WEMOOCH

Planted on the coast of the East China Sea between the mouth of the Yangtze River and the bay of Hangzhou, Shanghai is China’s most populous city. As of 2020, 27 Million people inhabit this seminal Chinese metropolis.

Photographing Shanghai

This city has enough going on to keep you ducking and diving and clicking and screwing (filters) for days on end. It's an intriguing modern metropolis, revealing ancient history at every turn.

A city unlike anywhere else in the People's Republic, ancient sites such as the Yu Garden, Jing'an temple, Old city god temple and Zhujiajiao water town, contrast with the enormous peoples square and magnificent riverside Bund with its spectacular views of the modern skyline of Pudong across the Huangpo river.

I lived in Japan for a couple of years and previously spent time in other regions of China and was surprised to find Shanghai reminding me of the modern Japanese cities.

Skyscrapers such as the Shanghai Tower, the city's World Financial Centre and the Oriental Pearl Tower truly come to life at night. Be sure to grab your Tripod, elbows up and muscle your way through to a suitable spot.

Head out of the inner city for some air and meander through the historic water town Zhujiajiao. This ancient settlement, 50km west of Pudong is 1700 years old. A rabbit warren of narrow streets and bridges dissect a river network immersed in Ming-Qing dynasty architecture and old Buddhist and Taoist sites. If you have a subway pass for the city, you can use that to get out to Zhujiajiao.

Completely Useless Facts about Shanghai

• 644 kilometres (400 miles) of tunnels and tracks can be found underneath the city. Thus making it home to the longest metro system on Earth. You'll also find the maglev here. A train with a top speed of 430 km/h (270 mph), making it the fastest electric train on Earth. Board it from Pudong International Airport and head downtown, covering a distance of 30.5 km (19 mi) in just over 8 minutes.
• It's all gone a bit skyscraper crazy. In a 14 year period, between 1990 and 2004, 6,704 buildings of 11 stories or more were built. By 2011, there were over 20,000 buildings 11 stories or higher, 1,000 of these exceeding 30 stories. By January 2019, 165 high-rise buildings were either under construction, approved for construction or proposed for construction, of which 5 are over 300 m.
• Standing at 632 m (2,073 ft) tall with 128 floors, The Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in the People's Republic and the second tallest on Earth. (2022)