Shanghai is the place where all your shopping dreams can and will come true.  Whether it’s “bags, coats or DVDs” you’re after, this is the place where you can buy nearly anything.  While shopping malls abound, the real shopping happens in the city’s exceptional markets.

Busy Streets in Shanghai

South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market (Hongqixiang Market) (399 Lujiabang Road at Nanpu Bridge.  Best metro stop is line four, Nanpu Bridge)  You can literally have any article of clothing custom-made here in about five days.  Suits, coats, dresses, shirts, pants, and even figure skating costumes are available at unbelievable prices.  $10 for a dress shirt, $14 for pants and anywhere from $50 to $150 for a suit, all custom fitted!  Bargain hard.  Try Shou Li Xian on the third floor, stall 377, for linen.

3 Yeh Glasses Market (On the South Square of Shanghai Railway Station.  Best metro stop is Line 1, 3 or 4, Shanghai Railways Station) Tired of spending $600 for new frames and lenses?  Head to the glasses market with or without your prescription and let the games begin.  For anywhere from $15 to $40 you can pick up designer frames, lightweight lenses and an eye exam – all while you wait.  Most stands have roughly the same selection.  Talk to Livening at stand number 5062.

Electronics Market (Metro City, Digital Plaza and Digital Plaza 2 at the Xujiahui metro stop, line 1).  Any electronic item (maybe use “item”?) you want is available here, from computers to iPhones.  Expect to pay 70% of what you’d pay at home.  Try BJ at booth 339, basement level of Digital Plaza 2.

Quipu Road Market (Quipu Road at Central Henan Road, Hangkou)  This is the most intense shopping experience you may ever have.  The best place to buy “branded” clothes, bags and sunglasses.  Bargain extremely hard and never pay more than a third to a half of the starting price.  Get in touch with Zhang Yong at +86-136-1179-1262, zhangxianyong19881204@yahoo.cn before you go.  He’ll meet you outside and guide you through the labyrinth.  A tip at the end of the day for taking you around is welcomed but not required.  Say Kyle sent you.

Movie World & Better Than Movie World (Dagu Road near Food Street) These two movie stores are literally across the street from each other.  Literally any movie or TV show you can imagine, from new releases to classics, all for $1.25.

Hongquiao Pearl Market (Pearl City 2nd and 3rd floors, 558 Nanjing Dong Lu, Shanghai) Shanghai is famous for pearls and this low-key market just outside downtown is the best place to buy them.  Avoid the stand-alone shops that ring the outside in favor of the small stands the run through the interior.  A medium-quality strand should be about $14, while a top-grade, pristine, salt water uncultured strand hovers around $50.

Kyle got the travel bug after moving to China following graduation. He has since visited over 50 countries on 5 continents working in International Development. More online at www.kyletaylor.com.

Having taken in nightlife the world over, nothing compares to the diversity, openness and all around freedom of Shanghai nightlife.  Start with dinner around seven, then move to a lounge for delectable cocktails.  Around midnight head to a major dance club and get your boogie on.  Finish the night with karaoke at one of the city’s infinite KTV establishments.  As you emerge to a rising sun, head to one of the all-night cafes for breakfast.  Now that’s a real night in Shanghai.

Night in Shanghai

Citizen Bar (222 Jin Xian Road at Shan Xi Road, French Concession) Laid back, phenomenal cocktail menu and a large patio upstairs.  $7 for a martini.

New Heights (No. 3 on the Bund, 7F, 3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road (entrance on Guangdong Road) The best view in Shanghai.  Arrive early or reserve to land a table outside with sweeping views of The Bund and Pudong.  $7 for a martini.

Glamour Bar (7 20 Guangdong Lu Corner of the Bund Shanghai) Also offers great views of Pudong with a distinctly Asian feel.  $7 for a martini.

Time Passage (No 183, Lane 1038 Hua Shan Lu) Shanghai’s equivalent of Cheers.  Cheap beer, live band and a slew of regulars make this the perfect place to chill out.

Shelter (5 Yongfu Lu at Fuxing Xi Lu) Also housed in an old bomb shelter, Shelter Bar offers cheaper than usual drinks, an expansive space to lounge or dance and host to some of the world’s most well-known DJs.  Ask around for what’s on.

Kyle got the travel bug after moving to China following graduation. He has since visited over 50 countries on 5 continents working in International Development. More online at www.kyletaylor.com.

Shanghai is divided into two halves by the Huangpu River.  Pudong (East) is home to modern high-rises and a majority of new commerce, though venturing beyond Lujiazui (the first subway stop into Pudong) along the river is unlikely.  Puxi (West) is where nearly all of Shanghai’s history, nightlife and culture reside.

Take People’s Square as a starting point.  Heading north leads to Hangkou, the art scene and the student district.  Wandering east leads through the shopping district to The Bund – home of Shanghai’s most exclusive clubs and restaurants.  West takes you into Jing’an Temple and on to Zhongshan Park – largely residential and home to a significant portion of Shanghai’s expat community.  South and Southeast brings visitors into the French Concession, where French influence has left tree-lined streets, fine art, extensive shopping, and the city’s best bars and restaurants.

The Streets of Shanghai

The Bund & Pudong at night - Brilliant light design and a regular evening light show bring both sides of the riverfront to life every evening.  Not Hong Kong yet, but getting there. A new riverfront promenade is set to open on The Bund side in spring of 2010 just in time for the World Expo.  While classic hawkers and street sellers abound, the views of the new high rises are brilliant.

The Shanghai Museum (People’s Square, People’s Square Station line 1, 2 or 8) China’s largest and most impressive collection of Asian art.  Give yourself a full morning or afternoon.

The Propaganda Art Museum (Huashan Lu 868, Building B, Basement, at Wukang Lu) Mao, Mao and more Mao.  All the communist propaganda that was fit to print for nearly fifty years.  Half fascinating, half entertaining.

Yu Yuan Garden & Old Town (No.137 Anren Street Shanghai, Take a taxi from Nanjing East Street station for roughly $1.50) The only blatant “history” left in Shanghai.  Palace gardens, pagodas, lakes, and tea houses meet Starbucks and McDonald’s in the ultimate collision of old and new.  Try the crab meat stuffed buns.

Zhongshan Park (Zhongshan Park station line 2) Best on a Sunday.  Do as the Chinese do and karaoke, sing, ballroom dance, practice kung fu, and fly kites without reservation.  No trip to China is complete without a visit to a park.

Taikang Road Art Street (Take a taxi.  At Sinan Road.  Look for Tianzi Fang Alley) Art commune meets funky cafes and bars in this quiet, calm pocket community.  By day, shop for art.  By night, drink away with expats and Chinese nouveau rich.

Kyle got the travel bug after moving to China following graduation. He has since visited over 50 countries on 5 continents working in International Development. More online at www.kyletaylor.com.

Think New York, London, LA or Paris.  You can find every type of cuisine in Shanghai – from Chinese to Thai, British to American.

Try these:

Chinese

Sichuan Citizen (30 Donghu Road at Huai Hai Road, French Concession) French owned and staffed, the spicy Sichuan food will blow your mind.  Try the ribs.  $10 per person.

Shanghai at Night

South Beauty (881 Yan’an Zhong Lu at Tongren Lu) The epitome of a classy night out.  Also offering Sichuan fair, the ambiance and style make this a real night on the town.  Try the beef presentation dish.  $10 per person.

1221 (Yanan Xi Lu at Changshu Lu, Changning, Shanghai) Shanghai has cuisine all its own, and this place does it best.  The tea ceremony is worth the visit by itself.  $10 per person.

Pan-Asian

People 6 (150 Yueyang Lu at Yongjia Lu) Delicious food and awesome feel, if you can figure out how to get in.  Hint: it has nothing to do with the actual door.  $10 per person.

Baan Thai (1479 Fuxing Zhong Lu at Huaihai Lu) The second best Thai food in Shanghai, after Thai Gallery.  Sit outside under the massive gazebo.  $10 per person.

Thai Gallery (27 Datian Lu at Beijing Xi Lu) The best Thai food in Shanghai.  The menu is an art canvas and everything on the walls is for sale.  $10 per person.

Veggie Special

New Age Veggie (Super Brand Mall, Lujiazui Metro Station) For all those vegetarians who want to know what chicken and pork taste like.  Fake meat is the order of the day at this delectable restaurant.  Still satisfies meat lovers, too.  $10 per person.

Western

Element Fresh (Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu at Xikang Lu)  Offering a mix of western and pan-Asian fair, their brunch menu definitely has the most rewarding entrees on offer.  Don’t miss the chocolate banana soy protein power shake.  It’s perfect after a big night out.  $13 per person.

Kitchenette (966 Changle Road at Wulumuqi Road, +86-21-6248-6361) An adorable little American diner dropped into the middle of Shanghai.  Fantastic French toast.  $5 per person.

Blue Frog (Super Brand Mall, Lujiazui Metro Station)  The best burger in Shanghai, bar none.  Try the 2-4-1 if you’re there on a Monday.  Extensive western menu as well.  $10 per person.

Bits & Bobs

La Mian – A specialty from western China, these “long noodles” are made before your eyes and taste divine.  Look for two large metal pots brewing outside a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall restaurant.  $1 per bowl.

Baozi – Stuffed buns are the perfect breakfast food.  Look for big round bamboo steamers.  They come in both meat and vegetable varieties.  20 cents per bun.

Xiaolongbao – Shanghai’s take on stuffed buns.  A bit smaller and a bit more dumpling-esque.

All Days – The Chinese equivalent of 7-Eleven, All Days is the place to buy nearly anything from bottled water to rain ponchos.  Open “All Day(s).”

Kyle got the travel bug after moving to China following graduation. He has since visited over 50 countries on 5 continents working in International Development. More online at www.kyletaylor.com.