Shanghai, Traditional Temples and Modern Skyscrapers
June 22, 2010
Shanghai is one of the largest cities in China. It is known for its high economic growth that has transformed the city from a fishing village into a megalopolis filled with lights, businesses and all kinds of technologies.
The city’s cultural landscape is closely related to the religious landscape. There is hundreds of Taoist and Buddhist temples scattered throughout the city. Highlights include the City God Taoist Temple in the heart of the oldest part of downtown. Wenmiamo The temple is dedicated to Confucius. Among the most famous Buddhist temples and spectacular is the Longhua Temple, the largest temple in the city. It also highlights the Jing’an Temple and the Jade Buddha Temple, named after a large statue of Buddha made from jade found inside the temple. Shanghai also has several Christian churches, among which stands the Cathedral of San Ignacio. She Shan Basilica is a basilica that even today attracts Christian pilgrims from across China.
The city is situated on the banks of the Yangtze River. One of the most famous bridges across the city is the bridge Waibaidu. This bridge is a part of the city known as the Bund and the first steel bridge in China and a symbol of the city.
The region of the Bund is one of the busiest districts of the city, the Huangpu District. At the center of this region in the west bank of Huangpu River, is the famous Zhongshan, which runs in an almost circular around the neighborhood, dating from the 1930s. In this neighborhood, one of the most visited by tourists since its original and traditional, is also commercial sites. One of the oldest parks in the city is Huangpu Park, a small park. Within the park is the Monument to the Heroes of Population. Here also is the Bund Historical Museum, with several exhibitions and photo galleries that teach us the region has evolved through the years.
The Bund area is full of historic buildings dating from British colonial era. Buildings stand out as the Customs decorated with the famous bell Big Chang, or the Bank of China, all done with such different styles as Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque.
Shanghai is the Shanghai Museum, a museum dedicated to the ancient Chinese art. This museum is located in the Town Square. The museum has one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese art, with more than 120,000 pieces of bronze, ceramics, and scrolls full of calligraphy, jade artifacts, coins and sculptures. There are also several exhibitions of ancient art from other countries and modern art. Among the exhibits include artifacts of national importance, as the clear mirror of the Han Dynasty bronze
People’s Square is undoubtedly the most famous square in the city where now the square was a racetrack. Now here is the Shanghai Museum and several conference rooms. In this square there are also other interesting places such as Shanghai Municipality, and famous Shanghai Grand Theatre.
Nearby is the old Nanshi district, formerly part of the walled city of Shanghai. Part of the square is decorated with the People’s Park, a beautiful public park. Here is the City God Temple and the Yuyuan Gardens impressive. These gardens, designed during the Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth century, have been rebuilt over the centuries, and today combine traditional Chinese architecture with ponds and pavilions.
Other museums that stand out are the Shanghai Art Museum and the Museum of Natural History in Shanghai. Among other famous historic sites underlines the place where they held the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which now houses a museum.
Among other tourist and cultural attractions of the city include the Shanghai Ballet Company and the Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic. The streets of old Shanghai are full of traditional shikumen, stone houses interconnected.
Huangpu District has, for many years, most commercial center around Shanghai. One of the most famous streets is the street of Nanjing East, a street frequented by tourists from both home and abroad. In Fuzhou Street is a street that has more bookstores of all kinds in the city, with all types of libraries and hundreds of thousands of books.
Another district that stands out is the district of Pudong, definitely more modern and futuristic. Emphasize the Pearl TV Tower East, with its imposing 468 meters high. Jin Mao Tower, with its 88 floors also features prominently in the skyline. The highest tower in all of China, the Shanghai World Financial Center, also decorates the banks of the river with its 492 meters high.
Shanghai managed to bring economic growth spurt during the second half-century, and therefore is considered the city where everything is created modern China. The city is full of transport faster, more unusual shops and the best technologies, its magnetic levitation train that can travel 30 kilometers from the city to the airport in less than 8 minutes. The transport is considered the fastest and most efficient in the world.
Shanghai is a city dominated by skyscrapers. Many of these buildings are used for both businesses and residences, and the top restaurants are often constructed that resemble flying saucers with panoramic views across the city.
Posted in 
content rss