I went to China in '06 with a karate group from the USA; 500 of us. We landed in Shanghai and ended up in Bejing, where we flew out of & back to the USA; a 10 day trip. I had one of thee best times and ex-
periences of my whole life. Saw the Great Wall, worked out with the Sholin Monks at that 2000 yr. old temple.. I cannot think of one single thing to complain of. It is so vastly different from western culture in sight, sound, all of the above, that I just ate it all up like nothing I'd ever tasted before. Then driving back from LAX to home in San Diego, after the trip, windows down, summer breezes blowing in my little sports car, on the toll road... I felt SO grateful and "thanked God" in a loud and happy shout that the first time I ever left this continent.. I landed in China. And with tears of happiness but combined with a gratitude that I do live in the US of A.
I met a lovely tour guide that was with us that I am only sorry now I did not get her address so we could correspond. She had some advanced degree in one of the sciences and because of the fact she was "so smart".. was ALLOWED to take on a different vocation if she wished. And she did so with much lower pay because she found she was more interested in people and the English language and culture. And her command of the English language was impressive; right on.
I write, "allowed" because China, is a communist country. For her to come visit this country would almost be insummountable in red tape literally and figuritively. This is not a political comment on my part right or wrong, however, an observation. She was an obedient
citizen of China, her country. Still.. we could of corresponded. My only regret of visiting China.
My karate group is going again in '09. I am afraid but with good humor.. that I shall "have to" go back to China, again, despite the small amt. to get there and back. The experience of China, to me. is
to be fully appreciated unless one has a shallow soul. And I'm sure
Buddha, himself, would concur in a similar quote himself.

how i wish I could visit shanghai one of this days. it would be a great experience to visit other places to learn the culture of other asian countries. I like to learn from others what we dont have in our native land.

am planning to visit shanghai with my husband comes march 2008 hope we could see the wonders of the place in 3 days thanks for the tips

Hi. Just a word about the taxi drivers. You say, "Have the Chinese name of everything written to hand to a cab driver. Even the English street names will not be familiar with a taxi driver. Also, do not assume they know the major areas or hotels. All of our taxi drivers did not know "Westin" or even "The Bund" which is the center of the city." A few pointers here.
1. Whoever assumes that people speak English wherever they go is wrong
2. They may know more places than you think, only in Chinese, so make an effort, look up the word for "Bund" in your guide and you'll see the radiant smile on the taxi driver's face when you make a tiny effort saying "Wai-tan" (The Bund in Chinese)
3. Taxi drivers are called "shifu" by customers ("master") because they drive often for 15hrs in a row, have to know all of a 20-million-inhabitants' city's street names and crossroads, and have to deal with foreigners thinking they get the same kind of service they get in their home countries everywhere else in the world.
So give them a break. Also, compared to the rest of China, Shanghai's taxi drivers are by far the best and most reliable people I've met in this line of business.
Shanghai rules!

Beside the city itself, try a day trip to the outskirt of city, an 1 hr to 2 hr ride can take as far as Suzhou but not that far. There are lot of historic towns along the way which sit on 2 sides of the river, as describe as "Venice of the east".U can hop onto one of the river taxi with reasonable price for an never before experience and shop along the alley. The cruise along the Huangpu Jiang is truly disappointing with half the trip in total darkness (nothing to see), but what can u expect, u are already there, so must well go for it.

oh,So many foreign friends want to come to our country,welcome!

I'm planning a trip to Shanghai by June 2008 with my wife and 3 sons. My sons age are 12, 6 and 2. What are things to do in Shanghai for children at that age group? Please advise.

Walking on the Bund along the river front is nice. However, taking the river criuse is kind of disappointing. The area with the lights is only less than half of the total trip. Other parts are dark. Neon lights along the harbor in Hong Kong is a lot more exciting than Shanghai.

I plan to visit shanghai on May 21 together with my husband and 11 yr old daughter, so thanks for all these tips.