Visiting Shanghai - what to do with a day or 2 to myself

[polyhistoric]

A query for our more well-travelled forumites. I will be in Shanghai for a week; 5 days of that will be filled with work.

Apart from some of the usual suspects (Yu Garden, various Temples), anything of note for a discerning cyclist, coffee snob, etc., to take in?

Trying to avoid the tourist junk (don't need electronics or "replica" items") and prefer off the beaten path art and culture.

Don't know that I'll get time to ride a bike, but anticipate a good amount of walking around and taking it in.

[benb]

I would take off my coffee snob hat and put on a tea snob hat for a few days as there are few places better for a tea snob to visit.

[yngpunk]

This should get you started in terms of things to do/see/eat and geared toward English speakers as well :-)

https://www.smartshanghai.com/

I wouldn't dismiss coffee culture in Shanghai...coffee is actually quite popular (maybe even more so than tea, esp. among the younger crowd). Despite what you may think of Starbucks coffee, there is this in Shanghai:

https://www.starbucksreserve.com/loc...nghai-roastery

Regarding tea:

I'd suggest visiting: Tianshan Tea City https://www.smartshanghai.com/venue/..._City_shanghai

Lots of tea (and tea vendors). I'd recommend visiting Susie at stall 1262. Speaks English very well (former English teacher) and tea is reasonably priced. Tell her what you are interested in and she will set you up with a free tasting of various teas.

If you haven't ridden a high speed train, I'd also recommend taking the Maglev from Pudong airport into the city.

Lastly, everything is mobile payment (I.e. WeChat pay and Alipay) ...you can get by with RMB (cash), but it can become a hassle if you don't have exact change. Used to be a hassle to set up WeChat pay and Alipay as a foreigner, but as of 2023, it appears that both platforms will let you link an non-Chinese payment card (I.e. Visa, MC, Amex, etc.)

As for dining...food lovers paradise...

Hope this helps...should get you started

[herb5998]

Not sure if your employer pays for your mobile device, but if not, I'd recommend bringing a burner device to use for wechat and mobile based payments while you're there. If you have to use personal device there, remove any apps which contain or have access to PII.

[polyhistoric]

Originally Posted by herb5998

Not sure if your employer pays for your mobile device, but if not, I'd recommend bringing a burner device to use for wechat and mobile based payments while you're there. If you have to use personal device there, remove any apps which contain or have access to PII.

I've heard differing accounts of this. What is the actual, on the ground risk with this. Honestly, my personal phone has all my typical payment details and I've signed up for Alipay and linked/verified card and identity. Since SSN and other details are already likely leaked on dark web, what else am I really risking... maybe someone will copy way too many pictures of my bikes and corgi?

[yngpunk]

Originally Posted by polyhistoric

I've heard differing accounts of this. What is the actual, on the ground risk with this. Honestly, my personal phone has all my typical payment details and I've signed up for Alipay and linked/verified card and identity. Since SSN and other details are already likely leaked on dark web, what else am I really risking... maybe someone will copy way too many pictures of my bikes and corgi?

Actual, on the ground risk probably depends on your level of paranoia

The risk isn't from hackers on the dark web, but more at a minimum having your activities (location, spending habits, other meta data) and potentially personal information on your phone being available and/or archived by the CCP.

You might want to install a VPN as well...

[echappist]

Best food (traditional Shanghainess/ Zhejiang style) is probably LvBoLang. This is where the Clintons were entertained on a state visit in 1998. It’s a style of cooking not commonly found in the U.S., even in large metros, but it’s often considered to be the most refined style (compared to Cantonese and Sichuan cusines). A restaurant in NYC Chinatown does a pale imitation (and utilizes the same name). Good enough to warrant a visit, but nowhere near the original.

Originally Posted by yngpunk

I wouldn't dismiss coffee culture in Shanghai...coffee is actually quite popular (maybe even more so than tea, esp. among the younger crowd). Despite what you may think of Starbucks coffee, there is this in Shanghai:

https://www.starbucksreserve.com/loc...nghai-roastery

The first time I saw a two-group (or was it a three-group) Arduino Black Eagle was at a premium Starbucks (I think a Starbucks Reserve location) in Beijing. The barista poured a mean latté art as well.

IIRC, parts of Yun’nan province (traditionally known for tea production) produces decent coffee, and Starbucks sells those beans. I’d imagine Shanghai, being the most modern city in commie China, to have similar establishments.

Originally Posted by yngpunk

Actual, on the ground risk probably depends on your level of paranoia

The risk isn't from hackers on the dark web, but more at a minimum having your activities (location, spending habits, other meta data) and potentially personal information on your phone being available and/or archived by the CCP.

You might want to install a VPN as well...

Last time I was in commie China (~2018-19), the security apparatus sniffed out various VPNs. So no gmail access for ten days. This wans’t the case previously in 2015.

General word of mouth is that business VPNs are granted a bit more latitude. YMMV.

Frankly, btwn visiting Shanghai and Taipei, i’d much prefer the latter (same quality and breadth of food, but much more civil freedom). I’d go so far as to say i’d demand “hazard pay” to go to PR China.

Originally Posted by polyhistoric

A query for our more well-travelled forumites. I will be in Shanghai for a week; 5 days of that will be filled with work.

Apart from some of the usual suspects (Yu Garden, various Temples), anything of note for a discerning cyclist, coffee snob, etc., to take in?

Trying to avoid the tourist junk (don't need electronics or "replica" items") and prefer off the beaten path art and culture.

Don't know that I'll get time to ride a bike, but anticipate a good amount of walking around and taking it in.

Art and culture are broad terms, but for culture of historical significance and cycling, Hangzhou is by far the better bet.

To understand this, one needs to trace the historical importance of Shanghai. Most pertinently, until the 1850's, Shanghai was a mere trading port that gained prominence mainly after becoming a treaty port. So unlike Hangzhou and Nanjing (historical capitals during various dynasties), the cultural stuff isn't up there.

It was the Orient Pearl during the Republican Era, but mainly as a commercial hub. Then when the commies took over, those who could flee did (to Hong Kong and Taiwan), the intelligentsia who couldn't largely saw persecution. Much of what could be smashed and burned met just that fate during the Cultural Revolution. So when it comes to culture, Shanghai really doesn't have much of its own that couldn't be found elsewhere.

The smash-and-burn also affected other cities, but most of this was limited to artifacts, and long-standing historical structures (centuries old) remain. But these are a lot fewer in Shanghai, whereas Hangzhou has quite a bit more. Take a look at the list of museums in Shanghai as compiled by wikipedia, what should become rather apparent is that few are truly cultural. A lot of hagiographical propaganda pieces, a lot of museums of more commercial/ industrial interest, but very few arts and cultural institutions.

But really, much of the really worthwhile cultural artifacts are in Taipei.

As for cycling, Hangzhou has hills and lakes very close to city center, in a way that's almost inconceivable (like how there's 50-block long and 4-avenue wide park in the smack middle of Manhattan). Shanghai is a ginormous concrete and glass sprawl. Hangzhou is only 45 minutes away by train. There is a Rapha store in Shanghai, and presumably, it has bikes for rent.

[yngpunk]

Originally Posted by echappist

Last time I was in commie China (~2018-19), the security apparatus sniffed out various VPNs. So no gmail access for ten days. This wans’t the case previously in 2015.

General word of mouth is that business VPNs are granted a bit more latitude. YMMV.

VPNs are like a cat mouse game with China's great firewall. Key is to use a more "established" (vs. the cheap/free/dubious) VPNs out there which will frequently update their settings when they get blocked. Express VPN and Astrill VPN have been good in the past and are easy to set up. If you want to get a bit more technical and take a different (and somewhat cheaper and more secure) approach, there is wannaflix VPN.

Note that during certain/major CCP meetings/events, the crackdown on VPNs can get a bit stricter making getting through the great firewall a bit harder.

However, as echappist says, YMMV.

[jds108]

I was in Chengdu right before covid. I speak zero Chinese. Had a pleasant stay when I had a guide, but the two days on my own were difficult only due to the language barrier and local's resistance to strangers. As in, I didn't get to eat at the restaurant I went to one night, as nobody would wait on me.

So my only suggestion: bring a phone that'll do audio language translation. I guess that's a thing nowadays!

[echappist]

Originally Posted by yngpunk

VPNs are like a cat mouse game with China's great firewall. Key is to use a more "established" (vs. the cheap/free/dubious) VPNs out there which will frequently update their settings when they get blocked. Express VPN and Astrill VPN have been good in the past and are easy to set up. If you want to get a bit more technical and take a different (and somewhat cheaper and more secure) approach, there is wannaflix VPN.

Note that during certain/major CCP meetings/events, the crackdown on VPNs can get a bit stricter making getting through the great firewall a bit harder.

However, as echappist says, YMMV.

Back then and now, I have been using NordVPN, which is usually well-regarded. Somehow they still sniffed me out like a well-trained terrier.

[weisan]

My wife is in Shanghai. She carries two phones - one that she uses in the States with T-mobile and the other uses a SIM card bought in China. We paid the extra $50 per month for the add-on international 15 GB data, unlimited text/call to our existing T-mobile plan. She uses the US phone in China as per "normal" - can access Google, youtube etc, no block. She uses the China phone mainly for local payment/ online shopping.

[zetroc]

I would eat as many dumplings and drink as much tea as I possibly could.