Shanghai impressions: Juxtaposition of Traditional and Modern

Last Updated: April 5, 2025 // by Rhonda Albom // 83 Comments
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Our initial impressions of Shanghai were that of a city of contrasts, a juxtaposition of the traditional and modern. It was our first city when we travelled to China.

Located on the south edge of the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is on China’s eastern coast. It is the world’s most densely populated city, yet it feels inviting.

Our initial impression of Shanghai is that, in general, traditional architecture sits on one side of the river and modern buildings on the other.

Despite its dense population, we fell in love with Shanghai. We believe this is a city to see; therefore, we are sharing our experience through photos.

Shanghai impressions: mix of modern and traditional architecture

Looking down on Yu Yuan Garden and Bazaar — Looking down on the city, it is easy to see the juxtaposition of the traditional and modern.

Shanghai China skyline at night — The night skyline is one of our first Shanghai impressions

A few more interesting places we visited

We visited several traditional sites like Yun Yuan Bazzar and Gardens, Nanjing Road, The Bund, the French Quarter, and the former home of Sun Yat Sen.

We also requested a visit to the Jewish Refugee Museum. Below is a photo of the intricate doors. The museum shared the history and artifacts of a time in history when Shanghai offered refuge during WWII. Shanghai saved an estimated 23,000 Jewish people while much of the world turned a blind eye.

Crowds at Yu Yuan Garden and Bazaar in Shanghai, China — Our guide told us we were lucky to visit Yu Yuan Garden and Bazaar on a day with small crowds.

One of the intricate doors at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. — A pagoda in Yu Yuan Bazaar.

The French quarter in Shanghai China — The French Quarter.

Bull on the Bund in Shanghai, China — This bull is on the Bund.

Former home of Sun Yat Sen — The former home of Sun Yat Sen.

Nanjing Road at night was one of our initial Shanghai impressions — Nanjing Road at night.

Street food

Street food vendors were prevalent everywhere we went. And to be honest, while normally pretty brave eaters, we were lucky to have a guide to help us make the best choices. Here we define best and traditional, varied, and delicious.

Queueing for the best dumplings in Shanghai at Yu Yuan Garden and Bazaar in Shanghai, China — People waited in queue for over an hour for “the best dumplings in Shanghai.” I gave up after 30 minutes as there was plenty more to see. (Located inside Yu Yuan Bazaar).

Street food off of Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China — Sunny helping us select street food just off of Nanjing Road.

Shanghai impressions of everyday life

Some quick observations of everyday life, often discovered when we stepped off the beaten path:

Signage appears in both Mandarin and English in the high-tourist areas. When we venture outside of the tourist area, it is only Mandarin. (Not surprisingly, when we did this on our own, we got a bit lost.)
Like many places we have been, young people often dress colourful and fun.
We see many creative laundry racks hanging out of windows.
Music plays, and couples dance in Fuxing Park in the afternoons. Two local men taught our girls a few new steps.
We were aware of several weddings. The fashionable dress appears to be red for the bride and a modern suit for the groom.
Electric scooters seem more popular than cars. In general, they don’t seem to follow the same traffic rules. Alongside the bicycles, the scooters typically go straight through red traffic lights. This, coupled with the observation that cars don’t stop at pedestrian crosswalks, makes crossing the streets challenging.
The city is loud as cars and scooters honk a lot, music blasts from the modern stores and people on the street talk loudly.
The less fancy stores are very crowded, especially the food/snack stores.
Begging seems to be a way of life for many. We have been followed, grabbed, and loudly asked for money.

Brightly dressed youth crossing a bridge — .

Couples dance in Fuxing Park in Shanghai, China — Our girls dancing in Fuxing Park

Two men discussing their Shanghai impressions — Meeting and talking to locals is the best way to understand a culture.

housing complex and its courtyard in Shanghai China — Standing out on the street, I am looking into a housing complex and its courtyard.

World’s fastest train

The Shanghai Maglev, or bullet train, runs from the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai to the outskirts of town.

Often called “Transrapid”, it’s the world’s fastest commercial train. The name Maglev is short for magnetic levitation, as the train lifts (slightly) from the tracks as it travels at high speed. We reached speeds of 431 km/h.

We also took a bullet train on a day trip to Suzhou, a city well known for it’s gardens.

Finding a guide in Shanghai

Throughout China (and much of the world), we have successfully used private guides. When we can, we book private guides here, as we can choose our specific guide prior to travel and we have flexibility over what we see and do.

As we pointed out many times above, our fabulous guide is the reason things went so well for us in Shanghai.

When choosing your guide, our top recommendations are to check their language ability, read the tour options to see if they do the kinds of things you like, read the specific guide’s reviews, and then make contact before you hire them. Reserve your private guide here.

Where to stay in Shanghai

We stayed at the historic Astor House Hotel, which sadly sold and is being converted to office space. We were impressed by the fact that in 1922 Albert Einstein stayed in room 304.

On our next visit to Shanghai, we plan to stay at the highly-rated iconic Fairmont Peace Hotel. Once the favourite with local elite and foreign celebrities, Charlie Chaplin stayed here. Centrally located, the hotel overlooks The Bund and Huangpu River. Reserve your room at the Fairmont Peace Hotel

Other places in China we have visited:

Chengdu Itinerary: See Pandas, Opera, Hot Pot, Giant Buddha

How to Spend 2 Days in Hong Kong

One Day Xian Itinerary: Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda

How to Spend 5 Days in Beijing: Where to go – What to see