16 Alternative and Unique Things To Do in Shanghai

Planning a trip to Shanghai? Book one of the city’s many tours, activities and experiences ahead of time.

There are numerous climbing spots in Shanghai, but the West Bund Climbing Wall in Xuhui district is unique in that it’s free and in an open space (two rarities in the city today). This is one for the brave, as there are no lockers or changing rooms and no equipment provided. You just turn up and climb. Even if you don’t want to give climbing a go, it’s still a relaxing spot to pack a picnic, watch others conquer the wall and take in the riverside views in a trendy part of town.

Shanghai’s Art Deco scene played no small part in the international popularity the city enjoyed during the 1920s and ’30s. As part of an economic partnership in 1929, Chinese nationalists designed the Greater Shanghai Plan: a Chinese Art Deco ‘city’. Buildings inside this site once included a library, gymnasium, city hall and even government headquarters. It was abandoned during Japanese intervention in the Second World War and was sadly never completed. Today, you can book a walking tour to discover the remarkable history of this eerie relic, located in the Baoshan district of northern Shanghai.

Once the largest slaughterhouse in Shanghai, today the 1933 Old Millfun is renowned for its ‘Gotham-Deco’ architectural style. It’s a maze of brutalist architecture: set over five storeys, there are 26 freestanding ‘bridges’, a zigzag of ramps and asymmetric staircases, and even concrete latticed windows. Popular with creative types today, it is filled with offbeat cafés, galleries and studios. You could easily spend the better part of an afternoon taking in this magnificent, poured-concrete structure.

The Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland hotel has got as many things going for it as its name has syllables. Built into the side of a decommissioned quarry, the hotel is the world’s first ‘groundscraper’. Fifteen storeys stretch 88 metres below ground level, and two storeys are above ground. This is one to blow the budget on: rooms include marble-topped bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes and stunning views overlooking the bejewelled quarry. There are even glass-walled aquariums in the suites. Guests receive full use of an indoor swimming pool, and there are two bars and lounges, with one including an aquarium sea life wall. If you really want to push the boat – or car, more aptly – out, they also offer a private limousine service.

The Old Jewish Ghetto, or Shanghai Ghetto, covers just one square mile in the Hongkou district. During the Second World War, roughly 20,000 Jewish refugees were based here in cramped conditions. As you wind your way down the narrow lanes, keep an eye out for metal Star of Davids on some of the front doors, even if the establishments have changed since. One of the original synagogues was converted into the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, which is a good place to start your journey around the area.

Guilin Park is one of a kind. It’s slightly smaller than Shanghai’s other parks, but there’s still plenty to take in, from quiet waterways to opera rehearsals. At the centre of it all is a collection of caged birds. Once a year in spring, their owners take part in a bird-singing competition, where they’re judged on song length, tonal changes and volume (yes, really). This tradition dates all the way back to the Qing dynasty and isn’t one to be missed. Catch the owners training their green and brown birds here year-round for a glimpse into an ancient pastime.

Squeezed between the mainland and Congming Island, Changxing Island and Hengsha Island Wetland (its smaller island counterpart) allow you to enjoy a slower pace and appreciate the surrounding nature and wildlife. Either take the bus from the Science and Technology Museum (takes 20 minutes) or, alternatively, ferries from Wusong take just under half an hour. This is somewhere to embrace slow travel in Shanghai, so arrive early in the morning, hire a bike and take in the area as you cycle along the wide, largely empty roads. It’s also known as ‘orange town’, as it’s said that over 1.75 million kilograms of oranges are produced here annually.

Not long ago in China, all marriages were arranged. Although the country has mostly discarded such traditions in the race towards modernity, this one keeps hanging on, if only by a thread. One of the last remaining vestiges of arranged marriage in Shanghai can be witnessed every weekend from 12-5pm at the People’s Square Marriage Market. Parents line up marriage resumes of their children attached to umbrellas. Big ticket items include salary and property ownership. You can go to the market to simply observe the goings-on, or take part in it yourself as long as you are respectful of the fact that for many of the families involved, this is the children’s last chance at marriage before being written off as “leftover” men and women.

Gongqing Forest Park may be Shanghai’s second largest park, but it somehow gets little attention from travelers and expats, perhaps because of its somewhat-remote location in Yangpu district. Sure, getting there requires a bit of a trek, but once you’re there, you can easily spend an entire day enjoying the tall trees and wide open spaces, as well as the endless activities. Enjoy everything from go karts to a roller coaster, paddle boats to paintball. The park seems to stretch for miles, with a unique activity at every stop. It costs RMB15 ($2) to enter the park, and most activities start at RMB25 ($3.50).

At the intersection of downtown Shanghai’s two busiest highways is a curious sight: a gaudy, glittering pillar adorned with dragons. It’s easy to pass by without a second look, and the pillar is certainly not a point of interest in the same way as everything else on this list. However, for the discerning traveler, this pillar, with its incredible story, can be one of the lasting memories you leave Shanghai with. Legend has it that the ground at the point of the pillar was impossible to dig, so impossible that the highway construction workers visited a Buddhist priest for guidance. The priest revealed that beneath the stubborn earth was a dragon’s lair, and the dragon wouldn’t move until the workers honored it. The city commissioned the pillar, and construction crews finally broke the earth. Make sure to stop by long enough to snap a picture and pay your respects to the dragon who really hates urban development.

Shanghai’s outer districts get no love from tourists, but with an extensive public transport network, there’s no excuse for missing out on the hidden gems they have to offer. Shanghai proper may have been little more than a fishing village until the 19th century, but nearby Jiading was a thriving town as early as the Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Today, Jiading has been absorbed by Shanghai to become its northwest-most district and is characterized by factories and industry. Yet its historic charm remains. Located at the end of the southern fork of metro line 11, you will find one of the best-preserved Confucian temples in the country. Surrounding it are a museum, pagoda, canals, and parks. This uncrowded area is the perfect place to spend a day.

Previously accessible only by ferry, Chongming Island off the northeast coast of Shanghai feels like a separate world, and it’s only an hour’s bus ride from downtown. Chongming is the third largest island in China and contains a national forest, protected wetlands, migratory bird sanctuaries, eco-farms, and one of only three Confucian temples in Shanghai. And that’s just the beginning. Depending on when you go, you may get to celebrate one of Chongming’s unique annual festivals with the locals, festivals like the Chongming Hairy Crab Festival, the Mingzhu Lake Cup Fishing Competition, the Qianwei Autumn Ecological and Cultural Festival, the Chongming Cook Stove Painting Festival, and even a national cricket fighting tournament.

Once nothing more than an industrial area devoted to airplane manufacture, Shanghai’s West Bund is now the city’s best alternative to the congested historic Bund. In an effort to turn the West Bund into an arts and cultural hub that rivals London’s South Bank, the city government has encouraged the rapid establishment of art museums and galleries along this lively waterfront. Among the picnickers and skateboarders are now the hippest artsy types who come here for the Long Museum, Yuz Museum, and other up and coming creative venues that will turn anyone into an art critic.

Brick and mortar shopping may be dying in the west, but it is not going down without a fight in China. If you find yourself marveling at a fancy-looking building in Shanghai, chances are it’s a mall. There are malls for everyday shopping, malls for upscale shopping. There’s a mall that specializes in board game cafes and another that houses electronics shops. Then there’s Joy City Mall. The “City” in the name isn’t a coincidence. In fact, there is practically an entire city within Joy’s four walls. This place has everything: four – four! – separate food courts, a movie theater, a floor dedicated to handicraft workshops (cookie baking, bookbinding, terrarium building), a bar “street,” and even a giant London Eye-style Ferris wheel on the top.

For a city whose name translates as “On the Sea,” Shanghai has a surprising dearth of beaches. If you ask most locals for a nice water spot in town, they’ll likely direct you towards man-made Dishui Lake in nowhereville Pudong. But there’s no swimming allowed and no barbecuing allowed, so what’s the point other than fresh air? A nice alternative to this is Jinshan Beach, located in Shanghai’s southernmost district. You will have to take a bullet train from Shanghai South Railway Station to get there, but you can use your metro card and the trip is only RMB10 ($2). Like at Dishui Lake, swimming isn’t allowed; however, the water is clear and you can wade out to a comfortable distance before the lifeguard blows his whistle at you. All other beach activities are a go, from barbecuing to boating, and the sand is clean and the skies are (mostly) blue.

Every Friday from 11am-3pm, a wonderful thing happens on a little stretch of street just outside of the Huxi Mosque: local Chinese Muslims gather before their services to share the freshest Halal foods with the people – and sometimes dogs – of Shanghai. As cars beep their horns wildly to get through the crowd of hungry market-goers, tented stalls dish out everything from seasoned lamb kebabs to homemade sour yogurt. Bring plenty of cash, because even though the culinary treats are well-priced, you will want to try everything, and then try everything again.
Additional contrubutions by Aimee White.