Shanghai is well known for some of the best shopping experiences you’ll find among major cities in China. When visiting Shanghai you’lll 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. (I know you’re a guy but 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…

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 shpping 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 (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 restuarant 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.

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.

And much, much more…

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.

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.

Regardless of the current economic slowdown, the Shanghai banking regulator reinforced the second home requirement rule, reiterating that buyers must put at least a 40% down payment for purchasing a second home. This shows government’s disciplined approach in stimulating the real estate market. In general, the government makes lands available for sale primarily through auctions. The companies that purchase the lands will be responsible for building properties and selling the properties to the public. The residents will hold seventy year long property ownership.

Under the current policies, foreigners are entitled to one property if they have worked and lived in Shanghai for at least a year. Besides the residency requirement, they must purchase property only for their own use and can not lease it to others. Shanghai property transaction centers can make up own rules on trading on the basis of these policies, according to Shanghai Municipal Housing, Land and Resource Administration Bureau, and rules and implementation time could vary by district. Restrictions that were imposed on foreign investors from investing in the first tier cities like Shanghai have not been released, but real estate opportunities in the second and third tier cities or Shanghai nearby cities such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, are either open, or not as restricted. One thing to note is that overseas institutions and individuals that have set up a company in China may purchase property for purposes other than their own use. Regardless of economic and market conditions, Shanghai, with its unique historical background, rich cultures and vibrant growth, continues to attract people from all over the country and all over the world.

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 China 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 China 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. Shanghai 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.

With a pleasant northern subtropical maritime monsoon climate, Shanghai enjoys four distinct seasons, with generous sunshine and abundant rainfall. Its spring and autumn are relatively short comparing with the summer and winter. However, nearly 50 percent of the precipitation came during the May-September flooding season, which is divided into three rainy periods, namely, the Spring Rains, the Plum Rains and the Autumn Rains. As a city of a long history, Shanghai has 13 historical sites under state protection, including characteristic gardens built during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. A group of architectures built since the 1990s have added something new to the scenic attractions of the city. The Oriental Pearl TV tower, the No. 1 skyscraper in China and the People’s Square well fit into the urban landscape and compete with the Western-style architectures built along the bunds. Being one of the earliest city to underwent economic reform, Shanghai has a large expatriate community and foreign businesses, more so than the capital of Beijing.

There is still a lot for the visitor to see and do in Shanghai. Bars, Clubs, Business, the incredible skyline of beautiful tall buildings as far as you can see. The 21st century architecture. However, the truth be told, when you Travel Shanghai China, the city itself does not have a lot of cultural feel about it. Shanghai is the financial center of China.

Being the nation’s capital in terms of economic, cultural and international activities, Beijing is the first place to visit. Known for its ancient architecture, cultural and historical origin, the history of Beijing dates back to some 500,000 years ago during ancient civilization. Beijing has many places of interests from its royal gardens, mansions, towers, temples, palaces and modern structures; it is a major tourist destination for all tourists coming to China. Famous historical monuments to see in Beijing include the Great Wall of China at Badaling, The Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other interesting places. The Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and is known as the spiritual heart of China. The Great Wall is one of the famous manmade wonder of the world which has deep Chinese historical and cultural heritage. Beijing boasts of a place filled with many old temples like the Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven. One reminder during your 3 day Beijing tour is to witness a Beijing Opera.