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Mike Yardley: Riverside essentials in Shanghai

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Wed, 4 May 2016, 1:36PM

Mike Yardley: Riverside essentials in Shanghai

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Wed, 4 May 2016, 1:36PM

Shanghai is hurtling into the future with an aesthetic assertiveness few cities can match. While generous pockets of Puxi, the west bank of the Huangpu River, are preserved for posterity, the glittering, cloud-piercing skyscrapers of Pudong, on the east bank, symbolise China’s highway to tomorrow.  Galloping through the heart of these starkly contrasting cityscapes is the mighty Huangpu River, the city’s frenetic main artery, which first heaved with the world’s traders, over a century ago.

The first wow-factor landmark to transform Pudong from farmland to financial mecca, was the Oriental Pearl Tower.  It is still a compelling spectacle. To me, it looks like a giant grasshopper that has ingested a couple of ping pong balls, but it was designed to resemble a sequence of pearls dropping onto a jade plate. At the tower’s base, drop by the Shanghai Urban History Museum for a full-tilt sensory experience that walks you through the rise and rise of this mega-city from its trading roots in the 19th century. Back across in Puxi, the western riverbank, The Bund, slays me, every time.

Following the first Opium War in 1842, this 1km-long riverside sweep was developed as the International Settlement. Flanked by dozens of grand buildings, in a variety of architectural styles spanning Gothic to Art Deco, they’re like totems to a bygone age. As the first crack of light heralds the break of dawn, take a walk along the Bund and snatch a sample of its peaceful spirit at sunrise. The only other people you will see will be the early-rising locals doing tai chi or flying a kite. As the sun pops its head up, the Bund’s sweep of stone buildings momentarily glows in a warm, honeyed hue. It’s magical to capture.

Paris may have the Champs-Elysees, but only Shanghai has the Bund. And the best way to capture the essence of its enduring mystique, is to frequent its finest hospitality haunts.  Start your hospitality-hopping at No.3 on the Bund, Mercato, which is the talk of the city. This Italian restaurant is decked out in reclaimed wood and leather, and the wood-fired pizzas and creative seafood dishes are supreme. The Fairmont Peace Hotel rekindles its “roaring Shanghai” heritage, in the Jazz Bar. The 1920s-inspired watering hole is just the spot to sip on an oak-matured whisky while watching veteran musicians take to the stage.

In a similar vein, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel is built on the site of the former Shanghai Club, famed for its Long Bar which boasted the longest bar counter in Asia, back in 1910. Frequented by the world’s most powerful traders, the Long Bar has been splendidly recreated, with every element of the bar and atmospheric wall panelling meticulously reproduced. I highly recommend the Zaza cocktail. But for unsurpassed glamour, you can’t beat Sir Elly’s Bar & Terrace, which adorns the roof of The Peninsula. This is the only hotel that delivers an unblemished vista of The Bund’s full curve, creating a celestial view at night, as you savour a cocktail or two, outdoors. High above The Bund, it could be anytime. But it couldn’t be any place.

The Peninsula Hotel offers a great selection of promotions and seasonal specials to give your Shanghai holiday that magic touch, at affordable prices. The Rolls Royce limo airport transfer is an irresistible add-on, to add some glam to a Shanghai stopover. Check out the latest hotel deals at www.peninsula.com

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