To see Shanghai is to get a feel, literally, for the last 200 years of Chinese history. The city’s glamorous and seedy past as an early-20th Century Asian Gotham, when fortunes were made and lost in the space of months, can be strongly felt along the Bund and in the leafy streets of the former French Concession. The beginnings of the Communist party are celebrated here, with the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China being held in Shanghai in 1921. China’s economic miracle is also evident in the glittering skyline of Pudong, the queues of Maseratis outside pulsing nightclubs, and the head-to-toe-Prada crowd stalking in and out of luxury stores on Nanjing West Road.
For all its size, however, Shanghai feels surprisingly laid back. You get the sense that the city is a hub for decision making – sitting serenely in the centre of a silken web while the decisions made by its tycoons and bureaucrats, spun and amplified by the input of legions of underlings, cause seismic shifts thousands of kilometres away. Walking through the golden light of a Shanghai evening, along slightly uneven footpaths, as the leaves on the plane trees rustle overhead, the city can seem dreamlike in its stillness. The excellent independent cafes, bars, shops and restaurants which dot the streets reinforce this impression. Open a door and be welcomed into a beautiful venue, where the owner has reacted to limited floorspace by concentrating on their passion – whether that is single origin coffee, wines from Bordeaux, or xiao long bao (soup dumplings).
Like all great cities, to visit Shanghai is the best reason to visit Shanghai. There are few "must see" sights and you're not going to be judged even if you miss the ones that are there. This can be stressful for a first time visitor, who might feel overwhelmed with options. But Shanghai rewards those visitors who are happy to have a rainy day disappear drinking China's best tea, and eating street food from all corners of the country. So as you're gliding towards the city on the maglev train from Pudong airport, or stuck in a traffic jam on your way to your hotel, be happy in the knowledge that Shanghai has something special waiting for you. It may not be a "here I am at the Eiffel Tower" selfie moment that your acquaintances scroll quickly over on Instagram, but will be a unique experience, a confluence of time place and person, all your own.
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