The last stop on our China vacation was the city of Shanghai. After an increasing amount of Chinese culture in each of the cities we had visited to this point (Beijing, Xi’An, Chengdu, Leshan), we expected the trend to continue. This, however, was not the case. Shanghai is actually a very international city, and nothing like the seedy days of its past. No worries of being “Shanghaied” here anymore! We actually saw more tourists in this city than the rest of our trip combined.

Shanghai at night

Across the river from downtown Shanghai

Admiring the pretty flowers near downtown Shanghai

Foggy Shanghai during the day

Perhaps the reason all these tourists come to Shanghai is to view the city skyline. Day or night, it is incredible, and there is no shortage of places to catch the view. There are numerous restaurants and bars across the river from downtown that offer awesome views.

Nanjing Road

Mrs. Jessetter in heaven on Nanjing Road

Shopping in Old Town Shanghai

Let’s be real though, while some people come here for the view, most come for the shopping. If price is not really a concern, than Nanjing Road is the place to be. This street is lined with all the contemporary brands, and at night you can enjoy a sensory overload-level of neon lights! If you are looking for some deals though definitely head to Old Town. Mrs. Jessetter and I did pretty much all our souvenir shopping here.

The Jade Buddha Temple

Golden Buddhas

One of the Jade Buddhas

Cool statue at the Jade Buddha Temple

Yuyuan Garden

Selfie time in the garden

Silk carpet factory

Our stay in Shanghai was only a couple days, but we definitely squeezed a lot of activities into it. Besides the skyline and shopping, two places of recommendation are the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yuyuan Gardens. Neither takes very long to visit, but both offer some neat statues and architecture. We also visited a silk factory that made amazing oriental rugs. That was cool if you are into that sort of thing.

The last night of our trip ended with us attending a Shanghai acrobat show (no pictures allowed)! It was pretty much a poor man’s Cirque de Soleil, but fun nonetheless. There were jugglers, feats of strength, and balancing acts. The best part was the six motorcyclists that crammed into a circular steel cage of death and drove around at high speeds. It didn’t look safe whatsoever, but there were no injuries so it was a success!

Bamboo garden

More statues in Shanghai

This door probably leads to more shopping

While I did enjoy my time in Shanghai it is not very high on my list of cities to revisit – unless I win the lottery so I drop a ton of cash at all the expensive stores, restaurants, and bars throughout the city!