Day 1: (Monday)

The symbol of old and new Shanghai, the Bund is Shanghai's most famous landmark. The 'Bund' comes from an Anglo Indian term meaning the muddy embankment on the waterfront, and it is the Huangpu River which helps to create the colonial feel here and provides a feeling of space and openness. Being four kilometers long, the Bund has long been one of the most important areas in Shanghai. In the 1930s, the row of buildings was host to the city's financial and commercial centers and the world's greatest banks and trading empires established a base here.

Nanjing Road was the first commercial road in Shanghai. In the early 20th century, there were only four department stores along this stretch. Now it is the top shopping center of the city. It is fantastically located, stemming off the Huangpu River and the Bund at a right angle and linking the city's main commercial and residential districts to the mouth of the river. The road to the east of Tibet Road is called East Nanjing Road while the road to the west is known as West Nanjing Road.

Day 2 (Tuesday)

The Yuyuan was completed in 1577 by the Pan family in Shanghai. The original Gardens were destroyed twice in the 1800s and have now been restored. The gardens cover a significant space and include a few halls, springs and other buildings of interest. The area surrounding the Gardens makes up the Old City God's Temple Area and was known in colonial times as the "Chinese City". What is nice about this area are the numerous antique markets and the small side streets which have yet to be renovated by the authorities. There is a great antique market just off Shanghai "Old street"


Day 3 (Wednesday)

Longhua Temple is the oldest and largest temple in Shanghai. It was built during the Song Dynasty, and the current one was established during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, containing Buddhist scriptures and magnificent statues from the Tang, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Longhua Temple is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha and holds two important Buddha statues. In the Hall of Heavenly Kings stands a statue of Maitreya Buddha's Bodhisattva form, while in the Maitreya Hall is a statue of Maitreya Buddha's incarnation known as the "Cloth bag monk". The secondary statues in Longhua Temple are also different from other temples. In other Buddhist temples on the two sides of a hall are either 18 arhats (monks), who preach Buddhism or 20 "guardians of Buddhist Law" (heavenly beings). However, in the Halls of Longhua Temple, the arhats and "law guardians" stand together.

In the front of the temple is stood Longhua Pagoda. It is said that the pagoda was built in 249 A.D, being a 7 tier octagonal brick tower with a total height of 40.4 meters. This magnificent and graceful pagoda is one of the best-preserved pagodas in Shanghai.

Xin Tian Di will be your closest match to what Lan Kwai Fong is to Hong Kong. Indeed, this ambitious area was build by Hong Kong's Shui On Group and contains stylish and expensive shops, pubs and restaurants. Before the development of Shanghai Xin Tian Di, the area it encompasses had been a spread of aged lanes crowded with mid-19th century Shikumen buildings which had witnessed the changes of time. The Shikumen style was a combination of influences from home and abroad, showing Shanghai's culture of that era.

Xin Tian Di Plaza is divided into the North and South Blocks. In the South Block, modern architecture is the motif while Shikumen is an accompaniment. In the north, preserved Shikumen set a nostalgic tone, forming a splendid contrast with the modernity to the south. A shopping, entertainment and leisure complex of 25,000 square meters in the South Block opened in mid 2002. Aside from a series of international restaurants representing the flavours of the world, there are classy boutiques, accessory shops, a food court, a movie cinema and a great one-stop fitness centre. In the North Block, antique buildings with their modern interior design, decorations and equipment play host to a dazzling array of restaurants specializing in French, American, German, British, Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong cuisine, putting on display the full international dimension of Shanghai Xin Tian Di. The dividing line between the two blocks, Xingye Road, is the site of the First Congress Hall of the Chinese Communist Party.

Day 4 (Thursday)

The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower stands in Pudong Park in the new and developing Lujiazui district on the banks of the Huangpu River. The tower was once the highest building in the city but now, although it's spire reaches higher than the Jinmao Building, it pales in insignificance compared to its mammoth neighbor.

The design for the Tower incorporates eleven spheres (or "pearls") and three gigantic columns linking the green grass below to the blue sky above. There are six high speed passenger elevators (although there are usually queues) inside the column taking visitors up to the viewing platform which affords great views over the city. One of the most impressive aspects of the building is the lighting. A computer controlled system alternates the light on the tower dependent on the weather conditions.

The incredible Jinmao Building in Pudong (Shanghai's Wall Street) is the tallest building in China, the second tallest in Asia, houses the tallest hotel ever built and is currently the third tal lest building in the world! On a clear day, the Jinmao acts as a beacon for locals and travelers who need to find their bearings, towering above the old city skylines. It is the center of gravity in the area as Pagodas were in ancient China.

The position of the building, in Shanghai's newest and ostensibly most trendy area, and the incredible design make the Jinmao one of the most spectacular and already most famous sites not just in Shanghai, but throughout China. And it is a fitting symbol of new Shanghai too: young, vibrant and inspirational.

Day 5 (Friday)

People's Square is a spectacular space in the heart of the city. Formerly the city's race-course, a sports arena and a gambler paradise, the area west of Nanjing Road was converted after the war to become the People's Square. Today, the Square covers 140,000 square meters. In the north lies the Municipal Government Mansion, an impressive and serious building which is not open to the public. In the northwest sits the Shanghai Grand Theatre, a colossal construction made almost entirely from glass which is balanced by the brand new Exhibition Hall for City Planning in the east. The most impressive building in the square however, is the Shanghai Museum. Perfectly smooth and symmetrical, the building was designed to resemble a Chinese cooking pot. The Square is particularly spectacular at night, when steam appears to seep out of the roof of the museum and the light bounces off the glass walls of the Grand Theatre.

The Shanghai Museum was originally housed within the City Library on Nanjing Road until 1995. This spectacular building is now the centerpiece of People's Square. The Museum is a harmonious combination of square shapes and circular ones, epitomizing the Chinese traditional concept which imagines heaven as round and earth as square. The design is also in keeping with Feng Shui principles and this perfectly symmetrical building is said to resemble a large Chinese cooking pot with two handles protruding from either side. In the evenings, smoke bellows out of the vents in the building, making the museum literally appear to be simmering away in the center of the city.

Located around 18 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, Qibao ancient town is a spiritual sanctuary, free from traffic jam, pollution, noise which now plague most of the modern cities we live. Built in the Five Dynasties Period around one thousand years ago, the town witnessed great development in the Song Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Qibao in Chinese means seven treasures and the town was so named for a legend go that there were seven treasures around the area, which were a Gold Lotus Scripture written by an imperial concubine of the 10th century, a Magic Tree, dating back to one thousand years ago, a Big Bell Floated from Afar, a Buddha Flown over from Afar, a Gold Cock, Jade Chopstick and a Jade Axe. But according to history, only four of them-the Gold Lotus Scripture, the Big Bell, Magic Tree, Golden Cock) actually once existed while two of the four(the Scripture and the Bell) have survived till today.

Day 6 & 7 (Chinese Purple clay teapot trip in Yixing city)

The capital of China is Beijing. But there are two more Chinese capitals worth knowing about. One is Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, the "capital of porcelain"; the other is the town of Yixing in Jiangsu, the "capital of pottery". In American Yixing expert Richard Notkin's words, Yixing is the "sculptural center of the world". Local pottery production has a history of more than 3,000 years, longer than local recorded history. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644AD), the industry saw its heyday. But there's been something of a revival recently and alongside Chinese support for the national pottery center, large amounts of products are now exported overseas.

Clay teapots from the town of Yixing are an indispensable accessory for tea drinkers throughout China. Usually small, squat, and brown, fine craftsmanship and special materials make them an ideal vessel for making tea. The fired clay is uniquely able to bring out the flavors of tea leaves during brewing. Since the clay is absorbent, unlike porcelain or metal, some of the flavor is absorbed into the pot during each brewing. This gives the tea a richer and more mellow flavor - after using a pot many times, the pot itself can flavor boiling water without adding any fresh tea leaves!

Day 8 (Monday)

The Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Si) was built during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1875-1909) and burned down in the early 20th century. In 1918, Jade Buddha Temple was rebuilt on Anyuan Road. The construction of the temple is in the magnificent architectural style of the Song Dynasty. The temple is composed of several compounds such as the Halls of Heavenly Kings, the Main Hall, the Hall of the Sleeping Buddha and the Hall of the Jade Buddha. There are monks currently living in the Temple and the Temple houses the Sha nghai Buddhist Institute. Here many ancient statues, paintings, a complete set of Buddhist scriptures (printed in the Qing Dynasty), and over 7000 other rare scriptures are kept.

Duolun Lu, Shanghai's culture street, a 1998 attraction is angling off Sichuan Bei Lu in the historic Hongkou District. This district north of the Bund was the original American Concession but merged with the British Concession to form the International Settlement in colonial Shanghai. By the time the writer Lu Xun moved into the neighborhood in the 1930s, the area had become a Japanese enclave. The stately brick homes and shops on this .8km (1/2-mile) stretch of the street have been preserved and refurbished, and cars are now banned, making it a fine pedestrian mall of bookshops, teahouses, antiques shops, and historic homes.

Day 9 (Tuesday)

Tongli is one of the many ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River Delta, which are famous for their rivers, ancient bridges and house complexes. Tongli occupies an area of 51 square miles (133 square kilometers) with a population of 55,000. The city is separated by 15 rivers into seven islets, which are connected through 49 ancient bridges. Tongli, established in the Song Dynasty, has a history of over 1,000 years. It is very rich in cultural heritage. Traditional residences including gardens, houses and temples, built in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, are the highlight of the city. Jiayin Hall built in 1922 is known for its fine carvings on the structure. Congben Hall built in 1911 is also known for its carvings on the structure. There are more than one hundred of well-preserved woodcarvings of traditional figures from Chinese classics.

Day 10 (Wednesday)

Rate: 1400 USD (Minimum 10 people as a group)
The rate includes:

Free services