Things to Do in China

Located within People’s Square, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall may not sound like something a tourist would be interested in, but it’s actually one of the city’s best museums. Opened in 2000, the exhibition space within the modern, fives-story building showcases Shanghai’s development from ancient times well into the future.

The museum’s crowning jewel is a massive scale model of the city as it might look come 2020 (with the inclusion of buildings green-lighted for construction) and a wraparound 3D theater that gives visitors a glimpse into Future Shanghai. The museum space also features art and design exhibitions by Chinese and international artists.

To fully appreciate your time in Shanghai, kick off your time with a morning or afternoon at the museum. Be sure to pick up an English audio guide -- well worth the extra fee -- to help you understand each of the exhibits.

When a Sichuan peasant in 1929 unearthed a piece of jade while digging ditches in a field, he set in motion a chain of events which would lead to the largest discovery of Shu relics known to modern China. Located 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) north of the city of Chengdu, the Sanxingdui (Three Star Piles) Archeological Site covers an area of nearly 5 square miles (12.9 square kilometers) and has yielded thousands of cultural Shu relics which are now on display at the Sanxingdui Museum.

Though mass excavations began in earnest in the early 1930s, it was the unearthing of two sacrificial chambers in 1986 which sent shockwaves through the archeological community. Included amongst the buried relics were ornate and peculiar bronze facial masks dating back nearly three thousand years as well as gold and jade objects which help prove that the Sanxingdui area was the capital of the Ancient Shu kingdom.

All of the relics which are now on display in the museum hold particular cultural, historical and scientific value, and are regarded as some of the finest and most insightful pieces of Sichuan culture ever to be unearthed. In addition to the myriad smaller artifacts discovered at Sanxingdui, larger pieces such as a 12 foot (3.7 meter) tall bronze tree and 8 foot (2.4 meter) tall bronze statue comprise some of the more mystifying and exceptional relics currently on display.

In addition to the treasures themselves an entire section of the Sanxingdui Museum is devoted to the archeological process of locating, removing and caring for objects which are miraculously intact after sitting forgotten for thousands of years. Open to the public since 1997, Sanxingdui Museum is a true cultural treasure set just on the outskirts of modern Chengdu.

Shamian Island (literally translated as “Sandbar” Island), a 44-acre sandbank separated from Guangzhou by a canal, was given as a concession to the French and British governments after the First Opium War in 1841. The island quickly grew into a prosperous expat enclave where trading companies from Europe, the United States and Japan came to do business.

The stone mansions, churches, yacht club and sporting venues drew the envy of Guangzhou residents, who didn’t even have paved roads until the early 1900s. Local Chinese authorities restricted traders to the small area and forbade them from learning Chinese or bringing over their children and wives.

Today, many of the colonial mansions have been restored to their former glory, and the island, now partly pedestrianized, is home to a series of bars, cafes and boutique shops. The neo-gothic Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church has reopened for worshippers in recent years and is worth a visit; along with the riverfront area along the Pearl River in the center of the island where locals come to fish or practice tai chi.