The Century Park

Located at the east end of Century Boulevard, the Century Park is the largest ecological urban park currently in Shanghai. Designed by British LUC, it covers an area of 140.3 hectares and is a modern Chinese garden that embodies the integration of between Oriental and Occidental cultures and between man and nature. The park mainly consists of large lawns, forests, and lakes, with such scenic areas as the Central Lake Island, the Huiwu Square, the Rural Garden, the International Garden, and the Thin Forest Lawn. Inside the park are facilities for bird protection, experiencing scientific advances, scientific experiments, and children’s amusements. Tourists can fish, fly kites and have picnic here and get the maximum degree of enjoyment.

The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower

Standing at 1, Renmin Avenue, the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower is 468 meters in height, ranking first in Asia and third in the world. It consists of three gigantic columns 9 meters in diameter, a spherical penthouse, an upper sphere, a lower sphere, five smaller spheres, the pedestal and the square. Together with Nanpu Bridge and Yangpu Bridge, it looks like two dragons playing with a ball, turning itself into a symbol of the reform and opening-up of Shanghai. The designers, inspired by rich imagination, arranges the 11 spheres of different sizes from high in the blue sky down to a carpet of green lawns, while the two huge dazzling ruby-like spheres are integrated with the two earth-shaped spheres of Shanghai International Convention Center, forming a poetic picture of “pearls, big and small, falling down into a jade plate”, magnificent and beautiful. Shanghai Urban Historical Development Gallery at the hall in the first floor is a museum devoting to an introduction of the development history of Shanghai in the previous century. The precious historical relics, documents, pictures, and the advanced film and television and stereo facilities vividly reflect the history of Shanghai urban development in the modern times. The exhibition in the gallery fully displays the profound political, economic, cultural, and social changes of Shanghai. The Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower is a vivid human landscape.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

Connecting the north side of Chen Yi Square at the Bund and the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower at Pudong, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel has a total length of 646.7 meter and is China’s first cross-river artificial sightseeing tunnel. Modern high technologies are applied in the decoration of the interior walls of the tunnel, providing the passengers with background music as well as pictures, patterns and views about people, history, culture, science and technology and natural scenery. The environment-friendly non-driver traction compartments, the whole transparent compartments, and the six-sound-track and high-fidelity stereo system match the changes of the views, making tourists feel as if they were right at the scene The completion of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel not only makes the tunnel itself a new tourist spot of Shanghai, but turns it into a rainbow that bridges both sides of the Huangpu River in the urban tourism of Shanghai due to its advantageous geographical location.

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town

Zhujiajiao is an ancient town located at the bank of the Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District. The town, with a history of over 1,000 years, is the most well reserved ancient town in Shanghai and has been known as “Venice of Shanghai” for its simple but attractive appearance typical of towns in the south part of China. In 1991, it was designated by the State Council as the “Well-Known Chinese Cultural Town”. The ancient town is simple and tranquil, refined and elegant. Walking along the zigzag flagging or wondering among the narrow streets and lanes flanked with shops and stores, tourists feel as if they were in a simple but fresh wash painting: small bridges above giggling water, residence of the Ming and Qing styles, small dark-awning boats lying at anchor, sweeping willows swaying along riverbanks, and stone bridge spanning the Dianpu River like a beautiful rainbow. Inside the town are rivers and bridges, giving tourists a sense of the ancient time. The Fangsheng Bridge, constructed in the reign of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, is the biggest joint five-arch stone bridge in Shanghai. It is 70.8 meters in length and 5.8 meters in width. Exquisite in structure and beautiful in shape, it is the first of the ten scenic spots of Zhujiajiao.

The Cultural Celebrities’ Street at Duolun Road

Duolun Road is the cultural celebrities’ street in Shanghai, where such Chinese literary giants as Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo and Ye Shengtao and such leftist writers as Ding Ling and Rou Shi once lived and wrote. On 2nd, March 1930, the Chinese Leftist Literary Association, a revolutionary literary organization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, was founded here. Today, the Doulun Road after renovation has turned into a cultural street featuring old-style buildings, residences and memorial halls of cultural celebrities, and non-governmental collection galleries.

The Grand View Garden Area of Shanghai

Located at 701, Qing-Shang Expressway on the east bank of the Dianshan Lake, The Grand View Garden Area of Shanghai is both a large classic architectural complex and a modern garden. It consists of the east and west scenic areas. The east scenic area has the Shanghai folk cultural village, the plum garden, and the osmanthus garden as its main scenic spots. The east scenic area is modeled on A Dream of Read Mansion, a Chinese classic novel by Cao Xueqin in the Qing Dynasty. It is a large classic architectural complex constructed using the traditional Chinese gardening art. It covers an area of 9 hectares, of which the classic buildings occupy 8,000 square meters, including 20 architectural complexes like Daguanlou (Grand View Tower), Yihongyuan (Cheerful Red Court), Xiaoxiangguan (Bamboo Lodge), Hengwuyuan (Lush Grass Court). The chambers in the garden are luxuriously and elegantly decorated; ancient and well-known trees are set off by red columns and colorful walls, giving tourists a sense of the grand royal garden and the graceful garden in southern China. Every plant in the garden fully embodies the fine mood depicted in A Dream of Red Mansions. In the east of the grand view garden is a piece of land of 100 hectares, on which are planted 340,000 trees. In addition, there are also some other scenic spots here like “Plums at the Hollow Bringing a Strong Sense of Spring”, “Willows on Riverbanks Signaling the Advent of Spring”, “Golden Snow and Lingering Fragrance”, “Flowers Competing for Beauty”, of which “Plums at the Hollow Bringing a Strong Sense of Spring” is the best place in Shanghai to appreciate plum flowers.

The People’s Square

Located at the center of Shanghai, the People’s Square is a garden-like square that integrates administration, culture, transportation, and commerce. To the north of the square is Shanghai People’s Government, to the northwest is Shanghai Grand Theatre, to the northeast is Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, and to the south is Shanghai Museum. Renmin Avenue, which runs in the middle of the square, has a 17-meter-wide green belt on both sides. The total area of greening of the People’s Square reaches 80 thousand square meters, turning the square into an oasis in the center of Shanghai.

The Jingmao Building / Tower

Standing at 1, Century Boulevard, the Jingmao Building faces the Bund across the Huangpu river. With a total height of 420.5 meters, it ranks third in the world and first in China. The building has a total floor space of 290 thousand square meters, with 88 floors above ground, 3 floors underground and 6 floors of side buildings. The Jingmao Building, which combines traditional and modern styles, is generally regarded as a landmark building of Shanghai, a city striving for excellence in the 21st century. The observation deck on the 88th floor at the height of 340.1 meters covers an area of 1,520 square meters and is the largest observation deck currently in China. It is luxuriously decorated with imported marble and the thickness of the marble on the wall is only 3mm. The glass wall offers a panorama of views. Standing at the deck, tourists can have a bird’s-eye-view of the urban sceneries of Shanghai and the magnificent view at the estuary of the Yangtze River. The two express elevators that escalate at 9.1 meters per second send tourists to the top of the building in only 45 seconds.

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum

Located at 2,000, Century Boulevard, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum served as the main venue for the APEC meeting in 2001. Covering a total construction area of 68,000 square meters and a total floor space of 98,000 square meters, the museum has "Nature, Man and Science and Technology" as its theme, integrating exhibition, education, scientific study and exchange, exhibits collection and production, and leisure and tourism. The museum has seven exhibition areas: the Earth's Crust, Life, Light of Wisdom, Audio-Video Paradise, Cradle of Designers, Children's Garden, and Natural Science. It also contains nearly ten thousand pieces of specimens including those of gigantic dinosaurs. Moreover, the museum also has a large 3-D screen cinema, a 360 degree circular screen cinema and a 4-D screen cinema. In addition, tourists can also pay a visit along the APEC special line to the central hall, the main conference hall, the declaration hall, the conversation room, the observation deck, etc.

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

Located at 158, Yincheng Road (North), Pudong, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a high-tech tourist project newly constructed in Shanghai. The Aquarium, which has a total floor space of 22.4 thousand square meters, boasts a 120-meter-long submarine sightseeing tunnel, the longest in Asia, making tourists feel as if they were in the depth of the ocean since they can see the mysterious world at the bottom of the sea and the rare and strange marine life from different angles and directions. The Aquarium is made up of 8 major areas with 28 large-scale theme marine life exhibition areas, displaying the 300 species and ten thousand more rare fishes from all over the world. Some of them are most unique freshwater and marine life; others are rare aquatic life unique of China. All these give tourists a pleasant impression of “experiencing the wonders of the five continents at the bottom of the sea”.

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall

Nanjing Road of Shanghai, known as “China's premier shopping street”, is flanked by hundreds of huge shopping centers, specialty stores and shops with unique Chinese characteristics and a long history. The pedestrian mall starts from Xizang Road (Middle) in the west and ends at He’nan Road (Middle) in the east. At the east and west ends of the pedestrian mall are two dark red marble screens, on which are former president Jiang Zeming’s autograph: Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall. Completed at the 50th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, The mall gives a total new look to the hundred year old Nanjing Road, making it another beautiful urban scenic spot of Shanghai. Shanghai No. 1 Department Store (the former Daxin Company), Hualian Department Store (the former Yong’an Company), Shanghai Fashion Co., LTD. (the former ), and Shanghai No. 1 Foodstuff Store (the former Xinxin Company) are four major companies that reflect the past and present of Nanjing Road, making the road a combination of traditional and modern styles and adding a unique charm to it. Walking along this road, one will have a great sense of pleasure. The colorfully glazed floor tiles, the uniform peddler’s stands in the middle of the road, the fashionable stores flanking the street, the hustling and bustling crowd, the small, lovely sightseeing trains, the uniquely-designed city sculptures…, all these constitute a modern urban view of Shanghai.

The New Bund

Located at the banks of the Huangpu River between Waibaidu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge, the New Bund has a total length of 4 kilometers. It rests against the Huangpu River on the east and a row of 52 unique buildings integrating the Oriental and Occidental architectural styles on the west, generally known as “buildings in multinational styles of architecture”, which, for over a century, has remained a symbol of Shanghai. At night when the floodlights of the buildings are switched on at the same time, the buildings look exactly like crystal palaces, which, set off by the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower on the east bank of the Huangpu River, are even more brilliant and dazzling. The New Bund is reputed to be one of the “Ten Best Scenic Spots of Shanghai”.

Mount Sanqingshan National Park

In July 2008 it was put in the “World Heritage List” as a world natural heritage. Speaking highly of the Mount Sanqing (Pure Trinity) National Park, Jinagxi, the World Heritage Committee holds that it creates a world-unique landscape aesthetic effect by demonstrating its own special granite pillars and peaks and through the combination of abundant granite molding stones and multiple vegetations with the far and near changing landscapes and heart-shaking climate wonder within a relatively small region, to present an attractive nature .

South China Karst

The “South China Karst” is jointly composed by the sword-shaped, pillar-shaped and pagoda-shaped karsts of Yunnan Stone Forests, the cone-shaped karsts (peak forest) in Libo of Guizhou and the stereoscopic karsts with nature-created bridge, geo-crevice and heavenly pit groups as their representatives, which were formed from 500,000 years to 300 million years ago and in a total area of 1,460km2. The scenic attractions in these regions enjoy reputation both at home and abroad, e.g. the Stone Forest of Yunnan has been famous for its being “imposing, queer, perilous, elegant, serene, profound and spacious” and hence is reputed as “No. 1 Spectacle Under Heaven” and “Cream of World Karsts”; the Libo of Guizhou is a habitat of national minorities of Buyi, Shui, Miao, Yao, etc., and was elected the “most beautiful place in China” and the “ten most beautiful great forests in China”. They were included in the “World Heritage List” as a world natural heritage in June 2007.

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries-Wolong, Mt. Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains

The world natural heritage of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries includes the Wolong, Siguniang and Jiajin mountains with a total area of 9,245km2, and covers 4 cities and prefectures as well as 12 counties of Chengdu, Aba, Ya’an and Ganzi. Living in the place here are over 30% of the wild giant pandas of the world, the largest and most integral habitat of giant pandas, and also one of the regions with richest plant species except the tropical rainforest. Once selected by the Nature Protection International as one of the 25 global bio-diversification popular attractions, it was determined by the Global Environmental Protection Organization as one of the global 200 ecological regions. In July 2006, it was inscribed in the “World Heritage List” as a world natural heritage.

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Lying in the western part of Hunan Province, it is composed of the Zhangjiajie State Forest Park, Suoxiyu Valley and Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserves. With an area of 360km², the highest peak here has an elevation of 1264.5m. Its quartz sandstone peak forest and karst topography fused together, to structure a rare natural sight. There are 560 scenic sites here, the famous are Jinbian (Golden Staff) Crag, Huangshi (Yellow Lion) Stockade, Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Spring, Yuanyang (Mandarin Ducks) Waterfall, Ganxi (Dry Stream) Gully, Yuanjiajie (Territory of Yuans’), Xiannü (Fairy) Bridge and other places of tourist interest. Within the scenic interest, there are rare animals and plants such as South China tigers, rhesus monkeys, white storks and giant salamanders (Baby-like Fish), as well as dove trees, gingko trees, yaoshan solo trees and so on. It was put in the “World Natural Heritage List” in 1992.

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Located in Nanping County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, it is a large branch valley on the southern bank of Baihe River in upper reaches of Baishui River. With an elevation of more than 2,000m, it has its forest area accounting for 42%, and originally there were nine Tibetan stockade villages in the valley, hence the name of Jiuzhaigou Valley (Nine Stockade Village Valley). A former forest area amidst lofty mountains and steep ranges, it has an extremely beautiful natural sight, as well as 108 haizi (lakes) distributed inside it, and there are also roaring waterfalls among each of the lakes such as the Shuzheng Waterfall and Norilong Waterfall, which are of a tremendous momentum. There are also giant pandas, golden monkeys, twisted horn gazelles and other rare and precious animals, being natural protection reserves for the giant pandas and golden monkeys. In 1992 it was included in the “World Natural Heritage List”.

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Situated in Songpan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, it has an area of 700km², and is like a giant golden dragon stretching down, being famous for its colorful pools, snow-clad mountains, forests, gorges and waterfalls. Its main landscapes are concentrated within the Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Valley that is about 3.6km long, and there are calcium carbonate travertine covering all over the valley in a terraced-field arrangement, to enjoy reputation in the world with its abundant flora and fauna resources, being reputed as “World Wonderful Sight” and “Fairyland on Earth”. In 1992 it was put in the “World Natural Heritage List”.

The Great Wall (1987)

The Great Wall, starting from the Shanhai Pass on the Bohai Bay in the east and ending at the Jiayu Pass of the Gansu Province in the west, is the world-renowned Chinese ancient building of the ten-thousand-li Great Wall, which passes through lofty mountains and high ranges as well as mountain creeks and valleys, stretching and undulating for 12,000-plus li (approximately 6,700 kilometers) and traversing seven provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of North China. As early as in the Spring and Autumn Period, in order to keep the enemy out, various states built the Great Wall by taking advantage of natural barriers. After having unified whole China, Qin connected all those sections of defensive walls, to build up the ten-thousand-li Great Wall of a tremendous scale; which was expanded and reinforced later by various dynasties. Up till the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), it had been reconstructed into today’s appearance look on the original foundation. Of an imposing boldness of vision, the Great Wall, one of the great projects in world history, was enlisted in the “World Cultural Heritage List” in 1987.

Imperial Palaces of Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (1987,2004)

Imperial Palace, located in the center of Beijing Municipality, was also called the Forbidden City, and was the seat of the two Dynasties of Ming and Qing. A largest-scale and most-perfectly-preserved ancient building complex existing now in our country, it was first built from the forth year to the eighteenth year in the Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty (1406-1420), and was later renovated and reconstructed many times with its original layout still retained. Covering a land of over 720,000 square meters, it has a floor space of approx 150,000 square meters with more than 9,000 houses and rooms; the surrounding palace wall is over 10m high in a length of 3km, with turrets in gorgeous style standing atop four wall corners and a moat of a width of 52m surrounding outside the wall. With an imposing and luxury appearance, the total building complex is of a broad and symmetrical layout and a splendid and brilliant interior and exterior decoration, being the cream of the ancient-time architectural art of our country. In 1987 it was enlisted in the “World Cultural Heritage List”. And on July 1st, 2004 the Shenyang Imperial Palace was also enlisted in the “World Heritage List” as an expanded item of the cultural heritage of the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.