From glitzy clubs to humble noodles
By Zhuomin Lee |
June 1, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SAYING goodbye is never easy, especially to a city you have called home in the last three years. But now I'm heading home to Singapore. But be it three years or three days, this list of five things gives you reasons to come back again to explore and experience Shanghai in another way.
Watch dawn break at the Bund
Be there at 4am, way before throngs of tourists arrive. Prepare to shoot sunrise on a clear day. Though, even if there is none to speak of, it is still nice to walk down on early morning and watch the city wake up to breakfast as the day slowly lights up. Later, cross the Huangpu River and go up to the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower or the Shanghai World Financial Center at least once. On a clear day you get a great view of the city. Experience that top-of-the-world feeling and appreciate the buildings - and the skyline - for the architectural brilliance.
Jinmao Tower: 88 Century Ave; Shanghai World Financial Center: 100 Century Ave
Get your clothes tailor-made
There is always room for another coat, suit or dress in the wardrobe. From choosing your own fabric to the size and color of your buttons, stitching your blouse or traditional qipao from scratch is relatively inexpensive in South Bund Soft-spinning Center - for about 400 yuan (US$65) to 600 yuan apiece, it's a steal. Choose from a range of different styles from catalogues available at most stalls. Alternatively, bring a magazine to show them what you would like to have replicated.
South Bund Soft-spinning Center:
399 Lujiabang Rd
Do the Richbaby thing
After enjoying a drink in style over a lovely Bund view at Glamor Bar, move on to Richbaby and experience a very Chinese night out. Nothing prepared us for this club as we stumbled through its doors on Lunar New Year's eve at 3am.
Though half drunk, we were sober enough to frown upon the techno music and blinding lights, before giving the accusatory "who's idea was this?" Waking up with a mild hangover a couple of hours later, Richbaby turned out to be the most bizarre and most memorable party we had in Shanghai. Just be comfortably tipsy and light-headed enough to enjoy it as a bad joke.
Glamor Bar: 5 on the Bund, 6/F, 20 Guangdong Rd; Richbaby: Infinity Plaza, No. 101, 138 Huaihai Rd
Eat at a mianguan (面馆)
Be brave about this one. There are no English words to help you order and these typical establishments-in-a-wall always look in severe need of a scrub down. But let your tongue, rather than your eyes make the judgment. There is nothing like a hot bowl of congyou banmian (葱油拌面) to save your culinary soul.
You are free to add whatever you wish - a fried egg, spicy pork cubes or preserved vegetables - to your bowl of noodles, though having it plain works too. This cheap, wholesome goodness is hard to find anywhere else and it will leave you wishing you had done this earlier and not the day before your 10-hour flight home.
Visit the "ghost market"
Nobody likes to be rudely dragged out of bed on a Sunday morning, but watching this ghost market in Wenmiao (Confucius Temple) come alive from 3 to 7am is one of those things you have to do for a unique city experience. Flip through a couple of old vintage fashion magazines or purchase an out-of-print novel just to remind yourself of the days you fought with your Chinese teacher over the difference between bushi (不是) and buyao (不要).
Confucius Temple: 215 Wenmiao Rd
Watch dawn break at the Bund
Be there at 4am, way before throngs of tourists arrive. Prepare to shoot sunrise on a clear day. Though, even if there is none to speak of, it is still nice to walk down on early morning and watch the city wake up to breakfast as the day slowly lights up. Later, cross the Huangpu River and go up to the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower or the Shanghai World Financial Center at least once. On a clear day you get a great view of the city. Experience that top-of-the-world feeling and appreciate the buildings - and the skyline - for the architectural brilliance.
Jinmao Tower: 88 Century Ave; Shanghai World Financial Center: 100 Century Ave
Get your clothes tailor-made
There is always room for another coat, suit or dress in the wardrobe. From choosing your own fabric to the size and color of your buttons, stitching your blouse or traditional qipao from scratch is relatively inexpensive in South Bund Soft-spinning Center - for about 400 yuan (US$65) to 600 yuan apiece, it's a steal. Choose from a range of different styles from catalogues available at most stalls. Alternatively, bring a magazine to show them what you would like to have replicated.
South Bund Soft-spinning Center:
399 Lujiabang Rd
Do the Richbaby thing
After enjoying a drink in style over a lovely Bund view at Glamor Bar, move on to Richbaby and experience a very Chinese night out. Nothing prepared us for this club as we stumbled through its doors on Lunar New Year's eve at 3am.
Though half drunk, we were sober enough to frown upon the techno music and blinding lights, before giving the accusatory "who's idea was this?" Waking up with a mild hangover a couple of hours later, Richbaby turned out to be the most bizarre and most memorable party we had in Shanghai. Just be comfortably tipsy and light-headed enough to enjoy it as a bad joke.
Glamor Bar: 5 on the Bund, 6/F, 20 Guangdong Rd; Richbaby: Infinity Plaza, No. 101, 138 Huaihai Rd
Eat at a mianguan (面馆)
Be brave about this one. There are no English words to help you order and these typical establishments-in-a-wall always look in severe need of a scrub down. But let your tongue, rather than your eyes make the judgment. There is nothing like a hot bowl of congyou banmian (葱油拌面) to save your culinary soul.
You are free to add whatever you wish - a fried egg, spicy pork cubes or preserved vegetables - to your bowl of noodles, though having it plain works too. This cheap, wholesome goodness is hard to find anywhere else and it will leave you wishing you had done this earlier and not the day before your 10-hour flight home.
Visit the "ghost market"
Nobody likes to be rudely dragged out of bed on a Sunday morning, but watching this ghost market in Wenmiao (Confucius Temple) come alive from 3 to 7am is one of those things you have to do for a unique city experience. Flip through a couple of old vintage fashion magazines or purchase an out-of-print novel just to remind yourself of the days you fought with your Chinese teacher over the difference between bushi (不是) and buyao (不要).
Confucius Temple: 215 Wenmiao Rd
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