Hi all hope you are finding this blog useful. Please comment if you need more info on anything in particular.

Today i will tell you something about people's square:
People's Square (Renmin Guang Cha) is near to Nanjing lu, you can reach Nanjing Lu in subway by getting down in Peoples Square subway station as well. Travelers interested in history can visit the shanghai museum. The ticket to shanghai museum is around 20RMB( this is what i paid then but i don't know now, pls check online before you visit). It is a good place, however i found another museum more informative and beautiful, i am talking about the museum under Oriental pearl Tower. Here you have sprawling gardens where one can sit and relax after a tiring Nanjing Lu shopping. Travelers can also see official buildings (nice architecture).

Vocab Session: I had observed when you ask directions to Chinese people then they will you "you go to north and take right then walk towards east" . This makes me crazy.  Today i will tell you about the directions.
North: Bei
South: Nan
East: Dong
West: Xi
Right turn: Zuoguai
Left turn : Youguai

More in next posts. Njoy your day.

As mentioned in last blog lets see whats in Nanjing Lu.Nanjing lu (east), nanjing name of the city and lu means road, is the shopping street in Shanghai. The shops here are ranging from apparels, toys, shoes, bags and it is also the location of few good hotels  viz. Sofitel, Le Meridien, Howard Johnson etc. This street very famous among all i.e tourists as well as local Chinese population and considered to be one of the busiest shopping street in the world. Many a times there will be some shows going on based on the occasions . Here you can get tickets for Madame Tussauds as well. At night the stretch looks very beautiful. There are lots of food outlets viz McDonald, Starbucks, Ajisen Ramen, and other Chinese outlets. Sometime they have factory outlet sales.Jade or gems lovers can find good quality gems stones. The subway will directly take you to Najing lu east. The Bund is near to this place so in case you are done with shopping then 10min walk you can reach The Bund and relax.

Vocabs: Lets say you wants to go to some places in Shanghai so this is what you have to say:
Oriental pearl tower (pls refer second third post) : Dong Fang Mingzhu Ta
The Bund: Waitan
Peoples' square: Renmin Guangchang
Yu Yuan garden : Yu Yuan
Nanjing lu: Nanjing lu
Xin tian di: Xintian Di
Shanghai Railway station: Huochan zhan
Shanghai bus station: Chichan Zhan

more in next posts.

what else in shanghai

What else in shanghai?
Next best place ( after The Bund and Yu Yuan garden) to visit in shanghai is Xintiandi a place loved by all the boozers around the world.  Xintiandi  when translated means 'New heaven and earth". Xin = New, Tian=Heaven and Di= earth.This place depicts old shanghai  and is very famous among foreigners specially Europeans and Americans. Xintiandi is famous for night life. Xintiandi has a history attached to it, first congress meeting of communist party of china took place in Xintiandi. The restaurants and bars are located in the old houses  called Shikumen. During modernization drive surrounding buildings (except in Xintiandi) were demolished to build high rises. Pics when i was there:

Another place to visit is Madame Tussauds. Located near to Nanjing lu ( i will share about this place in my next post) must go place if you have not visited any other Madame Tussauds.

Vocabs: In Mandarin every country has a name and its very funny to hear them so lets see the names of few countries in Mandarin
India : Yindu
China: Zhongguo
America: Mei guo
Japan: Reben
Singapore: Xinjiapo
UK: Yin guo
Italy : Yidali
France: Faguo

Next post will be on Nanjing lu shopping street.

Vocabs:
What : Shen me (pronounced as ma)
Why : Wei Shen me
Where : zai nali
When : Shen me Shi huo
Who: Shei
Which: Na
How: Zen me
Sorry : Duibu Qi
Yes: Shi de
No: Bu / Bu shi de
Chinese currency: Yuan / Renmin bi (rmb)
     1 Yuan = 10 mao/jiao = 100 fen
Money: Qian

Interesting Facts:
When you reach shanghai airport then towards the city you have three main mode of transport:
a. Bus
b. Taxi
c. Maglev train : Now this the unique train that you will not find anywhere else in the world. It runs on magnetic levitation principle. It covers a distance of 30km in 8mins. During day time it reaches the speed of 431km/hr and during night it reaches speed of 350km/hr. The ticket cost is 40yuan/renmin bi if you have air ticket else 50rmb. From airport it will take you to nearest subway station (longyang lu) from there you can take either a subway or a taxi.

                                                                       Maglev Train
Shanghai is very well connected city and subway is very good way to reach almost all the tourist place.It has 11 lines of subway. Shanghai has two main airports one is Pu-dong International and other is Hongqiao. Hongqiao is mainly domestic however one or two international flights do land there as well.

                                                                     Shanghai Subway System 
One of the most famous place to visit in Shanghai  after The Bund  is Yu Yuan Garden. i.e Happiness garden or Happy garden. This place is basically a shopping place. Shops in located inside ancient buildings, inside they have one temple as well.  This place is very beautiful and during holiday season its crowed but you can make your way ( pic attached when i was there during may holidays). During chinese new year this place is beautifully lit up. There is lake inside and its really beautifull.

                                                                      The Lake

                                                               The entrance

                                                                     Inside views

More places and vocab to come in following posts.


                               

To connect with people one need to know following vocabs, this will make locals comfortable and they will be more open with you.  :Thank you                 : Xie Xie Ni
Good Morning          : Zaoshang hao
Good afternoon        :Xia wu hao
Good evening           : Wanshang hao
Good Night              : Wan an

Interesting facts:
        Shanghai is the largest city in china by population roughly around 20+ million people live there. It is a metropolitan city and considered as a financial capital of china. Shanghai is very popular among business and tourists. The bund in shanghai is the most visited place, from the bund you can see the skyscrapers on the PUDONG side of shanghai ( Shanghai is mainly divided in two regions PUXI and PUDONG) they are separated by HUANG PU river. ON Oct-2010 shanghai hosted WORLD EXPO 2010, a six month long event for this city went on a beautification drive. Bund was widened and beautified. The bund was changed compeltely since i first visited at first.

        Pudong side skyscraper (view from the Bund)

                                                                        The Bund                                                                         

                                                                   Oriental Pearl Tower

                                                                      Apple Store

                                                                     At Night

                                                       New Louis Vuitton Store (not opened then)

Interesting facts:

When one say "ni hao" its similar to hello but when one say "ni hao ma" it is "how are you", here you are expecting an answer so you will get an answer 'wo hen hao' i.e. i am good.
ni : you
wo : I
hen : very
hao : good

more to come in future posts

When i first landed in China (Yr 2007) i was picked up by my Chinese colleague at Shanghai Airport. Later he became my best friend. As day passed we use to bother him every single day for anything and everything. So first thing to do in china or even before entering china is to learn essential vocabulary and practice them.
I will share key essential words in following posts.