A tiny hawker with a weather-beaten face and toothless grin approaches. "You buy," she demands, shoving a plastic bag with two orange goldfish circling inside towards me. "Or this," she thrusts another plastic bag with baby eels.
Two of her friends, in sanpan hats, and wearing the same gap-toothed smile,
form a circle around me. "You buy. Good luck. Good luck."
I'm at the foot of the Fansheng Bridge, also known as "setting-fish-free" bridge, one of five stone bridges in the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao; about 50 minutes' drive from downtown Shanghai. Here, touts sell fish and eels to tourists in the belief if you throw one from the bridge into the muddy waters, lined with wooden houses, it will bring you good luck.
The water-canal town dates back 1700 years through the Ming and Qing dynasties. Inside the village is Yuanjin Monastery, the famous Qing post office and an old Chinese pharmacy.
It's quite a different side to China from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, where we've come from.
The best representation of the mash-up of cultures, prosperity and poverty that make up this, China's biggest city, is its skyline. Sleek skyscrapers loom over ornate temples and traditional Shikumen households are cramped side-by-side above narrow pavements. These small, two-bedroom homes house large families - some times three generations. Gas cookers litter the pavement and washing lines flap in the breeze. And all around them stands an unbelievable collection of Romanesque, Neo-Classical, Renaissance, Gothic, Beaux-Arts, Baroque and Art Deco buildings.
Walking the tree-lined lanes of the French Concession, a suburb controlled by the French until 1943, you have to remind yourself you're not wandering through Paris.
Next our Texan-turned-Shanghaiese tour guide, Spencer Dodington walks us down the 2km promenade of the The Bund. Having studied architecture at Shanghai's Tongji University Dodington has lived here since 1995, and now runs a tour company, Luxury Concierge China. He's a font of architectural knowledge as we take in the futuristic skyline of Pudong, the muddy Huangpu River and the historic waterfront buildings, once home to international banks and trading houses.
For a different perspective of those historic buildings head to 3 on The Bund (New Heights) for a cocktail. The restaurant with its spacious wooden patio high above the street gives a stunning view of the 468m Oriental Pearl TV Tower, with its sky rocket baubles, and the Jinmao Tower.
Wander from The Bund to Guangdong Rd and step into rap star P Diddy's favourite nightspot, the Lan Club. The four-storey colonial building is where socialites must be seen. At the end of one darkly lit room small jellyfish swim in a tank unaware their glow is lighting the bar. The club comes complete with a roof-top bar with DJ station, barbecue facilities and massive loungers for bikini-clad hot young things.
The next day starts with watching the locals ballroom dance and do Tai Chi in the People's Square. Then we take a wander through the 2ha classical Chinese garden in the midst of the bustling 16th-century Yuyan Garden.
The garden and temple were destroyed in the first Opium War of 1842. Rebuilt in 1961, they are filled with rock gardens, stone bridges, Chinese pavilions and pools with large carp.
Lunch is at the garden's famous Lu Bo Lang (Green Wave Pavilion). And of course no visit to Shanghai is complete without browsing Dongjiadu Road fabric market, where vendors will tailor-make any outfit you desire.
Our next stop was Shanghai's new six-storey Barbie department store. It is the world's first dedicated Barbie store, complete with cosmetics, a diner, cocktail bar, spa, fashion runway and any Barbie your heart desires.
So from the sobering sights of poverty-stricken families ekeing out a living to the faint ridiculousness of the Barbie retail temple, I've seen many sides to this city. It's a world-class financial centre undergoing rapid, unforgiving expansion, yet for many it's a dog-eat-dog fight for survival. But it's also vibrant, energetic, exciting and, most of all, addictive. I'll be back.
Rebecca Milne travelled to China courtesy of Langham Hotels.
One of six Barbie-filled floors. Photo / Supplied
A tiny hawker with a weather-beaten face and toothless grin approaches. "You buy," she demands, shoving a plastic bag with two orange goldfish circling inside towards me. "Or this," she thrusts another plastic bag with baby eels.
Two of her friends, in sanpan hats, and wearing the same gap-toothed smile,
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