Shanghai is China's largest city with about 23 million residents. Although it is considered the engine room of the Chinese economy, this is no dry destination. In the past, the river Huangpu, which divides Shanghai into east (Pudong) and west (Puxi) was centre of the opium trade and its nickname was "whore of the Orient".
Pudong is the ultra-modern financial hub. The Pearl TV Tower stands 468 metres high and double-decker elevators whiz up at seven metres per second. Puxi boasts the Bund riverfront park, more than 50 beautiful buildings in different architectural styles, Yu Yuan Garden and swanky shops including Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.
If your yuan doesn't stretch to haute couture, the Lu Jia Bang Road market has tailors in residence who will run you up a new wardrobe in a couple of days.
Shanghai is the only Chinese city with two international airports - Pudong and Hongqiao. Pudong International is the airport at which most (about 60 per cent) of the increasingly cheap flights to Shanghai arrive, while Hongqiao handles the remainder. International flights to Shanghai arrive from London and other world cities and there are domestic flights to Beijing, Guangzhou and other cities around China.
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