Shanghai (click here to see more pictures)

Climate & Weather Report

Introduction

Shanghai, also called in short in Chinese "Hu" or "Shen", situated at 31.14 degrees north latitude and 121.29 degrees east longitude, in the middle of China's east coastline, is a gate to the Yangtze River valley. Shanghai has a delightful climate with four distinct seasons. The average temperature of the year is 15.7 C° and the yearly precipitation is 1,200 mm. Shanghai is a municipality under the direct jurisdiction of the central government. It is the largest economic and trade center in the country and a comprehensive industrial base. Shanghai Port is the leading port in China. It is an open city along the coast, as well as a famous historical and cultural city. Its total area is 6,341 sq. km., of which the Pudong New Area occupies 523 sq. km. . Its total population is over 13 million.

Shanghai is well-known both at home and abroad not only for its prosperous metropolitan feature and rich humanistic resources but also for a number of tourist attractions with modern flavor that have been developed in recent years. Varied and colorful tourist festivities, like the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the New Year Eve Longhua Temple Bell Striking, the Longhua Temple Fair, the Nanhui County Peach Blossom Festival, the International Tea Culture Festival, the Sweet Osmanthus Festival and the Orange Festival are attracting an ever increasing number of domestic and foreign tourists.

Shanghai is an ideal "shopping paradise";  Nanjing Road, known as "China's No.1 Street", the reconstructed Huaihai Road, Jinling Road, East, North Sichuan Road, the Yuyuan Garden shopping and tourist area, the Ever Bright City  Commercial Center, Xujiahui Commercial Center, and Zhangyang Road Commercial Center in Pudong are packed with rows of shops arrayed with large collections of merchandise that are a feast to the eyes and meet the demands of different classes of domestic and foreign customers. Shanghai is also a paradise for gourmets. There are over a thousand restaurants serving the famous 16 styles of Chinese food, such as Beijing, Sichuan, Guangdong, Yangzhou, Fujian, etc. There are also French, Russian, Italian, English, German, Japanese, Indian and other kinds of foreign flavored cuisines, genuine Muslim food and vegetarian food. In Shanghai you can have a taste of all the different kinds of food in the world. Shanghai is well developed in communications in air, land and sea, which render tourists with fast, efficient and quality service.

Shanghai is a special city in every respect. Only 50 years ago, it was still considered one of the most important metropolises of the world, as the trading and banking center of Asia. Foreigners lent Shanghai its appearance, making it more western than Chinese. Twenty-story-high buildings reach skyward; there are vast hotel complexes, villas and palaces that a visitor from the West can more easily identify than a temple, for they were built according to Western architectural style by former business and military men. The colonialists have gone, but their buildings remain, and the bustling life and activities of a large Chinese city prevail around them . A special kind of people lives there, brisk, smart, flexible and make more of their appearance than other Chinese.                                                               

PUDONG NEW AREA

Pudong New Area, meaning the east of Huangpu River,  was established in April 1990. Used to be a big piece of  farmland, the new Pudong now has become the most modern and international area in China. No one believes numerous of high risings, modern factories are finished just within 10 years! Pudong has a total area of 523 sq. km,  consists of four parts: the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the Jinqiao Export Processing Zone, the Waigaoqiao Bonded Zone, and the Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park Zone. Last year, the new Pudong International Airport was put into operation. Good environment, flexible policies and bright future have attracted many foreign and Chinese big companies to move the office to Pudong.  So it is said that Pudong represents the future of China.                 

NANJING ROAD

On September 20, 1999, the pedestrians' street on Nanjing Road was official opened to the public. It offers 24-hour 5 major functions of shopping, tourism, business, exhibition and culture. The first phase of the pedestrians' street extends from Henan Road to Xizang Road, l,033-m long and 20-28-m wide. The northern section from the center of Pedestrians' street 26 cultural establishments have been finished. The street, paved with dark red granite and 4.2- m wide is known as the "golden belt". On this belt are flower beds, chairs, telephone booths, service counters and sculptures. In the south of this belt is a 7-m wide motorway for sightseeing and greeting guests. There are also unobstructed passageways specially provided for the handicapped. In the middle section of the street is a 880 sq.m.-square - the Century Square. In the middle of the square is an open-air stage for fashion shows and song and dance shows. Above head is 288-sq.m. extra large electronic screen, showing laser performances that attract visitors with fascinating beauty.         

CHILDREN PALACE

Children Palace is a kind of spare time school, but kids don't learn the same knowledge as they do in schools. There are many kinds of programs in the palace, such as piano, painting, calligraphy, dancing and computer. Kids can attend one or two programs according to their own interests. All the kids, 5-14 years old, can get into the palace as long as they can pass a simple examination and pay 100 yuan tuition for one term. The palace is actually a part of China's social welfare because the government provides financial support to the palace, and also some donations from all circles are also available. You can see this kind of palace in many big and medium-sized cities in China, and they have helped the country train many well know sport world champion and musicians.                   

NIGHT LIFE

When night falls, the city bustling in the day ushers in a romantic night. There are the Grand Theater, the Shanghai Circus world, the Great World Amusement Center, bars, tea houses, jazz bars, pottery bars, glass bars, beer bars, disco, karaoke, Karting cars, night clubs, all lit brightly and in a riot of colors. "Shanghai at night is the real Shanghai". Shanghai has been known for its night life, bars, ball rooms, big shopping centers, restaurants... are all available can meet all of your needs. For years, Shanghai has been reputed as such up to this day. Following are some good places for you.

Old Man Jazz Band The Old Men Jazz Band in the Jazz Bar in Peace Hotel is the first and most reputable jazz band in Shanghai. The band consists of 6 members, who have worked as musicians for more than 60 years. Their average age is over 70. The band is specialized in playing the popular music of the '30s and '40s, with a repertory of over 300 world-famous pieces. It has formed a unique style of its own. It has been invited on performance tours of Japan, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and much applauded by the audience there.         

Hengshan Bar Street  The 2.3-km long Hengshan Road was built in 1922. Half a century has left on Hengshan Road a number of historical architecture and humanistic sights with alien appeal. With the growing prosperity of Xujiahui Commercial City, Hengshan Road, as a branch street of the commercial center and with its unique alien environmental feature has attracted a great number of overseas personages and returned students from abroad to invest in projects while bringing along new concept of the operation of catering and recreational businesses. On the west side of Hengshan Road is a European-style sidewalk partition fence, a public landscaped corner and a new "Long Gallery of Oil Paintings". At present, there are 167 catering, recreational and gymnastic establishments on Hengshan Road. Among them there are many bars with different styles and elegantly decorated restaurants, which offer customers with delicious food and quality service.                                  

The Bund

 By the glittering Huang Pu River, stands one after another, the tall and huge            architecture showing an air of prosperity for the oriental city — Shanghai. And this is Bund, the place well-known to the world, being the symbol of Shanghai.

Generally speaking, Bund usually represents the 24 architecture along from No.1 to No.33, west of No.1 East Zhong Shan Road. Most are bank buildings about 10 in number. The others are commercial buildings, national organizations, restaurants, clubs, press etc. Bund assembles the architectural buildings of finance and trade. And these big banks as well as big companies are of international feature, thus Shanghai is made internationalized. Most of the architecture were built before 1937, having got no radical change for the Bund at present. People have made the best advantage of the fine architecture as a contribution for Shanghai showing herself in the international society. The present Bund has become the center of international finance as well as the touring resort thus forms as a colorful picture of the Shanghai City.  

Bing Jiang Road of Bund Bund of Shanghai is a picture of length and rich in color .The Bing Jiang Road built in 1939 was designed with an extraordinary style. The flower -stands together with street lamps have become the resort place as well as sight-seeing for the ordinary people. By the magnificent buildings of the Bund, the Huang Pu River forms a beautiful sight-seeing with her glittering water. Paralleling with Bing Jiang Road, there stand the building of Jiang Feng Bank, Customs House, Peace Hotel and the building of Bank of China. One after another being huge and magnificent, like a silhouette represents the typical works of "The International Architecture Display".     

The Building of Bank of China and the  Peace Hotel The building with top at the left side in the picture being the North building of Peace Hotel, originally under the name of "Sassoon Mansion", it is situated at No.20, on No.1 East Zhong Shan Road, built from 1926-1929, being the architecture amid between neoclassicism and modernism. And the designer was Gong He Foreign Co., The building with 4 pointed tops at the right side is Bank of China. It is situated at No.23 on No.1 East Zhong Shan Road. This being built from 1936-1937, the designer was Gong He Foreign Co. and Mr. Lu Qian Shou, the engineer. The building of Bank of China was designed on the basis of modern architecture and modeled after the Chinese traditional architecture as well as decorative style. It is a daring try in pursue of national style.

Historical Pavilion of Bund Historical Pavilion of Bund was originally named Weather Symbols Station .It is situated by the entrance of No.2 East Zhong Shan Road, built in 1908 and being of "Today's Style of Arts" (Albert Noble). At that time it was subject to Weather Symbols Stations of Xu Jia Hui with telephone communication. There were 4 hanging balloons in different colors at the symbol platform. And weather report was announced at 9:00a.m. and 2:00p.m. everyday. The balloons showed about the wind for the direction and force as well as the change of the weather. By 1933 due to the reconstruction of Bing Jiang Road, the Weather Symbols Station as a whole was moved for more than 20 meters to the north-east from its place. It's an exploration in advance for good protective engineering in modern times

Shanghai Mansion Shanghai Mansion is located at the meet of Su Zhou River and Huang Pu River, Being an architecture in brown color at the north of Wai Bai Du Bridge. The building got its original name as Broadway Mansion, It was built from 1930-1934, designed by the designing dept of Ye Guang Estate Property Co. It belongs to architecture of modern style in the form of cubic boxes. Dongtai Road Antique Street is a large-scale open-air collecting and distributing market for antiques with 200 stalls and 40 shops dealing in antiques and arts and crafts, like porcelain, wood ware, jade ware, bamboo ware, pottery, "four treasures of the study", calligraphy and paintings. It is attracting large numbers of domestic and foreign tourists, foreign consulate staff in Shanghai for sightseeing and shopping.

Huangpu River Cruise Huangpu River is not only the channel for China's opening up to the outside and the gateway to the world, but also a world-renowned touring harbor. Every day, "Oriental International" luxury cruise ship series set sail from the Oriental International Cruise Ship wharf in Shanghai, taking you to enjoy the spectacular and magnificent scenes on both sides of the Huangpu River. On the cruise ship, one can command the whole view of all the symbolic metropolitan landscapes on both sides of the river, overlooking the "worldwide architecture exhibition" on the Bund with diverse styles and the history over a hundred years and the exuberant vigor and vitality in Pudong showed by architectures there. Oriental Pearl  TV Tower is like sparkling pearls with scintillating luster. Jinmao Mansion is China's tallest and world's third tallest building, soaring into the blue sky. International Convention Center seems to have two out-stretching wings, ready to take flight. People and cars crowding the Bund, Pudong, and Bingjiang Park at the bank of Huangpu River. Nanpu Bridge and Yangpu Bridge-two harp-like giant suspension bridges play the sound of nature. The quickly emerging skyscrapers show their grandeur and magnificence. Seagulls chase the crest of the waves and sailing boats dot the river. The romance and charm of the city has dazed every one.    

Shanghai Museum

The existing dozen museums in Shanghai have preserved the ancient culture, art masterpieces, natural specimens and hi-tech achievements created by the Chinese nation. In the meantime, they provide an important classroom for social and cultural education. There are Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Municipal History Museum, Shanghai Museum of Natural Sciences, Navy's Shanghai Museum, the Children's Museum, the first of its kind in China, Special Topic Museum of Musical Instruments, the first in China, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medical and Pharmacy University Museum of Medical History and Fudan University Museum, etc. For years, they have been attracting great numbers of visitors from home and overseas. They carry forward and propagate the brilliant history of culture of the Chinese nation and play an important role in promoting the cultural exchanges between China and countries in the world.  

Shanghai Old Street

The street was opened to the public on June 18,1999. The 825-m long street is divided into the eastern and western section by Guanyi Street. The eastern section extends to Renmin Road and the western section, to Henan road, South. Through decoration and remolding, the eastern section keeps the characteristics of residences in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican day. The houses on both sides of the street are fitted with checkered windows, shop-fronts of wooden boards, balustrades and swing doors, roofs with upturned eaves and protruding corners, laced drain-pipes and horse-shape wall tops. The buildings in the western section are copies of the Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture, with black tiles and white-washed walls, red columns and upturned eaves, expressing the folk styles of Shanghai's old downtown. There in the street you will find hundred-year old stores, Tonghanchun, Laotongsheng, Wuliangcai, Wanyouquan, Qiu Tianbao, Old Shanghai Tea House, Deshun Western Food Restaurant, Chunfeng Deyi Restarant, Chunfeng Deyi Restauant, Xishi Soya Beancurd Store, Dingniangzi Cloth Store, Rongshun Restaurant and Baoyintang. There are also newly opened Danfeng Tea House, Clinic of renowned traditional Chinese medical doctors and others of traditional characteristics.

Shanghai's Modern Arts

Shanghai is China's first open port and an important city in Chinese history of contemporary art. As the gateway through which the Western art was introduced, Shanghai has evolved into a cosmopolitan city with a humanistic atmosphere. The splendor of "Shanghai school" Chinese painting and the rise of modern art education demonstrate Shanghai's ability to hold onto tradition while ushering in the future. In the 1980s, Shanghai's modern art scene was very active, and Shanghai youth drove artistic innovation.

After 1992, Shanghai's young and middle-aged artists began to participate in art shows abroad, such as the Venice Biennial and International Biennial of San Paulo exhibitions and the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Arts. Starting in 1996, the Shanghai Fine Arts Biennial and Shanghai Arts Exposition have been held. Shanghai's young artists continue to add vitality to the prosperity and development of Shanghai's art world.                                                                                              

Popular Scenes of the 1990s The exhibition called "The Popular Scenes of the 1990s" held during the Shanghai Arts Exposition demonstrated Chinese artists' thinking about life and art and modern society's influence on them. The popular scenes reflect problems existing in modern society as well as people's expectations and hopes.  "Popular scenes are a 'dictionary' concentrating various commercial aims. Here, people can see sociological problems involving people's subsistence and desires. The exhibition provides an angle from which to observe humanitarian ecology in China's social transition in the 1990s."

The "popular scenes" refer to scenes that are predominant in mass media and are closely linked with people's daily lives. These scenes are related to the development of a commercial society and urbanization. The changes of popular scenes in the mass media and people's daily lives serve as a barometer for modern people's ideals.

Due to differences in places, artists' interpretations of popular scenes are also different in China, forming distinctive contrasts. The 13 participating artists came from Guangzhou, Beijing and Southwestern China. In general, Beijing artists seek to criticize popular trends, but because Shanghai artists concern for popular culture is still in its initial stages, they choose to engage in abstract art creation. Artists from Guangzhou are the most active in depicting popular scenes. The popular scene art from southwestern artists is rather complicated. They are sensitive to many social issues. Popular social trends penetrate into every facet of people's lives. Popular scenes may soon become a primary forms of visual art. They directly reflect people's different cultural pursuits and varied attitudes toward life.