: Shanghai’s Lincoln Center

The Shanghai Grand Theatre, designed by French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier who achieved worldwide fame with the construction of the Bastille Opera House in Paris, incorporates the sweeping eaves of Chinese tradition with a futuristic use of plastic and glass, looks like a crystal palace when lit at night as the white arc-shaped roof joins coherently with the light-sensitive glass curtain wall. Located in the northwest corner of People’s Square, it boasts three separate theaters: a 1,800-seat main theater for ballet, opera, and symphony; a 600-seat medium theater for chamber music; and a 200-seat small theater for drama and fashion shows.

Shanghai Grand Theatre (Shanghai Da Juyuan, Chinese: 上海大剧院)
Location: 300 Renmin Da Dao, People’s Square , Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address:上海市黄浦区人民大道300号
Completion Date: 1998
Transportation: Metro Line 1, 2 & 8 People’s Square Station
Architect: Jean-Marie Charpentier of Arte Charpentier et Associés
Website: www.shgtheatre.com

Related Articles:

Five Modern Architectural Wonders of New Beijing

Top Ten Shanghai Must-See Attractions

Tomson Riviera:Maybe the Most Expensive Apartment Complex in China

Tomson Riviera, China's most exclusive residence, consists of four golden-hued towers in the heart of Pudong's Lijuazui CBD in Shanghai

Tomson Riviera, a luxury riverfront complex in the heart of Pudong’s Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, consists of four golden-hued towers overlooking colonial buildings on the Bund across the Huangpu River and breathtaking views of the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Finance Centre.

Residents are greeted by sweeping views of the Huang Pu River and the colonial buildings on the Bund

Views of the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Finance Centre are breathtaking

The apartment complex’s entrance has original artworks by Salvador Dalí and well-known Chinese artists. The apartments, a few of which have been decorated by Armani and Fendi, as well as Versace, lease for $7,000 to $17,000 a month — to high-level executives from companies like General Motors.

Tomson’s prices are soaring.  A 6,458-square-foot (600-square-meters) apartment was sold recently for about $14.1 million (96.09 million yuan) or $2,189 a square foot (160,848 yuan), a new record for priciest home sold in China. The average luxury apartment in Manhattan sold for just under $1,900 a square foot in the fourth quarter of 2009. Indeed, for the price of a Tomson apartment in Shanghai, a buyer could easily purchase a 6,000-square-foot home in Los Angeles built by Frank Lloyd Wright and now for sale ($10.5 million), or a 52-acre site with a 22-room residence in New Canaan, Conn. ($24 million).

The spacious duplex comes with crocodile-skin bedposts, hand-carved bronze doors inlaid with Swarovski crystals — and a $45 million price tag.

The spacious duplex comes with crocodile-skin bedposts, hand-carved bronze doors inlaid with Swarovski crystals — and a $45 million price tag.   Big, pricey and luxurious… It is still on the market, see it yourself.

The luxury apartment complex features designs by Versace and bronze doors inlaid with Swarovski crystals.

1st floor – living room

2d floor

3rd floor – dining room

4th floor – cloakroom

5th floor – bedroom

6th floor – bathroom

7th floor – Shanghai World Financial Center and Jinmao Tower can be seen from the balcony

8th floor

Best of Shanghai in a nutshell – Top Ten Shanghai Attractions

Shanghai Pudong Skyline at Sunset

The most westernized city in the world’s fastest growing country, Shanghai (literally “above the sea”) is an exhilarating, ever-morphing metropolis that isn’t just living China’s dream, but is setting the pace for the rest of the world. In just a little more than a decade, Shanghai has transformed itself into the model for 21st century China. As Shanghai is gearing up for its role as China’s showcase for the May 1-Oct. 31 World Expo, whose theme is “Better City, Better Life,” by remaking itself into the country’s most chic and modern city, expect to see constant changes as record numbers of foreigners and Chinese flock here to stake out their share of the ever-expanding pie.

Shanghai is much more Hong Kong than Beijing; there are no grand monuments and imperial palaces here. Instead, European-style cityscapes and tempting, tree-lined neighborhoods rub shoulders with the sci-fi skyline of Pudong. Shanghai was where China first met the West and it’s still a frontier town, obsessed with the latest fads, fashions and technology. This blend of old and new offers tourists a wide variety of experiences that are sure to be memorable.

Here are Shanghai’s top 10 must-see sights and attractions.

• The Bund

(Wai Tan, Chinese: 外滩)

The Bund - Shanghai's famous waterfront boulevard

A spectacular, dazzling waterfront esplanade with a wide range of colonial architecture. Particularly striking at night, when brilliantly illuminated. One of the most famous streets in China, and an absolute necessity to visit. Over the past few years, the buildings have started to be inhabited by shopping arcades and restaurants. The most impressive are 3 on the Bund and Bund 18, which have some of Shanghai’s most glamorous restaurants (M on the Bund, Laris, Jean-Georges and Whampoa Club) and bars as well as high-end glitzy international boutiques. The bund is also where you’ll get that postcard view of the futuristic skyline in Pudong.

Transportation: Subway Line 2 at East Nanjing Road, about a five minute walk to The Bund. Bus Line 145, 311, 316, 320 and 71 also have stops near The Bund.
For taxi drivers:  请带我去外滩 (Qing dai wo qu wai tan) Please take me to The Bund.

• Oriental Pearl TV Tower

(Dong Fang Ming Zhu Dian Shi Ta, Chinese: 东方明珠电视塔)

As the first architectural wonder of New China, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, built in 1994, was a foremost symbol of the country’s potential as it began to flirt with free enterprise ideals. The 468-meter (1,536 feet) tower, located in Pudong Lujiazui area along the Huangpu River, is the 4^th tallest TV and radio tower in the world after  the Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower in Guangzhou, China and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada and the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Russia.  The undeniable tower soars above the Pudong skyline and features fifteen observation levels, a small hotel, shops, a museum and a restaurant that of course, revolves. Over 3 million people visit the Oriental Pearl every year. The 263-meter (863 feet) high observatory level is one of the best places to get a bird’s-eye view of the city.

Address: 1 Century Avenue (Shiji Dadao), Pudong District, Shanghai
Transportation: Take Metro Line 2 and get off at Lujiazui Stop. It is right outside of the station. Buses 81, 82, 85, 870 also take you to the nearby area.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去东方明珠电视塔 浦东新区世纪大道1号 (Qing dai wo qu dong fang ming zhu dian shi ta, pu dong xin qu shi ji da dao yi hao)
Please take me to Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1 Century Avenue (Shiji Dadao)
Opening hours: Daily 8:00-21:00
Admission Fee: 263 m sphere: CNY70 per person; 90 m sphere + 263 m sphere + Shanghai History Exhibition: CNY85 per person; 90 m sphere + 263 m sphere + 350 m sphere: CNY100 per person

• Jin Mao Tower

(Jinmao Dasha, Chinese: 金茂大厦)

Gazing down on the atrium of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jin Mao Tower

Now the second tallest building in Shanghai, the Jin Mao Tower stands at 88 floors. Its remarkable architecture is recognizable on a clear day from all over the city. There’s an observation deck on the 88th floor (access 50rmb, US$6) where you have spectacular views of the neighboring skyscrapers and the sprawling city. Enjoy similar views with a cocktail in hand at the Cloud 9 bar on the 87th floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel. Note, access to the observation deck and Cloud 9 are separate. Follow signs at ground level to the observation deck, follow Grand Hyatt signs to get to the hotel elevators and Cloud 9.

Address: 2 Century Avenue (Shiji Dadao), (3 blocks southeast of Oriental Pearl TV Tower), Pudong District, Shanghai
Transportation: Take Metro Line 2 and get off at Lujiazui Stop. It is right outside of the station. Buses 81, 82, 85, 870 also take you to the nearby area.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去东方明珠电视塔 浦东新区世纪大道1号 (Qing dai wo qu dong fang ming zhu dian shi ta, pu dong xin qu shi ji da dao yi hao)  Please take me to Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1 Century Avenue (Shiji Dadao)
Opening hours: Daily 8:30am-9:30pm (last ticket sold 9pm)
Prices: Admission ¥70 ($10/£5); ¥60 ($8.55/£4.30) seniors over 70

• Shanghai World Financial Center

(Shanghai Huanqiu Jinrong Zhongxin, Chinese: 上海环球金融中心)

China's tallest buildings: Shanghai World Financial Center (left ) and Jin Mao Tower (right)

Resembling a giant bottle opener in shape, the new skyscraper king of the sky in China and indeed, save for Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world, is a beast at 492.0 meters (1,614.2 ft) with 101 floors. Open since 2008 next to Jin Mao Tower, the design of Shanghai World Financial Center has already become a premier icon of the city. This tapering glass tower with a trapezoidal aperture at the peak, featureing the world’s highest public observation deck at 474.2 m (1,556 ft) and world’s highest hotel, Park Hyatt Shanghai, will likely make this skyscraper the new “must visit” spot in town.

Address: 100 Shiji Dadao, Pudong District, Shanghai
Transportation: Subway Line 2 at Lujiazui
Phone: 021-5878-0101
Website: www.swfc-observatory.com
Prices: 94th floor only ¥100 ($14/£7); 94th to 97th floors ¥110 ($16/£8); 94th to 100th floors ¥150 ($21/£11)

• Former French Concession

(Fa Zu jie, Chinese: 法租界)

The French imported plane trees in the early 1900s still line both sides of every street in the Former French Concession

Shanghai’s most charming district, was administered by the French from the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900’s. The streets are tree-lined, with few high rises, and colonial villas dot the landscape; it has become an elite district of the city. Try wandering around the FFC on foot. Scenic bits include such small streets as Yuqing Lu and Kangping Lu. For a nice walk, try Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu or Wukang Lu. Dongping Lu has many good small restaurants such as Simply Thai and Azul.
Transportation: Take Metro Line 1. There are three metro stops you can get off to visit different parts of the former French Concession—South Shanxi Road, Hengshan Road and Changshu Road.
For taxi drivers:
请带我去淮海路陕西南路 (Please take me to the cross junction of Huaihai Lu and South Shanxi Lu)
请带我去衡山路高安路 (Please take me to the cross junction of Hengshan Lu and Gao An Lu)
请带我去复兴路乌鲁木齐路 (Please take me to the cross junction of Fuxing Lu and Wulumuqi Lu)

• Yu Gardens

(Yu Yuan, Chinese: 豫园)

Yu Garden offers an atmosphere of peace and beauty amid the clamor of the city

In the center of Old Town, just southwest of the Bund, the Garden of Peace and Comfort offers an escape from the fast pace of the surrounding city. The 16th century Yuyuan Garden, one of the best-preserved gardens in China, represents the height of Suzhou-style garden art which makes use of craftily structured pavilions, corridors, and bridges together with exquisitely set rocks, ponds, and floras to create charming and pleasant views. Of the many temples and halls, the Grand Rockery is the most popular. Two thousand tons of rare yellow stones are combined with rice glue to form a massive sculpture that stands 46 feet high. Wander through the lanes and alleys and find everything you might want to take home as souvenirs from silk pajamas to chopsticks. A trip to a genuine teahouse is cultural experience one must try in China. For Shanghai, Huxingting Teahouse is the place and still floats on a lake in the Old Town as it has since 1784.
Insider tips: While you are at Yuyuan Garden, try some delicious Shanghai local snacks such as steamed buns (xiao long man tou or xiao long bao ).

Address: 218 Anren Street
How to get to Yuyuan Gardens: From The Bund: Walk south along The Bund then turn right at Jinling Dong Lu. The Old City is the area to the south.
Bus Line 11, 24, 26, 64, 581, 715, 736, 801, 920, 926, 930, 945 have stops in Yuyuan area.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去豫园 安仁街218号 (Qing dai wo qu yu yuan, an ren jie er bai shi ba hao) Please take me to Yuyuan Garden, 218 Anren Street)
Opening hours: Daily 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Admission Fee: CNY30 per person

• Nanjing Road

(Nan Jing Lu, Chinese: 南京路)

People come from all over China to shop on what is China's premier shopping street - Nanjing Lu

A visit to Nanjing Lu, the “Number One Shopping Street in China” is practically required, if only for a chance to marvel (or shudder) at the sheer numbers of people, people, people everywhere! Nanjing Road consists of two sections: East Nanjing Road and West Nanjing Road. The term “Nanjing Lu” in many cases refers only to the eastern section from The Bund to the People’s Square. The pedestrian-only East Nanjing Road boosts trendy designer boutiques alongside a cluster of Shanghai’s oldest department stores and traditional eateries, some of which have a century-long history. With hundreds of shops and restaurants there is something for everyone.
Transportation: Subway  Line 2  at East Nanjing Lu Stop.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去南京东路步行街 (Qing dai wo qu nan jing dong lu bu xing jie)  Please take me to Nanjing Lu Pedestrian Street.

• Xintiandi

(New Heaven and Earth， Chinese: 新天地)

Xin Tian Di is a restaurant, bar, club development that utilizes Shanghai's traditional shikumen architecture

A must-see on any tourist’s itinerary. This outdoor section of “shikumen”  (1920’s – 1930’s Shanghai style stone gate houses) was completely rebuilt in 2000 -1 and is a great example of the success of the urban renewal effort.. Xin Tian Di is divided into the North and South Blocks. The South Block is the more modern of the two and is home to one of China’s first major shopping centers as well as boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs. Shikumen architecture lines the streets in the North Block providing a contrast to the modernity of the South Block. Xintiandi is often packed with tourists and is home to some of Shanghai’s best restaurants. We like: Ye Shanghai, Crystal Jade, Kabb, Va Bene, Simply Thai and T8.

Address: Lane 181, Tai Cang Lu
How to get to the Jade Buddha Temple: Take Metro Line 1 and get off at South Huang Pi Lu. It is 5-minutes walk to the south along Ma Dang Lu.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去新天地 太仓路181弄 (Qing dai wo qu xin tian di, tai chang lu yi bai ba shi yi long) Please take me to Xintiandi, Lane 181, Tai Cang Lu

• Shanghai Museum

(Shanghai Bo Wu Guan, Chinese:上海博物馆)

Shanghai Museum, China's best museum, houses an incomparable collection of art and artifacts

Considered by many to be the finest, most modern, and most memorable museum in China, the Shanghai Museum in the heart of People’s Square has 11 galleries and over 120,000 historic artifacts including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, and fantastic bronzes. The museum’s architectural design is that of a round top with a square base which symbolizes the ancient Chinese philosophy that the earth is square-shaped and the sky overhead is round. The Stone Sculpture Gallery and the Bronze gallery are the most popular with collections dating back to the 18th century B.C. There are also special exhibitions on occasion that can be quite fascinating. Make it a top priority, and allow a few hours more than you planned on.

Address: 201 Renmin Avenue
How to get to Shanghai Museum: Take either Metro Line 1 or 2, get off at the People’s Square stop, and take Exit 1.
For taxi drivers: 请带我去上海博物馆 人民路201号  (Qing dai wo qu shanghai bo wu guan, ren min lu 201 hao)    Please take me to Shanghai Museum, 201 Renmin Avenue
Opening hours: Daily 9 am – 5 pm
Admission Fee: For regular exhibitions, 5000 free admission per day
For special exhibitions, CNY20 per person
Website: www.shanghaimuseum.net

• Dongtai Lu Antiques Market

(Dongtai Lu Guwan Shichang, Chinese: 东台路古玩市场)

Mao badges at Dongtai Lu Antique Market in Shanghai

This largest of Shanghai’s antiques markets, not far from Xin Tian Di, is Shanghai’s answer to Beijing’s Panjiayuan Antique Market.  While tiny in comparison to Panjiayuan, Dong Tai Road is lined with stalls and shops selling all that is junk and treasure in chinoiserie. You can find all kinds of items including antiques, curios, porcelain, furniture, jewelry, old wooden rice buckets, brightly painted opera masks, wood carvings, birds, flowers, goldfish, and nostalgic bric-a-brac from colonial and revolutionary days (especially Mao memorabilia). It’s worth a wander just to see what’s on offer but don’t forget your bargaining skills.

Address: Junction of Dongtai Lu & Liuhe Lu, 1 block west of Xizang Nan Lu, Luwan District, Shanghai
Transportation: Metro at Huangpi Road South
Hours: Daily 9am -5pm

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