Day 8 - Pearl TV Tower, Yu Gardens, Night Cruise

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A big day for sight-seeing. First up was a visit to the Pearl TV Tower which I had seen photos of. It always struck me as something from Flash Gordon, like a 1930s view of the future. Superfast lift to the viewing platform and we had a great 360 degree panoramic view of Shanghai. The new Shanghai World Financial Center is almost next door and will be China's tallest building. The area that the tower is in is called Pudong and before 1991 was a no go slum area. When the Chinese Government declared it a special economic zone, international investors came in and now Pudong is one of if not the most modern areas in China. Also before 1991 you could only get there by ferry and now there are many bridges and tunnels connecting this new financial centre with Shanghai proper.

We then visited the famous Yuyuan Gardens which were very picturesque. Many of the buildings have been restored as the gardens suffered damage from the Opium War of the 19th century. I took many photos here and it was hard to take a bad shot.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/yuyuan_garden.htm

The area is also a shopping mecca, with lots of Chinese arts and crafts, tea and coffee houses etc. We had lunch here before heading off to the the Huangpu River and The Bund, which is famous for its historic colonial buildings. At dusk we boarded a boat for the evening river cruise which I would also recommend. The lights on the Bund and Pudong areas are spectacular. A couple of the buildings even display videos. I should also mention the video bill boards and video barges on the river.

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