Shanghai Sojourn

I had a work trip to Hangzhou in early March so prefixed the visit with a few days in Shanghai beforehand, an intoxicating city that’s well worth a few days of your time. Travelling to modern day China is relatively straightforward and visa-free these days, you just need to fill out the standard landing card in arrival. I’d recently been to Japan and like that trip, a bit of forward planning will help enormously once you are there. Unlike Japan, googlemaps is a bit patchy, and often wrong, and payment by card is not generally accepted. Instead, download the Alipay app, this is your gateway to stress-free travel and payment for goods and services. I’d also advise downloading an eSim for your trip so you can make use of the extensive 5G network available throughout Shanghai. Finally, link your payment card to your Alipay account, you may also have to link your passport in order to use the metro passes, some good online info about this here. 

Arriving at Shanghai your first task is to navigate your way to the transport options to the the city centre. There is the Maglev, a hi-speed bullet train to the eastern interchange of Longyang Rd, its 50Y one way or the easier, cheaper but longer option of green metro line 2 (this online metro map is very handy). If you haven’t managed to sort out your Alipay metro QR code by now (guilty) use the self service machine for a single use ticket (8Y, 80p!). It’s about 45 mins to the city centre, onboard everything is in dual language including them announcements so it’s pretty straightforward. 

Shanghai is big, the scale similar to Tokyo but the main tourist hotel cluster is around Nanjing Rd West and People Square. Hotels are plentiful, cheap and of a good standard, room sizes usually much larger than in Japan, Ok, confession time, I was on a bit of a budget and wanted a good size pool for swim training, I stayed at the Radisson New World, 2 mins from the metro station, a 5* (?) hotel with a large pool and outside terrace for less than £80 a night. A bargain for sure, the room was decent but I wouldn’t recommend unless your budget or needs demand. Nearly better options at the £150-200 p/n include the Langham Hotel and the very classy Middle House.

I arrived at People Square mid morning to lovely spring sunshine, I couldn’t check-in so had a passable Cortado and a sandwich from the nearby Starbucks, at least the outside terrace looked out over the gardens. I checked in and headed to the pool and terrace for a quick swim and snooze before heading out in the late afternoon. The national museum was 15 mins walk away but when I got there I’d missed the last entrance time by 5mins. I retraced back to People Square and then down East Nanjing Rd towards the Bund. First impressions were not good - similar to Oxford St in London, global and local brands, mega-malls and fast food joints, all rather depressing. The side streets to the north were more promising, I would return later but I was heading to the bund and the fabled view of the eastern riverside with China’s tallest buildings. Well, I guess like the Eiffel tower or Piccadilly Circus you have to see these things but wherein lies the paradox, everyone else is doing the same and so there is no real mystery or sense of adventure. Some big buildings, river traffic, lost of people. Strangely, there was a complete absence of commercial activity, no food outlets or bars where you could stop and enjoy the vista.

I wandered back, jet-lag kicking in and not sure what to do with myself. Google maps wasn’t really helping, the one bar it sent me to had been shut for 2 years! Ok, it was getting dark and the backstreets were looking more inviting, or was that intimidating? Nothing was written in English, understandably catering for the local market. One place caught my eye - it was busy, full of younger people and the decor was more inviting. What a stroke of luck, I’d landed in a spicy hot-pot restaurant and shown to a quiet table to the side. Using google translate the staff helped me order my preferred broth ( a spicy tomato soup) then ushered me over to chose my meat skewers (1Y/ 10p each) plus accompanying dishes (coriander, spring onion, nuts, peanut and Sichuan pepper sauces). I had no idea what I was chooing but it all tasted great, what a find. If I could send you there I would, it’s near here. They also had 660ml bottles of local ‘snow’ beer for 120Y. After my initial underwhelming intro to Shanghai this is what I came for, the real deal. I headed back to the hotel to pick up a jacket, it was pretty chilly by then. Alas, the time difference caught up with me and weariness set in it. I headed up to the revolving bar on the 43rd floor for a nightcap - this was the height of Shanghai sophistication back in the 90’s but by now it was a rather sad, tired space.

The time difference meant I was out bright and early to explore the city. I headed first to South Shanxi Rd station and walked north from here past Xiangyang Park and into the French concession area. In stark contrast to most of what I’d seen of Shanghai, here was a neighbourhood of low-rise French colonial buildings, very mellow in the early morning sunlight. It was beautiful, elegant and exotic. I headed to a french-style cafe on Anfu Lu, Baker and Spice for a superb breakfast of croissant, pain au chocolat and flat white. It reminded me very much of Hong Kong, frequented by a big expat community including a French social cycle club who were finishing their ride here.

I traced back to the station at Changshu Rd and headed south to Longhua Rd Middle. I’d planned to take in the West Bund riverside walk towards the West Bund art gallery. I’d got there a little early but it was lovely to laze around in the riverside sunshine. Sadly, the photography show I’d been heading for finished a couple of days earlier, there was no permanent collection except some rather avant garden knitting. I fully applaud building ‘art zones’, there were other galleries nearby but all seemed abandoned, or empty. People need art!

I headed back north to the Jiao Tong University metro stop. By now the area heaving with tourists especially around the Wukang Mansion (similar to NYC’s Flatiron building) and the historic streets around Ferguson Line. It’s a lovely area but best viewed early morning to appreciate its tranquil calm. I stopped here, a spacious, airy bar for a quick drink. Thanks to Smartshanghai for this and many other great recommendations.  I retraced my route from the morning back down Anfu Lu, i’d seen a great looking Italian brunch spot, It was hot by now, Shanghai was experience a mini-heatwave that weekend with temps nudging 30degC, everyone was out on the terrace enjoying the weather so I couldn’t get a table. I carried on down the road and picked up a very tasty bagel sandwich here. From here it’s 5 mins walk to the Changshu Rd metro and a couple of stops back to my hotel . A nice swim and a chill on the terrace restored spirits before heading back out for my first night proper in the city.

I headed east on the metro to Jing’an Temple and made my way to Lagom, a difficult to find rooftop bar on the 6th floor of an apartment block, shades of Tokyo here finding this one but it was worth it. Some decent beers, a mellow rooftop area to chill out and happy hour meant one beer quicky became two, why not? I took off southwards on foot and stopped for photos on the underpass that frames the scene with the light, traffic and temple perfectly, a chance for some Blade Runner style vistas. A little further on, a lovely garden with public toilet very much in the style of ‘Perfect Days’ the exquisite Japanese film. The streets around here were some of the most atmospheric in the city, quiet and moody, perfect for an evening stroll.

I’d no set plan for dinner but found myself back at Wufang Rd and remembered there was a stylish Japanese bar below, Junn Izakaya. It was busy but had room at the counter - great service, nice people, superb food and drink it made me so nostalgic for Japan, such a wonderful country. By now I was intoxicated with the whole scene. I wandered through the warm streets lively with people but not rowdy in any way. I stumbled across the hi-concept fashion store / art gallery, Gentle Moments with its giant animatronic heads. I was heading to the cocktail bar Speak Low but couldn’t find it. I stopped outside another, very elegant bar amongst a cluster of decent options at the eastern end of Nanchang Rd and the owner came out. He was young, spoke English and offered to tale me there as his own bar was full. A kind gesture, people here really are very friendly, cool and open. Google maps doesn’t show locations accurately, if at all in China, this issue was repeated many times in my trip. Anyway, Speak Low was a classy option and I’m indebted to my barman Alex for his Shanghai take on a classic Negroni with Tanqueray, Get37, White vermouth, Cocci Rosa and Sichuan pepper whisky (I think). It was delicious. I could have stayed for many more but discretion is the better part of valour so headed home after a single nightcap.

It was somewhat gingerly I made my way to the train statin the next morning. After a partially restorative iced coffee and packaged sandwich from the 7-11 I took the metro to Shanghai South railway station. A word on Chinese infrastructure - mind-blowing. The metro is fast, cheap and efficient but the railways and stations are like nothing else. Shanghai south station looks like Highbury, a vast, circular concert and glass ’stadium’. I has heading to the beach! Yes, around 50km south of the city is a man-made beach at Jinshanwei on the South China Sea, With forecasts in the high 20’s it was an opportunity to see a different side of city living. Getting to the train was easy with dedicated signage for the Jinshan Railway but I couldn’t use my metro pas, instead paying the princely sum of 10Y for the 50 min journey. Like so much else in this vast country, it looked like the station is right by the beach but in reality i’m deposited in a desolate parking lot with no hint of brine in the air. I start walking towards the ‘beach’, it’s warm but not hot, I was questioning whether this was really worth it. After an hour of walking, a few wrong turns and missed signs I reach the entrance - turns out you have to pay 25Y, it’s kind of a beach theme-park. Well, it’s different - not unpleasant but a little bleak in a manufactured entertainment way. I’m kind of glad I went, I love the beach, but can I recommend it? I’m not sure about that, maybe in the height of summer it would be a welcome respite. I wandered around taking photos, read for a bit and took in the general oddness. There was an unsettling ‘Zone of Interest’ hum in the air, the lifeboat station and loudspeakers added to this sinister feeling. I headed back mid afternoon, managing to unlock a hire bike using Alipay (you can use it for literally everything) and rode back to the station, arriving back to Shanghai and into its warm, humid embrace by early evening. 

I headed out out to Xiantiandi for some shopping but again, google failed me and my destination was nowhere to be found. There are a lot of hi-end boutiques and global fashion brands all over Shanghai but I found it harder to find, or even stumble across, more local brands or retail outlets. Instead, I carried on walking ( I walked over 25K steps a day) towards TianziFang. This is a pretty touristy network of craft shops and bars in the alleyways off Jianguo Rd Middle. I was heading here to try out the Sino-french bar, Alors but first I popped into the friendly Chuur bar and its Belgian owner for a local ’13’ IPA, very tasty with a little kick of Sichuan pepper. We talked about cycling for a while and promised to return to watch the live cycling on the TV later. I found Alors eventually, it was 50m from the bar but I’d gone the wrong way and got lost in the alleyways getting there. The food here was superb, modern Chinese fare - small plates of squid, fired chicken and Chinese veggies plus a decent red wine to accompany the meal. It was a cosy place, pretty quiet as it was Sunday night but that suited me fine. I popped back to the Chuur for another 13 and the last hour of racing. Walking back to the metro, I saw a bar I’d seen listed, the Antique Garden, a speakeasy style place above an Antiques shop. It was great - a little quirky, reminding me of some New Orleans bars which is no bad thing. I had an Amaro Montenegro here, probably the wrong choice at 90Y for a small glass but tasty all the same.

The following day I had a meeting in Hangzhou which meant a train from Hongquiao station, another enormous airport-stye operation. It took some navigating to find the correct platform but was rewarded with an a rapid and efficient 1hr journey for the 250km to Hangzhou. A city unfamiliar to many but home to 12 million and the base of AliBaba and the new AI kid on the bock, DeepMind. My clients very kindly took me to a Hong Kong style lunch spot for some spicy beef noodles, shrimp fried rice and deep fried tofu balls. Meetings over it was back on the train to Shanghai by nightfall. The weather had by now dramatically changed, it was cold and rainy and some of the louche charm of the city had washed away. I headed out for one last hurrah and made my way to the Cafe Grey Deluxe, a very refined cocktail bar, part of the previously mentioned Middle House hotel, near West Nanjing Rd metro. Here I had a very drinkable glass of Italian white and equally tasty bbq pork and kimchee bao bun. I could have, would have, stayed longer but I needed to pack and get ready for the early flight back the following day. A melancholy stroll back in the rain didn’t seem a fitting finale but no matter, it had been a superb few days in the city. Would I recommend, absolutely. If you love Asian mega-cities you’ll love it here with elements of Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo plus more than a touch of colonial exoticism. Add to that the wonder of modern-day China and you can’t help fall for Shanghai’s heady delights.