I have so many favorite places in Shanghai to visit every time and then Shanghai razes another city block, erects giant skyscrapers and I can no longer find the old favorites. NOTE: Almost every guidebook, map or local information you may read is outdated as soon as it is printed! Entire city blocks change overnight. China has the manpower to bring 3,000 construction workers in from the country, build temporary housing for them, and then erect a new giant skyscraper within 4-6 months. All the information below is from a local:

- China is expected to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy in 10 years. (No kidding…as if a deaf, dumb, blind person couldn’t figure that out.)

- A fifth of China’s exports pass through Shanghai.

- China produces and consumes one-third of the world’s steel. Every city visited this trip, including the countryside appears to be just one huge crane city.

Shanghai then…

Shanghai now…
When I think back on our first trip to Chine in 1989 when no one was allowed to walk around without the group, or shop, or find a restaurant (not that it mattered since the food was awful) and compare it to 2008. Well, there are no words..

Today, we walked over to Xintiandi first. Xintiandi was once an area of unique Shikumen (“stone gate”) houses and instead of razing the entire area, developers seriously rehabbed the houses. Ripped out all the insides and rebuilt some using the same bricks and materials. It’s now a gorgeous major dining, shopping, pub complex with 30-minutes free internet use in its Tourist Information Office. We always walk through to see what’s going on and pick up new free information leaflets in the office.

Up-to-date on e-mails, it’s a short distance to Dongtai Lu, one of the few remaining old areas in Shanghai. We’ve bought many an “antique” in Dongtai Lu with its three blocks of stalls running east and west selling all kinds of “stuff.” Once you’ve walked up and down either side of the streets, there are still shops behind the stalls to go through. It’s exhausting trying to decide if this is the perfect accent piece for your home or you. Bargain very hard. (Watch video above…)

along one of the old streets in Shanghai, China
Pineapple was in season and street sellers would take the entire pineapple, trim into a spiral and insert a stick in it. Buyers would walk away eating the entire pineapple like a lollipop. My other favorite was to stop and watch the fascinating dumpling cooks along the way.

cutting a spiral pineapple in Shanghai, China 

typical Shanghai Xiaolongbao dumplings
No matter how many miles we walked each day, there was always something new and different along with those visited in the past places. So…we kept on going…

a Shanghai map sectionDiscount Flights – Find Discounted Airline Flights at CheapOair. Save Big on All Airlines.