Shanghai is crowded, loud, grey, and ugly. It's a lot like
New York: very
trend-conscious, busy busy busy, everyone rushing everywhere, no time to look you
in the eye or have a friendly
conversation. Sometimes even Northern
Chinese don't get far in the
shops if they don't speak
Shanghai dialect. That said, the
weird Old World European flavor of
The Bund is oddly appealing. Shanghai has always been
China's most
metropolitan city, and so it's popular with a lot of
foreigners. Maybe that's why
Chengdu is my favorite city in China. Oh well, I have a Shanghai
Hard Rock Cafe shirt anyway.
:p
Okay, let me modify my opinion somewhat. Every day I was in Shanghai, it was
hot,
grey and
drizzly. If I come back to Shanghai in the
sun, maybe I'll feel differently. I did feel that it has a lot of the worst
traits of Chinese and
European mega-cities put together, but that combination is what most people
love about the place. (Though a lot of Chinese strongly prefer either the North or the South...) And for the record, we just ventured into the
HRC because it was right across from our
hotel (the JC
Mandarin) long enough to get a couple
t-shirts--the entrance was full of
hookers and
trendoid Chinese/
tourists.
Anyway, if you go to China, you certainly shouldn't miss Shanghai. Lots of the more recent
history of China there, and a truly unique feel to the place. Just don't let it be your only experience with China, just as
Tokyo shouldn't be your only impression of
Japan.