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Can't wait to shop in Shanghai? Well then, which are the best places to shop in this consumption-crazy city in China?
Shanghai is well known for some of the best shopping experiences you'll find among major cities in China. When visiting Shanghai you'll surely pass through the city's two major commercial streets - upscale Nanjing Xi Lu (Nanjing West Road) and bustling Huaihai Lu (Huaihai Road).
But there's a lot more to shopping than these two obvious places. Indeed, you'll find streets big and small full of shopping centres. You'll be able to plan a full day of shopping if that's what you want. Even if you don't really feel like shopping you should still visit them. (You're already in Shanghai, right?)
Shopping in Shanghai is an experience you will never forget. Whether or not you are a shopping fanatic, there are various shopping malls selling anything from high-priced luxury goods to stylish and affordable casuals and traditional Chinese handicrafts.
I should mention that as I'm writing this article, the infamous Xiang Yang Market has already been closed down. Some of you out there reading this will have fond memories of highly-charged bargaining sessions with fake goods vendors who speak six different languages.
Here are a few shopping highlights in Shanghai, starting with Nanjing Xi Lu...
Plaza 66 is crystalline proof of Shanghai's diligent obsession with consumption. Arguably, it's the fanciest shopping mall in Shanghai, with a frosty demeanor to match.
Whether you're looking for Prada for pret-a-porter, Waterford for crystal, Bose or Bang and Olufsen for sound, Plaza 66 has over 100 famous brands.
With its dazzling array of designer brands, this place is perfect for the nouveau riche with money to burn. There isn't another shopping mall as luxurious as this one in Shanghai.
A five minute walk from the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Plaza 66 has a cafe in the atrium and a few restaurants perched on the fifth floor.
A bright, gleaming five-storey mall offering a varied mix of clothing labels, Citic Plaza is a five-minutes walk from the Shimen Yi Lu metro station.
From high-end designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Chloe and Kenzo to the more affordable casuals from Tough and Esprit, this is a mall with more reasonable prices.
Whether you're wealthy or light on budget, this place is perfect for anyone with an eye for fashion.
Feeling hungry after all that shopping? No worries there.
Every floor of the mall offers a restaurant -- from McDonald's (you're not going to eat at McDonald's in China, are you?) in the basement to super buffet Golden Jaguar (unlimited sashimi and Pacific oysters) on the third floor to chic Sichuan restuarant China Moon (puts your local Chinatown Sichuan restaurant to shame) on the fourth.
By the way, there's also a convenience store and English-Chinese language bookstore in case you're looking for mineral water or maps.
A smart, well-organized shopping haven, offering up a range of trendy shops from Burberry, Givenchy and Versace to Chinese label Zuczug. The Westgate Mall is perfect for mall lovers with cash to spend who fancy a change from their usual hang out.
Also a couple of minutes walk from Shimen Yi Lu metro station, the Westgate mall offers a Studio City Cinema (with super sound system), Watson's, a small supermarket in the basement, Marie France slimming clinic and an Isetan Department store ( a major Japanese chain) accessible on every floor.
As I mentioned before, Nanjing Xi Lu and Huaihai Lu are the most prominent shopping streets in Shanghai but they're not the only ones. These are the modern shopping malls and they'll give you a good idea of how things have changed in China over the last 20 years.
If you go on older streets like Dongtai Lu you'll find classical hand-made items. This handicraft market offers a variety of classical items like Chinese ceramics, jade, bronze, wood articles, paintings, and calligraphic works. You can also get your tools there if you are an artist yourself, or plan to be.
More of an intellectual shopping street, Fuzhou Lu boasts a vast collection of bookstores in Shanghai. Not only does it offer over thirty bookstores but also has some of the oldest bookstores (some over 100 years old) in Shanghai.
Shopping in Shanghai is probably the most time-consuming activity in Shanghai whether for visitors or locals. With big shopping malls on the more popular streets, to small boutiques or specific markets on smaller streets, Shanghai is where shopping fanatics will find their Paradise.
I'm a foreigner who traveled to Shanghai and realized it is hard to have a great time in Shanghai when you are not well-informed. That is why I decided to come up with a complete online guide with the latest information and tips on having a great time in Shanghai, whether you're traveling to Shanghai or living in the city.
For complete details about shopping in Shanghai and traveling to Shanghai, China, be sure to visit Louis Zhang's Cool Shanghai Guide -- a guide to planning and having a great time in Shanghai.
| ©2006 Louis Zhang. All rights reserved. |
Many visitors to the UK choose London for their base when visiting the country. If you're planning to stay in the capital, then let's take a look at some other great locations that can easily be reached for a day trip.
The great thing about staying in London is that it truly is a city that never sleeps. With great entertainment, from musicals to plays, it's a place where you will rarely be short of things to do.
In the evenings, you'll find that England's capital city is a great place to enjoy the nightlife, with top quality restaurants, bars
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Torrevieja is one of the most important summer holiday spots in the province of Alicante, about 50 kilometres from the city of Alicante and making up what is known as the Costa Blanca in Spain. Torrevieja and the town of Pilar de la Horadada are in the southern tip, the last towns before you head into the province of Murcia.
When making holiday plans, if you are to arrive there by plane, the closest airport would be the one in Alicante called the Altet. It has great flight combinations with the rest of Europe, especially when flying in from England.
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Thousands of species of fish and other sea life abound in the Great Barrier Reef that spreads across the northern coast of Australia. The reef, composed of sea creatures from multi-colored fish to the living coral is the habitation of underwater animals and plants. No wonder scuba divers and snorkelers go over the top to marvel at this amazing environment. In the midst of this breathtaking beauty, however, the fiercely poisonous blue ringed octopus hides in the clear waters of the reef.
This octopus is tiny in size and has special glands
producing two types of poison that is secreted into its
saliva. On scenting danger, this dark yellow creature turns
into
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Like many other aboriginal cultures around the world, the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic have made use of drums in some of their traditional music for centuries. Inuit drum dancing played a part in many special occasions such as births, marriages, an Inuit boy's first hunt, changing of seasons, greetings for visitors or to honor someone who had passed away. News of these special events was spread by word of mouth and many Inuit traveled great distances to attend.
The Inuit drum called a qilaut was traditionally made from
caribou skin with seal or walrus skin around the handle. Before,
Inuit drum dancing was most commonly done by men
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