A Shanghai Real Estate agency maintains a comprehensive database of available rental properties for expatriates. This is important with an enormous growth of the Shanghai Realty sector. Now, they want to offer the best to the expatriates. Although, it offered me quite a comfortable living experience, the apartments newly constructed in the same locality provide the tenants a host of modern amenities, including 24 hour security, power back-up, maintenance, club facilities, shopping center and so on. Many serviced apartments have also been built to meet the needs of expatriates and their families. These apartments are fully furnished and are equipped with all the modern appliances, which are required for a comfortable living.

However, if you want to experience the charm of old Shanghai city, old apartments found mainly in Former French Concession Area, Xintiandi, XuHui and Jing’an Temple area should be your choice. Of so many options available, the services of a Shanghai Property Agent become all the more important. They can offer you a good accommodation, surrounded by shopping malls, country clubs, sports center, restaurants, and grocery stores. Proximity to public transportation facilities and international schools is also a prime concern of Shanghai housing agency, while offering their services to an expatriate.

Shanghai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various Architecture styles. The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neo-classical HSBC Building to the art deco Sassoon House. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved, and despite rampant redevelopment, the old city still retains some buildings of a traditional style

The Bund is the showcase of European buildings, and it follows right along the Huangpu River. The area is both scenic and extremely well lit at night. In fact, on a busy weekend night police try to limit the crowding along the river walkway, so you may have to wait if you head to this popular pedestrian strip in the early evening. The buildings here are now occupied by several companies and some government offices, and if you walk along the Bund at the top of the hour, you can hear the bell tower ring out the tune “The East is Red.” One of the key features of the Bund is the contrast it provides. The Puxi side of the river, with the former British settlement, is a preserved historic site, so no new development can happen in a way that cuts the classic buildings off from the river. While strolling the Bund walkway the view across the river shows an amazing contrast of contemporary or even space-aged looking buildings. This is a great view of Lu Jia Zui.

A short ferry ride from The Bund will put you in Lu Jia Zui, but take some time to enjoy the view of the buildings from The Bund side before heading over there. The Oriental Pearl Tower is probably the most noticeable building, and street vendors everywhere in Shanghai sell models and balloons of this architectural model. You may not think it’s beautiful, in fact many people don’t, but you must admit the structure is unforgettable. At night there is an impressive light display on this building, as well as large tv projections off the Aurora building in Lu Jia Zui that are easily viewed from The Bund. Also in Lu Jia Zui is the tallest building in Shanghai (at least for the next few years, plans are underway for a taller Shanghai World Financial Center): the Jin Mao Building. Interesting modern buildings are all around Shanghai, all you need to do is look up while touring the city. The Bund Center, a block in from The Bund, stuns with its crown top, the J.W. Marriott looks like something directly out of Gotham City, and city buildings like the Shanghai Museum stun with the meeting of old and new – a modern building in the style of a classic Chinese vessel.

Xin Tian Di is certainly worth a visit not only because of the interesting shops and bars, but also because of the architecture. The older buildings in this area were built in the mid 1800s as a fusion of European and Chinese architecture. The newer buildings towards the back of the complex show the ultra-modern style Shanghai currently promotes.

Other areas for European architecture include parts of Huai Hai Road and Heng Shan Road. These areas run through the former French Concession, though most of the interesting buildings were estates rather than public buildings. Today many countries’ embassies are found in this area, some interesting night clubs can be found, the former house of Premier Zhou Enlai (a historic site), and some private residences.

Perhaps one of the most spectacular buildings of modern times, Shanghai center , a supertall skyscraper is under construction in the Pudong District of the metropolis. At 580 metres, the building is expected to offer 118 stories and propel the city to be an advanced financial capital upon planned completion in 2010.

Old Shanghai residences are built around the theme of European architecture, popularly known as colonial style building. Most of these apartments can be found along quiet tree-lined streets, located at popular areas such as Former French Concession Area, Xintiandi, and Jing’an Temple area. As most of these old apartments are not equipped with modern amenities such as club facilities, gym, pool, shopping centers and others, you can get one at a quite lower rent.

There are many districts in Shanghai city that have been recently built to offer all modern amenities, suiting the Western style of living. New built apartments are available for rent in these areas offering a host of services such as shopping centers, modern club facilities, gymnasium, swimming pool, sport facilities, restaurants and fast food joints and so on. Binjiang area offers new apartments to expatriates who are working in the Lujiazui financial Zone. Similarly, Pudong, Xintiandi, Jing’an, and Hongqiao are the areas that have emerged as major business zone and hence, offer new apartments to the expatriates who are working in these areas. Also, for those who want to stay in close proximity to the international school, new villas have sprung up in areas such as Zhudi Town area, Gubei area, Green City area, and Zhangjiang High-tech Park area. The rent in case of new Shanghai apartments may range from $1,000 to $10,000 per month, the rent in case of new villas may range from $5,000 to 15,000 per month.

Serviced apartments offer a host of services to the expatriates such as fully furnished rooms with all modern amenities and gadgets, a fully equipped kitchen, en-suite facilities, and so on. Also, 24hour security, power back-up, parking facilities, and modern club services are some common features of serviced apartments. These apartments are available in many areas, including Binjiang area, Xintiandi area and Jing’an area for an affordable rent ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.

With a boom in real estate market, many Shanghai real estate agencies have come up. As an expatriate, you must contact Shanghai real estate agency to get Shanghai apartment at affordable rent. Shanghai real estate agent can properly introduce you to various types of Shanghai apartments, facilities offered by each one of them, their rental and so on. Depending on your needs and budget, you can find comfortable Shanghai apartment for yourself.

Originally, Shanghai was a seaside fishing village and in time its gradual development led to it being granted County status in 1291. Todays Shanghai is a multi cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features. Bubbling Shanghai shows off every aspect of her unique glamour. Widely regarded as the citadel of Chinas modern economy, the city also serves as one of the nations most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centres.

A city government that has not been too narrowly focused on commerce to neglect wider urban planning issues and the result is one of Chinas most elegant cities and certainly its most sophisticated and cosmopolitan. The annual Shanghai Tourist Festival offers a huge amount of traditional and not so traditional entertainment at venues across the city, and also incorporates the Shanghai shopping festival. Theres much hype around town at the time and plenty of opportunity to pick up details of all the events.

Shanghai is a large and rapidly developing city, but also has a long and majestic history. You shouldn’t miss visiting the exhilarating skyscrapers and modern parks of Pudong, taking a walk along the historical Bund or shopping for bargains on Nanjing road or in the many markets such as Huaihai road market. Yuyuan gardens is also considered as a cultural heart of Shanghai, with wonderful architecture and the entire snack food and bar atmosphere you could want.

Shanghai has an extremely wide range of accommodation available to visitors. Shanghais people have a sweet tooth and more sugar is used than in any other part of China. The winters can be very cold and temperatures often drop well below zero. In contrast, the summers tend to be hot and humid. The best time to visit is autumn or spring. Whether youre in Shanghai for business or pleasure, make sure you visit a few of the charming places the Pearl of the East has to offer.

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.

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.

Here are a few shopping highlights in Shanghai, starting with Nanjing Xi Lu…

Shanghai’s Plaza 66 Where: 55 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shaanxi 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 cystal, 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-minutes walk from the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Plaza 66 has a cafe in the atrium and a few restuarants perched on the fifth floor.

Shanghai’s Citic Plaza Where: 1168 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Plaza 66

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 in the basement to super buffet Golden Jaguar (unlimited sashimi and Pacific oysters) on the third floor to chic Sichuan restuarant China Moon 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.

Shanghai’s Westgate Mall Where: 1038 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Citic Plaza

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 malls offers a Studio City Cinema (with super sound system), Watson’s, a small supermarket in the basement, Marie France sliming clinic and an Isetan Department store ( a major Japanese chain) accessible on every floor.

Other Shopping…

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.

In Shanghai also, one can see a huge surge in demand for purchase properties, especially in the residential property. Investing in property in the city is a favorable decision, as the property rates are expected to touch the roof in the coming few years, evident by urbanization, rising household income, low homeownership rate, etc.. So, from both, the investment as well as the residential use perspective, you can look at investing in the realty section in Shanghai.

If you also have decided on investing in the real estate sector in the city, then it is a good idea to seek professional assistance from a renowned real estate agent. This will ensure that the property you select in Shanghai will be backed by the right guidance from professionals in the real estate sector. However, before we proceed, it is important to get a clear understanding about the different types of property options available for purchase or renting in the city. Let us take a look on some of them:

New Villas in Shanghai- In Shanghai, you will come across a lot of luxurious villas as residential options. These are mainly located in the posh areas of Changning district, Minhang district and Pudong district. These villas can be found in different architectural styles, inspired from different countries across the world. They have their own clubhouses, post offices, swimming pools, golf courses, and a variety of other services in the vicinity.

Apartments in Shanghai- One can even go for apartment rentals or purchases in the city. There are a number of apartments conveniently located near commercial areas of the city. They are also equipped with most of the outdoor and recreation facilities in close vicinity, but are comparatively cheaper than independent villas. Serviced apartments in Shanghai – Serviced apartments are meant for those who plan to stay in the city for a short time span. These are usually run by large hotel groups and are equipped with all luxury facilities such as 24 hour butlers, modern furniture, club hotel facilities and many more.

Originally, Shanghai was a seaside fishing village and in time its gradual development led to it being granted County status in 1291. Todays Shanghai is a multi cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features. Bubbling Shanghai shows off every aspect of her unique glamour. Widely regarded as the citadel of Chinas modern economy, the city also serves as one of the nations most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centres.

A city government that has not been too narrowly focused on commerce to neglect wider urban planning issues and the result is one of Chinas most elegant cities and certainly its most sophisticated and cosmopolitan. The annual Shanghai Tourist Festival offers a huge amount of traditional and not so traditional entertainment at venues across the city, and also incorporates the Shanghai shopping festival. Theres much hype around town at the time and plenty of opportunity to pick up details of all the events.

Shanghai is not only a large and rapidly developing city but also has a long and majestic history. You should not miss visiting the exhilarating skyscrapers and modern parks of Pudong, taking a walk along the historical Bund or shopping for bargains on Nanjing road or in the many markets such as Huaihai road market. Yuyuan gardens is also considered as a cultural heart of Shanghai, with wonderful architecture and the entire snack food and bar atmosphere you could want.

Shanghai has an extremely wide range of accommodation available to visitors. Shanghais people have a sweet tooth and more sugar is used than in any other part of China. The winters can be very cold and temperatures often drop well below zero. In contrast, the summers tend to be hot and humid. The best time to visit is autumn or spring. Whether you’re in Shanghai for business or pleasure, make sure you visit a few of the charming places the Pearl of the East has to offer.

Shanghai is the only city having two international airports in China– Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport, the former is the main international gateway while the latter serves most of the domestic flights. From Shanghai, people can fly to all the main cities in the country (excluding Taiwan), and to the important cities of more than 20 countries and regions in the world.

Pudong International Airport is situated in Pudong New Area, it is 30 km away from the downtown area and 40 km away from the Hongqiao International Airport. Pudong International Airport is becoming one of the aviation centers in the world. Hongqiao International Airport is located in the western part of the city and is 13 km away from the downtown area, as the old airport in Shanghai, it now mainly services domestic flights.

Shanghai connects with all artery railways through Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hangzhou railway lines, and many parts of the country can be reached by direct train from here. Every day some 80 pairs of trains depart from or arrive at the city. Shanghai has several railway stations, with Shanghai Railway Station as the largest and oldest, the other two are Shanghai South Railway Station which was opened in July 2006 and is set to take over all services towards the south of China, and Shanghai West Railway Station as well.

Shanghai Harbor is an important transportation port for entering and exiting the city as well as a water passenger transport hub in east China, and it is also China’s only sea, river and inland river passenger transportation port. Shanghai Harbor now consists of the Shiliupu, Gongpinglu, Waihongqiao, Luchaogang, Jinshan, Wusong, Baoyanglu and Shidongkou passenger stations, from which passengers can go to Putuoshan, Dalian in Liaoning province, cities along the Yangtze River such as Nanjing, Wuhu, Jiujiang and Wuhan, and Japan.

The subway is an excellent way to get around the city quickly and conveniently. Shanghai now has 5 lines with another 4 under construction. The trains are fast, cheap and fairly user-friendly with most signs both in Chinese and English, but the trains can get very packed during rush hour.

Taxi is generally a good choice for transportation in the city, though Shanghai now is an over- congested metropolis. Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate the company the taxi belongs to. Turquoise taxis operated by Dazhong, the largest taxi company in Shanghai, are often judged as the best of the bunch. Yellow taxis belong to QiangSheng taxi company, while white taxis belong to JinJiang taxi company, and blue taxis and red taxis belong to those small taxi companies that they don’t have an identified color. Taxis are required to switch on the meter for all journeys, so always insist that the meter is used, unless taking a long trip out of town.

More a tourist attraction and prestige project than practical means of transport, the Maglev Train runs from Pudong airport to its teminal Longyang in Pudong in 8 minutes, from where you can transfer to the metro to get to your destination. The Maglev Trains run every 20 minutes from 7 am to 9 pm daily at a blazing speed of 430 km/h, and the ride is definitely an experience in a rollercoasterish way.

Sightseeing in Shanghai China becomes even more pleasurable when you consider that a wide variety of cuisines can be found in the city. It is a pleasure to see Shanghai march towards meeting its aspirations even as it continues to uphold its proud traditions of service and hospitality. The current symbols of a modern city include The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jinmao Mansion and Pudong International Airport. To experience first hand that there still is proof of the deep zeal of a city ready to extend a warm welcome to all, one must visit the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Shanghai City Planning Exhibition Center.

Shanghai as the most populous and most developed city of China has always been the bastion of intellectual, cultural, financial, commercial and industrial eminence. From its humble origins as a seaside fishing hamlet before twelfth century, Shanghai is currently the hub of software, electronics, communications and citadel of modern China’s economy and finance. Shanghai has the distinction of being the largest commercial hub of the Far East and third in the world only after New York and London. It is equipped with the world’s largest and busiest ports besides other high-speed means of transportation and communication. Shanghai has rightly been referred as the ‘Queen of the Orient’ and ‘Paris of the East’ attracting both the tourist as well as business communities from worldwide horizons galore. Like other global biggies Shanghai does face the challenges linked with mass immigration of the workforce flocking in here from other towns and cities. Most of the tribulations are in terms of housing problems, huge wealth gap, environmental degradation, stressful living and other of the like associated inevitably with life in big cities. But then these challenges are fast resolved by higher resolution by its inhabitants to come up to the elevated world standards and gear up to competition with greater zest. The struggle to keep alive in maddening hustle-bustle of big cities becomes a way of life for its populace. It is only under such circumstances that humans get the platform to show their best.