Shanghai might regularly top polls for being one of the most expensive cities in the world to live, but thanks to its abundance of reasonably priced hotels and cheap eats, coupled with many interesting and free things to do, it can be an inexpensive place to travel.
Free things to do:
- SINGLES’ MARKET - Every weekend amongst the leafy surroundings of People’s Park, hundreds of parents and grandparents gather to find potential partners for their single adult children at Shanghai’s Singles’ Market.
- FLOWER, BIRD, FISH, AND INSECT MARKET - At Shanghai’s flower, bird, fish, and insect market you’ll come across thousands of prize crickets in jars, used for fighting and to bring good luck, as well as assorted other critters including turtles, cats, dogs, and chinchillas, not to mention caged songbirds by the hundreds.
- FRENCH CONCESSION - The tree-lined streets of Shanghai’s former French Concession make for a wonderful place to people watch and wander. While the architecture is European in feel, the hustle and bustle of everyday life is distinctly Chinese, with Shanghai’s many facets existing side-by-side.
- ISLAND6 ARTS CENTER - Housed in Shanghai’s M50 creative park, island6 showcases new media artwork from the European and Chinese artists that form the Liu Dao art collective. Expect to find interactive, cutting-edge and, at times, provocative art with an innovative take on modern technology and society.
- TIANZIFANG - This fun, kitsch shopping area at the edge of the French Concession hides a maze of alleyways chock full of trinket shops, bars and food stalls. Many local residents also still live in the traditional lane houses here.
- THE VIEW FROM PARK HYATT HOTEL - For an almost-free view of Shanghai from above, head to the bar and restaurant of the Park Hyatt hotel in Lujiazui. Housed on the 87th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center building, the views of the city on a clear day are amazing.
- THE BUND - Shanghai’s waterfront area is a quick lesson in the city’s history and how different powers have shaped its appearance. On one side of the mighty Huangpu River sits the Bund, with its historic colonial buildings constructed at the height of foreign trading influence in China.
- SHANGHAI MUSEUM - Not surprisingly for a country with such a long history, China has a lot of ancient art relics, and the Shanghai Museum houses an extensive display of the country’s most treasured historical possessions.
- JADE BUDDHA TEMPLE - Glitzy Jingan Temple might be the jewel in Shanghai’s crown but this little Chinese Buddhist temple in the west of the city is more understated and free to get in to. It houses two jade Buddha statues imported from Burma, along with many other cultural relics, and is a peaceful refuge from the modern bustle of Shanghai.
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