The Bund

The Bund that become Shanghai’s unceasing legend, also called the Zhongshan Road, is the waterfront area of Pu Xi (West City) that faces the newer part of Shanghai - Pu Dong (East City). Walking along the Bund at night is a fascinating site, as the entire PuDong skyline (across the river) is illuminated, including the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the 2nd tallest building in the world - Jin Mao Tower. And directly across Zhongshan Road, you will see many different types of structures from Old Shanghai, including: Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and Renaissance.

But, avoid the Esplanade of Shanghai Bund when you are visiting during China's Golden Week Holiday (1/5 to 7/5 & 1/10 to 7/10). Or else, you will not enjoy the view & only can see the crowds. Unless you are standing at a vantage point high up. I would recommend a boat cruise, where you can get an unobstructed view of both old & new Shanghai along the coastline. Get ready yourself extra pack of batteries / memory card to avoid any disappointments. Go straight up to the upper deck of boat & pick a nice seat at the side of the boat. If you do not have a tripod, simply rest your camera on the boat railing and you will be able to capture satisfactory night scenes of Shanghai. Beware not to drop your camera into the water!

There is a tunnel built beneath the Huangpu River and it connects to the opposite Pudong. The tunnel is 647m long and the journey takes approx. 10min. The experience is like sitting in a time machine capsule or space travel. Colorful lights will be projected on the wall of tunnel as the full transparent carriage you are in moving forward, narrating to you the brief history of Shanghai.