Christmas In Shanghai

As Christmas approaches, the metropolis of Shanghai is playing host to a variety of Christmas themed events, which are creating a rich festive atmosphere on the city's bustling streets


Source: cri

Best Shanghai business hotels for every budget

Shanghai has many things in spades: expensive cocktail bars, xiaolongbao stands and hotels -- boutique, luxury, business, you name it.

Whether a Fortune 500-listed company is footing the bill or a penny-wise businessman is pay out of own pocket, here are the best Shanghai business hotels to suit a range of budgets.

Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre (上海雅居乐万豪酒店)
This 720-room hotel just north of Shanghai's commercial heart, People's Square, is built for corporate goings-on.

The fifth floor features 2,000 square meters of meetings and events space, as well as a business center with its own conference room.

For presentations, the grand ballroom has an enormous LED screen measuring nine by five meters.

The 48 Executive Suites, each of which features two bathrooms, a bedroom and a living room, are ideal for more intimate small meetings.

Every room's 42-inch LCD television can connect to a laptop, and each desk holds a connectivity kit with all manner of cables.

Guests staying at the Executive Suites can book the conference room free of charge for up to two hours at the Executive Lounge on the 37th floor. The lounge serves a full breakfast, snacks all day and an ample spread of canapés after 5:30 p.m.

555 Xizang Zhong Lu, near Fengyang Lu西藏中路555号, 近凤阳路; +86 21 2312 9888; nightly rate from around RMB 1,380 (US$222) plus 15 percent; official website

InterContinental Shanghai Pudong (上海锦江汤臣洲际大酒店)

InterContinental has three locations in Shanghai, but this branch is the most convenient for business travelers, providing easy access to Shanghai's Lujiazui CBD, four metro lines at the Shiji Da Dao station and a short trip to the international airport.

Each of the 398 guest rooms has an LCD television, DVD player, iPod dock and wireless Internet access.

The rooms’ workspaces have been thoughtfully designed, with bright lighting and a slew of outlets at varying levels so busy bees can plug in all their gadgets.

Adapters and converters are available at the concierge desk free of charge.

Meetings are a breeze here, with 3, 576 square meters of meetings and events space divided over 16 rooms. Host up to 750 people for a massive conference or go more intimate in a 30-person boardroom.

The hotel has plenty of AV equipment for all the rooms, including digital, LCD and overhead projectors, modem lines and DVD players.

777 Zhangyang Lu, near Laoshan Lu 张扬路777号, 近崂山路; +86 21 5835 6666; nightly rate from around RMB 1,180 plus 15 percent; official website

Swissôtel Grand Shanghai (上海宏安瑞士大酒店)

Who says business travelers can't squeeze in wining, dining and shopping?

With its location just off jam-packed Nanjing Xi Lu, guests at this Swissôtel are a stone's throw from a bevy of malls, restaurants and Jing'an Park, where elderly locals practice tai chi each morning.

The hotel is right next to Shanghai Pudong Airport's city terminal, which hosts direct airport shuttle buses.

Each of 467 rooms comes with wireless Internet access, daily newspaper delivery, a big flat-screen TV, a Nespresso machine and a tea station, which carries local and imported blends.

Meeting and events facilities include the 575-square-meter Grand Ballroom, the 390-square-meter Junior Ballroom, which can be divided into three smaller rooms and six multi-purpose function rooms that work for corporate events or smaller meetings.

The hotel's website displays floor plans and capacity charts.

1 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu 愚园路1号, 近胶州路; +86 21 5355 9898; nightly rate from around RMB 1,100 plus 15 percent; official website

Holiday Inn Pudong Shanghai (上海浦东假日酒店)

With its location right in Lujiazui, Shanghai's financial district, this is one of the city's best mid-range hotels for business travelers.

Rooms are well-appointed, with wireless Internet, fax machine and printer access and a sizeable desk with plenty of power outlets, computer cables and a reading lamp.

The hotel's six meeting rooms can arrange corporate gatherings of 10-400 people, all of which come with necessary equipment like stage lights, projectors and moveable lecterns.

It's practically a crime in China to let business associates go hungry. Holiday Inn serves bites from its all-day Chinese restaurant Bauhinia Court, which cooks Cantonese, Sichuanese and Shanghainese cuisine, and an Irish-pub style eatery, Flanagan's.

Guests staying in the executive rooms can take in complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails in the bright, airy executive lounge.

899 Dongfang Lu, near Pujiang Lu 东方路899号,近浦江路; +86 21 5830 6666; nightly rate from around RMB 799 plus 15 percent; official website

Hengshan Picardie Hotel (衡山宾馆)

Business travelers looking to trade Lujiazui's gridlocked avenues for the French Concession's tree-lined streets would do well to shack up here, which is a quick stroll from Metro Line 1 Hengshan Lu Station.

All 259 rooms have free broadband Internet, phones for local and international calls, safe deposit boxes and satellite TV.

Ten meeting spaces can host 20-250 people, and the hotel's website provides floor plans and capacity charts for each room.

There's wireless Internet access throughout the hotel’s public areas, and all the meetings spaces are stocked with AV equipment -- sounds systems, DVD players, LCD screens in a handful of sizes and wireless microphones. Luddites can take advantage of flip charts, white boards and podiums.

534 Hengshan Lu, near Huashan Lu 衡山路534号, 近华山路; +86 21 6437 7050; nightly rate from around RMB 800 inclusive; official website

Manhattan Bund Business Hotel (曼哈顿外滩商务酒店)

Located directly behind the Fairmont Peace Hotel, this 100-room hotel costs only a fraction of the Peace to stay a night. Guests get the same Bund-side location, complete with glittering skyline.

All facilities were built to meet the Chinese three-star hotel standard.

The standard rooms are small, not all of them have windows, and the décor is a little 1970s, with red-paper lanterns in the lobby and lots of faux gold and marble.

By the same token, suites are palatial and well-priced: for those who wants to feel like a king without spending like one, check in here.

Every room has a computer with Internet access; 24 hours will run you RMB 40.

The hotel's tour desk can help with faxing and photocopying, and there's a business center and two banquet rooms that can be used to host meetings.

81-85 Dianchi Lu, near Yuanmingyuan Lu 滇池路81-85号, 近圆明园路; +86 21 6888 8123; nightly rate from around RMB 328 inclusive; official website

Source: CNN Travel By Sophie Friedman

Take a walk down Xintiandi street in Shanghai

Shanghai's Xintiandi is one of the city's most famous areas and is extremely popular with tourists. Xintiandi was initially built with the unique Shikumen architectural style characteristic of old Shanghai, but has now transformed into an international walking street famous for its commercial, entertainment and leisure, and cultural offerings. Key to its essence is its combination of Chinese and western, old and new culture, and its integration of traditional Shikumen and new buildings. Xintiandi is now widely recognized as a cultural symbol of Shanghai.


Source: CRI

Shanghai revisited

Source: China Daily

Shanghai's mix of East and West has been attracting people the world over for centuries. The most cosmopolitan and international of all Chinese cities is now the country's financial center.

But here, you will also find well-preserved enclaves of times past below the backdrop of modern streets and skyscrapers. Many roads hark back to the colorful 1920s and 1930s of Western-style houses, making the Paris of the East a historic city in its own right.

Last month, we introduced a few must-see places for any short stay in Shanghai such as the iconic Bund, Tianzifang and Jing'an Temple. Here are a few more attractions in the area to help complete the list.

1. Zhujiajiao

This ancient water town boasts original streets of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

About 48 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is often held up as one of the typical scenes of ancient China. It is more like a town that "lives" on water: there are 36 ancient stone bridges across the town, connecting nine streets and thousands of buildings built in the style of the Ming and Qing.

Special native products include rose-flavored fermented bean curd, fried gluten, dark-rice and pork zongzi dumplings, meat wrapped in leaves, roast soybeans, wood carving knitware, stone carvings and roast soy beans. In autumn people can also enjoy freshwater crabs from Dianshan Lake.

2. Sinan Mansion

This mansion in the former French Concession dates back to the early 1920s and has been a hub of high society since. It is the largest architectural complex in the center of Shanghai.

The area is bounded by Rue Lafayette (now Fuxing Road) in the north, Rue Massenet (Sinan Road) in the west and Avenue Dubail (South Chongqing Road) in the east. Many celebrities in the 1930s lived here, including opera star Mei Lanfang.

Most of the old buildings have been restored in the past 12 years and continue to draw luminaries from home and abroad.

3. 1933 Art Space

For Shanghai residents and visitors, this space represents the memories of a colorful past as well as a contemporary gathering space for fashionistas and performances.

The art space used to be the largest slaughterhouse in Asia in the early 1920s and was famous for its inspiring designs and architecture.

It has since been refurbished into one of the most charming sights in Shanghai. 1933 holds many art festivals, stage performances and activities. It is also the venue of choice for many newlyweds to take their wedding photos.

4. Qibao ancient town

Qibao is one of the oldest towns in Shanghai, dating back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960).

The town is crossed by two water lanes and around these stand a large number of well-preserved traditional houses, gardens, temples, shops and restaurants.

In Chinese, Qibao means "seven treasures". Legend has it that seven treasures were hidden in the town.

The town includes attractions including an old street selling tasty snacks, arts and crafts, a Cricket Hall, the Tianxiang Restaurant, Qibao Theater and Qibao temple.

Wining and dining

Besides the famous xiaolongbao meat dumplings and red-braised pork, Shanghai cuisine is also famous for its desserts. One of these is xiekehuang. The name literally means yellow crab shell because the dish is a fried flour cake shaped like a boiled crab shell. It was popular in old Shanghai's teahouses.

Those looking for a drink should go to Hengshan Road, the oldest and the biggest bar street in Shanghai.
This quiet and relaxed spot is very popular among foreigners.

Located in the former French Concession, Hengshan Road has bars, teahouses, hotels, restaurants, galleries and exquisite gifts stores.

Visa-free policy in Shanghai draws 3,800 visitors

A new policy that allows overseas passengers to stay in Shanghai for 72 hours without a visa has benefited 3,800 people since it took effect on Jan 1, tourism statistics showed on Wednesday.

Although the city's tourism administrative department considers the policy successful in luring more overseas tourists, industry professionals said the program still has room for improvement and called for more publicity about the policy.

To cement its reputation as a global tourist destination, Shanghai has allowed citizens of 45 countries to get a 72-hour visa-free stay in the city since the beginning of this year.

Before the new policy, tourists from some countries were allowed to stay in the city for 48 hours without a visa, a rule that had been in effect since January 2000.

By Tuesday, about 3,800 foreign tourists, or about 25 a day, had taken advantage of the policy, according to figures provided by the city's two airports.

“The increase (in the number of travelers) encouraged by the new policy is obvious,” Chao Xiaohui, an official from the international department of Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, told China Daily on Wednesday over the phone.

“In all of last year, only 3,000 foreign tourists were attracted to the city by the two-day visa-free policy.”

However, tourist-industry workers and professionals consider the figure to be low, especially compared with the total number of inbound travelers that Shanghai receives.

The number of overseas travelers the city has received so far this year has not been released, but official figures showed that Shanghai received about 8 million foreign tourists, or about 22,000 a day, every year in the past two years.

Wang Hongyuan, a manager of the travel agency SAL Tour who is in charge of inbound tourism, said the main reasons behind the “not-that-satisfactory result” are the failure to promote the policy globally as well as the city's tardiness in billing itself as an international transfer station.

“Shanghai is more of a terminal rather than the transfer stop for most foreign airlines,” he said, adding that the policy works only for tourists who would love to spend a few days in the transfer station of Shanghai on their way to other Asian destinations.

Li Zhongguang, director of the Institute of Industry, China Tourism Academy, said the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in East China also deterred some overseas travelers.

Jiang Yiyi, director of the China Tourism Academy's international tourism development institute, urged tourism authorities to promote the policy more actively.

“The marketing of the policy and tourism products are not strong enough,” she said. “Many of the transit tourists do not know of the benefits after their arrival.”

In contrast with Shanghai's situation, Beijing, the other city that launched the 72-hour visa-free program on Jan 1, has promoted its own policy in Europe.

Beijing travel authorities said on Wednesday that they are still calculating the number of overseas passengers that have benefited from the policy. An earlier expectation is that the new policy may bring at least 2 million more overseas visitors to the capital in 2013.

Source: By hi Yingying and Wang Zhenghua in Shanghai (China Daily)

Shanghai walking tour: The former French Concession

Foreigners in Shanghai speak of the former French Concession (前法租界) like it’s sacred ground, akin to the windy streets of Montmartre.

Ask locals and they’ll tell you that the neighborhood -- roughly bounded by Ruijin Lu to the East, Yan’an Lu to the North, Zhaojiabang Lu to the South and Huashan Lu to the West -- is quiet, tree-lined and teeming with boutiques, bars and restaurants for Shanghai’s hedonists.

Stop 1

Little Red House

Directions: The walking tour kicks off from the edge of Xujiahui Park (徐家汇公园), at the southern tip of the neighborhood.

The site: Built in 1921, this is the former headquarters of British recording label EMI, which held court until 1949, after which a government-owned music group took over.

Chen says this is where a number of then-famous Chinese singers recorded, such as Zhou Xuan (周旋) and Li Xianglan (李香兰).

The building, known colloquially as “Little Red House,” is now home to Restaurant Martin, run by three-star Spanish Michelin chef Martin Berasategui.

Restaurant Martin, 811 Hengshan Lu, near Yuqing Lu 衡山路811号, 近余庆路, +86 21 6431 6639, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., www.restaurantmartin.com.cn

Stop 2

The Normandie (武康大楼)

Directions: Walk east along Hengshan Lu, turn north on Tianping Lu and walk up toward Huaihai Zhong Lu.

The site: Designed in 1924 by Hungarian architect László Hudec, who designed several buildings around Shanghai, The Normandie is a beautifully restored, eight-story apartment building with a rich architectural history.

Chen remembers visiting his artist friends here and says, “Looking at the building is like going back to the 1930s and seeing how the Shanghainese lived then.”

1858 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Wukang Lu 淮海中路1858号, 近武康路

Stop 3

Former residence of Zhang Leping (张乐平故居)

Directions: Walk north on Wukang Lu and make a right onto Wuyuan Lu.

The site: Halfway down the block is the former home of Zhang Leping (张乐平), the lauded animator and creator of the Sanmao (“Three Hairs”) cartoon series and title character of the same name.

Zhang started drawing Sanmao in 1935 as a way to portray the Second Sino-Japanese War’s youngest victims, and Sanmao’s three hairs represent malnutrition.

The blocks surrounding Wuyuan Lu have experienced enormous growth and gentrification, especially Anfu Lu, one block north.

“I have mixed emotions about the development,” Chen says.

“I like that it’s returning Shanghai to a world city, but I hate that some of my good memories are being destroyed.

“When I was growing up, Yong Le Gong cinema was where Food Central and the neighboring stores are now. The entrance of the Dragonfly Retreat spa was once the door to the cinema. ”

House 3, 288 Wuyuan Lu, near Yongfu Lu 五原路288号3号, 近永福路

Stop 4

Children’s Palace (上海市少年宫)

Directions: Walk east on Wuyuan Lu, make a left on Wulumuqi Lu and walk north until you hit Yan’an elevated roadway.

On the north side of Yan’an, halfway down the block from Wulumuqi you’ll find the entrance to the Children’s Palace.

The site: “This is full of memories for so many Shanghainese children,” says Chen. “This is where we went to watch films, play games and learn singing, dancing and painting.

“A few years ago, I went to a fashion show there and it was such a different feeling.”

The core structure of the Children’s Palace is the former residence of Jewish entrepreneur Sir Elly Kadoorie, founder of Peninsula Hotel’s mother company, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels.

The 14,400-square-meter building was built purely with marble and is the only one of its kind in Shanghai.

64 Yan’an Xi Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu 延安西路64号, 近乌鲁木齐北路

Stop 5

Shanghai Theatre Academy (上海戏剧学院)

Directions: One block south of the Children’s Palace is the Shanghai Theatre Academy complex, a mishmash of new construction and restored buildings dating to the 1940s.

The site: “This is a famous film school and the buildings are old and beautiful,” Chen says. He suggests walking around the school grounds and “just observing the students’ lives.”

“The big, old buildings, the grass and the trees make it a very peaceful place,” Chen adds.

630 Huashan Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu 华山路630号, 近乌鲁木齐北路

Stop 6

Jinjiang Hotel (锦江饭店)

Directions: Moving south from Shanghai Theatre Academy, walk down Wulumuqi Lu toward Changle Lu and then make a right, moving east toward Maoming Lu.

Just south of Changle, on the east side of Maoming, is the Jinjiang Hotel compound.

The site: Not to be confused with the nearby New Jinjiang Hotel, which was built in 1988, Jinjiang Hotel comprises the former Cathay Mansion, a 13-story complex built by Sir Victor Sassoon.

“The original Jinjiang Hotel is in an old building from the 1930s, and the hotel has very traditional restaurants and is a favorite of the old Shanghainese,” says Chen.

“In the 1980s, if you ate dinner at the Jinjiang Hotel, you felt very proud. There are a lot of new hotels now, but in the 1980s, it was just the Jinjiang. I also used to go to the hotel to watch films.”

59 Maoming Nan Lu, near Changle Lu 茂名南路59号, 近长乐路

Stop 7

Cathay Theatre (国泰电影院)

Directions: Half a block from the Jinjiang Hotel is the Cathay Theater, the last stop on Chen’s former French Concession walking tour.

The site: The theater opened in 1932 and was owned by Victor Sassoon, who also owned the Peace Hotel.

“It’s a beautiful theater, very art deco,” Chen says. “It's a favorite of famous Shanghainese author Eileen Chang (张爱玲), who’s written about it in her works.”

Chang is best known for her novel "Lust, Caution," which was turned into an award-winning and highly erotic

film by Ang Lee (李安) in 2007. Like The Normandie and Shanghai Theater Academy’s older buildings, the Cathay Theatre has been restored.

“I do think a lot of the places in the former French Concession have been protected very well, especially when compared to Beijing, where the hutongs have been absolutely destroyed," says Chen.

“Because foreigners like this place, the government protects it, and I think that’s OK.”

870 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu 淮海中路870号, 近茂名南路

Source: CNN Go By Sophie Friedman

The perfect trip to China

Prepare for an epic journey through a land where modern, towering cities stand in stark relief to rural landscapes. Oliver Berry of Lonely Planet Traveller magazine takes a tour of China’s highlights. Photographs
by Mark Read.

Beijing: best for history

Dusk is falling over the Forbidden City, the former imperial residence, and the last crowds of the day are filtering out through the gateways. The palace, spotlit by the evening sun, is painted in earthy tones: deep pinks, stone greys, cinnamon browns. Sprawling across 180 acres of downtown Beijing, this vast palace served as the symbolic and political centre of the Chinese world for more than five centuries. Built under the reign of Chengzu, it was designed to project the might and majesty of the Chinese emperor. Between 1420 and 1924, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here in near-total seclusion, and commanding an almost divine power over their subjects.

These days it’s China’s most popular sight and attracts enormous crowds – but even among the throngs, it’s still possible to find secluded corners: tumbledown temples, secret galleries, forgotten chambers, quiet squares. It’s a place of ancient codes and secret symbols. The Forbidden City is also a reminder of a much older Beijing, which long predates the city’s skyscrapers, ring roads and office blocks.

Jiankou: best for the Great Wall

High above the forest canopy, a ribbon of watchtowers and battlements snakes out across the rippled hills, its contours traced out against a fuchsia sky. Stretching for around 5500 miles along China’s wild frontiers, the Great Wall is a potent symbol of the colossal power and iron will once wielded by the Chinese empire.

This vast manmade barrier might not be visible from space, as is often claimed, but it is truly one of the great wonders of the ancient world.

In fact, there isn’t really one Great Wall at all, but many. It consists of numerous sections, built and modified by successive military commanders over the course of more than 2000 years. Some parts are little more than pounded earth, mud and timber. Others, such as the Jiankou section, bristle with ramparts, forts and guard towers, often given elaborate names such as The Eagle Flies Facing Upward, Heaven’s Ladder or the Nine-Eye Tower.

Shanghai: best for architecture

If anywhere symbolises China’s superpower future, it’s Shanghai. Wired by fibre-optics, intersected by neon-lit freeways and bathed in a permanent sodium glow, it’s the archetypal modern metropolis: faster, richer, brasher and busier than any other city in China.

Twenty years ago, the city would barely have scraped into the top 50 in the world skyscraper league, but it’s now at number four – surpassed only by Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo – and rising fast. On the east bank of the River Huangpu, in the high-rise district of Pudong, the pace of change in Shanghai really shifts into focus. In 1990, this was still farm land, carpeted with rice paddies, cornfields, warehouses and boat stores. Two decades later, it’s the city’s priciest patch of real estate, home to the main financial district, the stock exchange and Shanghai’s tallest cluster of skyscrapers, including the gaudy Oriental Pearl Tower, the Gothamesque Jinmao Tower, the soaring Shanghai World Financial Centre and the Shanghai Tower, which will be the world’s second-highest building, at 632m, when it’s due to be completed in 2014.

Longsheng: best for rice terraces

Rice isn’t just a staple in China – it’s the stuff of life. Beyond the big cities, in the flatlands that cover much of the country’s interior, every inch of available earth is given over to its cultivation, and the landscape’s colours shift according to the rice season – acid green when the shoots are young, deep jade when the crop is mature, and tawny brown following the annual harvest.

High in the mountains of northern Guangxi stretches the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, a vast network stacked across the hillsides like the tiers of a wedding cake. Cultivated for more than eight centuries, the rice terraces cover 16 acres and range in altitude from 300m to 1100m.

Yangshuo: best for river scenery

A spiky patchwork of peaks, plains, creeks and canyons, Yangshuo is where China’s city dwellers go when they want to experience the great outdoors. Stretching along the banks of the Yulong and Li rivers, this rural county is home to some of the country’s most famous landscapes – they even feature on the back of the 20 yuan note. Strewn with karst pillars, rural villages and riverside trails, it offers a glimpse of an agrarian past that feels a world away from the clamour of China’s traffic-choked cities.

Before the advent of motorways and high-speed trains, the rivers were often the only means of transportation in rural China and, even now, traditional bamboo rafts are still a common sight along the riverbanks – although these days, they’re more likely to be transporting tourists than trade goods.

Some of the old river ways endure. Cormorant fishing is one such custom – fishermen train the cormorants using loops of throat twine, which allow the birds to guzzle smaller fish but prevent them from eating the larger ones. As recently as the 1950s, there were as many as 500 cormorant fishermen working on the Li River, but now only a handful remain, mainly to stage shows for visitors.

Source: Lonely Planet by Oliver Berry

Shanghai sees tourist peak on 1st day of Spring Festival

Tourists swarm the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, February 10, 2013.


Tourists swarm the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, February 10, 2013.


Tourists swarm the Bund in Shanghai February 10, 2013. Shanghai saw a tourist peak on Sunday, the first day of the 2013 Spring Festival holiday. The city is estimated to receive more than three million tourists during the week-long holiday. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

Shanghai cancels annual lantern festival activity after fatal stampede

(Shanghai Daily) The Lantern Festival at Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden in Huangpu District has been canceled in the wake of the Bund tragedy on New Year’s Eve that left 36 people dead and 49 injured.

The 18-day celebration was due to begin on February 19, the Lunar New Year.

Wu Cheng, the district’s deputy director, said the cancelation should be widely publicized, but security and strict fire prevention measures would remain in place.

Many thousands gathered at the Bund to welcome in the new year not knowing that the light show that had been staged since 2011 had been canceled.

Wu ordered the Lantern Festival cancelation during a visit to the Huangpu Tourism Bureau yesterday to discuss preparations for the Lunar New Year.

The 20th Lantern Festival was held at Yuyuan Garden last year.

Listed as intangible cultural heritage, the display covering about 5.3 hectares features giant hand-made lanterns in the shape of Chinese zodiac signs, pavilions and mythological figures as well as lantern riddles.

Different lantern groups bear auspicious blessings for the new year.

In addition to carrying lanterns, watching shows and guessing lantern riddles, visitors enjoy sweet rice dumplings, buns and other snacks.

About 600,000 people packed the garden on the night of Lantern Festival on February 14 last year, and more than 1.5 million people attended the display between February 22 and 24 in 2013, when the Lantern Festival fell on February 24.

During the seven-day Spring Festival holiday in 2013, more than 3 million people visited the show, making it one of the busiest places for visitors in the east China region.

Festival organizers charged 50 yuan (US$8) admission to control the crowds and used fences on the zigzag bridge to maintain order. Long queues formed at snack stores.

The festival is regarded as an important cultural event displaying Shanghai customs and folk culture and the cancelation will be a disappointment for many.

“The show bears a piece of warm memory for me as my grandmother took me there when I was a child, and I still remembered how beautiful the lanterns were, which was a fun experience for me,” said Ye Jiaqi, a white-collar worker in her early 20s.

“I hope it could be kept as it is a festival option,” she said.

In online comments, some said the cancelation was an overreaction. “What is needed is to enhance safety and eliminate hazards rather than blocking it, which is rude and simple, and tradition should be maintained,” was one comment.

Others praised a “wise decision.” “There were too many people packing the area, and such measure is a wise decision,” one said.

A smaller Lantern Festival celebration at Guyi Garden in Jiading District has already been canceled for “safety reasons.”

Meanwhile, another of the people injured on the Bund on New Year’s Eve was allowed home yesterday. Thirteen people now remain in hospital, two of whom are said to be in a serious condition, while another remains critical, the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission said.

Police are still investigating the cause of the tragedy.

Source: Shanghai Daily

Shanghai to offer duty-free shopping

(China Daily) Shanghai is expected to become the first Chinese mainland city to introduce duty-free shopping in the near future.

The municipal finance bureau said at a regular meeting this week that it has started preparation work on selecting suitable tax refund agencies and designated shops.

The local finance authority is holding a consultation process on a possible implementation period, which people might be eligible to use the stores, the likely tax refunds to be offered, and which items might be applicable, before seeking the central government approval to launch the system.

Duty-free shopping is already available in some stores in the island province of Hainan. Foreign tourists and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have been on the Chinese mainland for no longer than 183 days are eligible for an 11 percent rebate on any purchase of 800 yuan ($129) and above. Industry insiders think the minimum amount might be 500 yuan in Shanghai.

New guidelines on reform and development of the tourism industry released by the State Council in August highlighted how overseas tourists had said in surveys that duty-free shopping would increase the appeal of China as a shopping destination.

The central government has said it is keen to promote the policy to cities and provinces across the country that meet the requirements, and it hopes to come out with detailed regulations by the end of this year.

Disneyland in Shanghai is expected to receive its first visitors in the second half of 2015, and experts say a tax-free policy at sites in the city would add to its appeal for tourists.

Ding Haozhou, chief executive officer of the Shanghai-based Zonfa Commercial Management Group and a leading retail industry expert, said along with the benefits already offered by the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, duty-free shopping would prove a real boon.

"The introduction of such a policy reflects the government's attempt to raise high-end consumption in China, rather than seeing that kind of spending being made overseas, especially since the central government's crackdown on corruption and extravagance," he said.

According to Global Blue, one of the duty-free shopping providers, Chinese overseas shoppers have been the world's biggest spenders for the past six consecutive years, splashing out 815 euros ($1,012) per transaction on average. Last year alone, Chinese consumers accounted for 27 percent of all tax-refund claims made to Global Blue.

Statistics from the Shanghai municipal commerce commission show that the city currently attracts 130 million tourists a year, 7 million of whom are from overseas. Annual tourist spending in the city is estimated at 700 billion yuan, of which 40 billion yuan is spent on high-end products such as jewelry and leather goods.

The most likely products to receive tax-free status are cosmetics, clothing, shoes and wine, said Ding, not exactly the most popular items for overseas tourists, suggesting the move is more targeted at domestic consumers.

Source: By Shi Jing (China Daily)

Details of Shanghai Disney Resort disclosed

(Xinhua) Shanghai Disney Resort disclosed new details on Thursday evening, including an 800-room hotel that will be the world's first to be themed on the American animation Toy Story.

Another hotel, the 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, will be inspired by Art Nouveau with a touch of Disney imagination, according to a press release.

In addition, the resort's lakeside Disneytown will include a shopping, dining and entertainment district that covers 46,000 square meters.

The Spice Alley will provide a variety of Asian cuisine, while the Walt Disney Grand Theater will host the global premiere of the Mandarin version of the Lion King.

"The Shanghai Disney Resort will [...] offer the same spirit of 'shared family entertainment' that Walt Disney first introduced nearly 60 years ago," said Philippe Gas, Shanghai Disney Resort General Manager.

The Shanghai Disney Resort is Disney's sixth resort destination worldwide. Construction began in 2011 in the Pudong New District, and it is slated for opening by the end of next year.

At 3.9 square kilometers, the size of 56 football fields, it will be the first Disney park on the Chinese mainland.

Apart from the "Treasure Cove", the first Pirates-themed land in any Disney park, Shanghai Disneyland will also feature many Chinese elements, like the "Garden of 12 Friends", based on the 12 animal signs of Chinese horoscope.

Source: xinhua via china daily

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Liwan District, Guangzhou, is one of the busiest commercial pedestrian streets in China. Located in the old town of Xiguan, the 1,218-meter-long street is lined with more than 300 shops. The street is also a mixed showcase of architecture, cuisine and folk customs. Its architecture features the characteristics of south European and Cantonese style, being both functional and aesthetically pleasing

Source: china.org