Fairmont Peace Hotel
For the art-deco vibes
Shanghai
PVG
More than China’s showy commercial heartbeat, Shanghai is now gaining attention for its cultural cachet, too. Every year seems to usher in more landmark museums, while art fairs lure deep–pocketed collectors. For luxury goods, style hounds head to Huaihai Road for big–name flagships and to the French Concession’s leafy streets for indie boutiques.
Where to Stay
The PuLi Hotel & Spa
For the tranquility
URBN Boutique Shanghai
For an eco-friendly stay
The Langham
For the shopping
Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund
For the nightlife
Eat & Drink
Crystal Jade
Sit at the communal table at the centre of the restaurant and you’ll get a front seat to your neighbours’ choice dishes. Point if you want what they’re having, or simply scroll down the menu for dim-sum favourites. The kitchen also does a roaring trade in deep-fried Mandarin fish, a traditional Chinese dish.
Fu Chun Xiaolong
The menu at cafeteria-style dumpling house is printed in Chinese only. Use your charades skills to order the specialty xiaolongbao – tidy cases of dough with a soupy filling that seeps onto your tongue when devoured in a single bite.
Xindalu-China Kitchen
Shanghai is not a duck town, but this Bund-side Hyatt brings the tradition south. Juicy, crispy birds come from an open oven at the centre of the room and arrive with thick sauces, spices and sugar (for dipping the roasted skin), to be carved tableside in ceremonial fashion.
Guyi
Hunanese is right up there with Szechuan for mouth-numbingly spicy shredded pork and steamed fish. Here, it’s all about the chili-and-garlic-flecked ribs. Take a number (and a beer) and sit outside on the steps while the tables turn.
“Old Jesse”
This location is the first and truest of the Jesse restaurant family, which serves hand-me-down Shanghainese recipes. Try the Jishi pork (tender glazed pork belly) and the Jishi Chicken Chicken (“drunken chicken”) in a cramped split-level townhouse.
Bar Constellation
This location is the more atmospheric of this small chain of Japanese speakeasies. Deep crescent-shaped booths accommodate parties of wild-haired creative types dressed in duds from the surrounding boutiques. Grab a stool at the backlit bar for the best service.
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What to Do
Yu Garden
Leave the chaos of the surrounding market streets for this 16th-century Ming sanctuary shaded with magnolia and gingko trees. Temples and tea houses with classic swooping clay roofs perch on rocky outcroppings, and the famous “crooked bridge” zigzags across a koi pond. Give the official restaurants a pass; you’ll fare better strolling to the Zhaozhou Road hawkers near Xintiandi.
Tianzifang
Locals teamed up with artists and crafters to save this maze of residential alleyways from developers, opening makeshift galleries to pay the rent. Homegrown fashion labels are popping up along Taikang Road, outside the gates of the enclave.
Long Museum (West Bund)
Homegrown architects Atelier Deshaus paid homage to the concrete of mid-century Shanghai with this soaring, light-filled sanctuary, commissioned by two billionaires for their private collection. The vast main gallery shows a wealth of vibrant paintings. Get a closer view of this striking collection from the mezzanine balcony.
Former French Concession
Explore Shaanxi South Road metro, where hawkers tow wood carts past upstart boutiques like Culture Matters. Duck into the shady streets behind the Shanghai Library and peer past iron gates to deco manors. Behind stone walls on Wukang Road, Ferguson Lane claims some fine cafes, galleries and boutiques.
Xintiandi
This community of traditional shikumen houses was rebuilt then leased to new-generation boutiques and fine-dining restaurants. On warm days, head to the bustling cafes and wine bars that line the piazzas. Make your way to Danshui Road, at Xintiandi’s western edge, for cocktail joints, microbreweries and snack bars that are mash-ups of Asian and Western tastes.
Shanghai First Foodhall
This famous four–storey emporium features everything from fresh fruit and mooncakes to dried mushrooms and duck tongue. The black sesame, scallion and pork sheng jian bao from Yang’s Fried Dumplings, tucked away in the far corner of the top floor, are not to be missed.
UnTour Food Tours
Take a three-hour, all-you-can-eat breakfast excursion around the former French Concession and sample fare from the tried-and-tested pancake-flippers, bun-steamers, egg-scramblers and dumpling-fryers. The CNY472 fee is reasonable, considering the constant flow of coffee and insider tips. A similar night-market tour includes bottomless beer.
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