Late last year, the marketing department of http://www.accesschinatravel.com went to Shanghai for a tourism expo. When the expo was finished, we went out for a tour on our own. I personally went out every night on my own for a little local culture. As anyone who knows me knows, that means tea!Every evening, as my coworkers went out for dinner, I headed straight for the Yuyuan Market. Located outside of, and named for the Yuyuan Garden, the market is a favorite haunt of locals and visitors alike. It offers something for everybody and its architecture is in the traditional Shanghai style, making it a fun experience.
There are local shows and things always going on. There are a lot of restaurants, but the place I always go to is one of the Xiaolongbao restaurants. Xiaolongbao are wonderful. They are dough wrappers filled with crab meat and roe. A lot of people call them "soup dumplings" in English. The place I visit is the oldest one and the most famous in Shanghai. It is located next to the Huxinting Teahouse. They have a restaurant, but most locals do not go to the restaurant, what they do instead is go to the window located on the ground floor and buy them to go. They then either sit down nearby to eat them, or eat them while strolling around.
I then headed straight to Huxinting Teahouse, the oldest teahouse in Shanghai. It is located outside of the Yuyuan Garden. The teahouse used to be part of the Yuyuan Garden, but is now located outside of it. It is named Huxinting translates literally as "Lake Heart Pavilion". It is a very poetic name in Chinese and it means a pavilion located in the heart of a lake. It was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (r.1735-1796). It is a beautiful example of traditional Chinese pavilion architecture and is located in the middle of a pond. The teahouse is accessed via a bridge. It has two floors and sells a large variety of good teas. 
The price of the teas isn't too painful either. During the day, Huxinting is packed, but in the evening, it is virtually empty, and it, in my opinion is the best time to visit it. It is quiet, the surrounding market is lit up beautifully, and one can sit, sip tea, and people watch. If you visit Shanghai, I would highly recommend making a trip to it in the evening. It is a great way to experience Shanghai's culture the way the locals do. 
Our last day in Shanghai we were free to explore Shanghai and we wanted to visit some of the sites we have on our most popular itineraries, to get more first-hand experience and some new photos. The first site we visited was the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. That is a great place. It shows Shanghai’s history, present, and future plans. It really is a great way to get a feel for the city’s layout, and pulse. Its displays are marked in English and Chinese, and are very well done. Some are interactive, and there are many models. You can see how the city has become the metropolis it is and it also shows the future plans the city has for itself. The highlight of the 
visit is the gigantic scale model of the city that occupies an entire floor. It is constantly updated and each building is shown. They all have lighting and periodically, the lights in the room dim and the buildings and streetlights light up showing Shanghai at night. It is really impressive. 
We then visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The tower is the symbol of Shanghai and until recently was the tallest tower in Asia. Its unique design is very cool and it allows visitors to get a bird’s eye view of the city, The Bund, and the Huangpu River. The tower has three large spheres, which contain observation areas, and a revolving restaurant. The middle sphere has a walkway with a glass floor which is really cool! It is definitely not for those with a fear of heights. Shanghai looks really cool from such a height. 
In the base of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the Shanghai History Museum. I truly love this museum. It shows Shanghai’s history in a unique way. Visitors begin by entering the countryside outside ancient Shanghai by passing a full size farm house reproduction, filled with antiques and a wax statue of a woman grinding soybeans for tofu. As you progress, you pass by different buildings, all full scale, and all filled with antiques as though they were frozen in time. You eventually enter Shanghai itself and see the shops, bars, and teahouses of old Shanghai. The museum lets you really see old Shanghai in a way no other museum could. You walk down reproduced streets with signs, street lights, and cobblestone paving.
We then went to the Yuyuan Garden. The garden is the only remaining ancient garden in Shanghai and is my favorite garden in China. Its layout is truly spectacular. It is labyrinthine and there is a new surprise around each turn. You might come across a pond surrounded by rockeries and pavilions, or a mountain range filled with caves and passages, or a huge stage area designed for local Kun Opera. The architecture and rockeries are some of the best in China.We loved visiting Shanghai! It is a spectacular city and has such a unique heartbeat to rival any in the world. Its sites, food, and people are unforgettable and make you want to never leave. I can’t wait to go back again.
To see more photos of our Shanghai Trip, visit our Flicker Photo Albums:
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