Spellbinding Shanghai

With financial considerations posing a huge factor in the travel equation, China remains one of the best-value destinations on the planet. The main gateway into China is spellbinding Shanghai, which has easy links to Beijing, Xian and cruises on the Yangtze River.
Once dubbed the Paris of Asia and, less flatteringly, the Whore of the Orient, Shanghai's historic image of gambling halls, opium dens and sing-song girls is very 20th-century.
Today's Shanghai is more like an impetuous child who wants its future now. In just 10 years, local planners have created an entirely new city of 150 skyscrapers in an area the size of Singapore, on what was previously marsh with a few ramshackle warehouses.
Whether you are travelling independently or with a group, it is a very safe city and remarkably easy to navigate.
The Bund is the colonial heart of Shanghai, and this sweeping promenade is the perfect starting point for newcomers. The Bund is the riverside street that has most of Shanghai's magnificently pompous historic buildings.
The landmark Peace Hotel at the northern end of the street has a fabulous Tudor-style bar which continues to offer nightly pre-war swing performances, as it has for decades. By day and night, The Bund is the ideal location to gaze across the river to dazzling, futuristic Pudong.
Huangpu River has been Shanghai's main arterial route for centuries, and river traffic remains heavy. Huangpu is a colourful aquatic carnival, teeming with steamers, barges, tankers, sampans and even junks.
The Old City is the last great vestige of traditional Shanghai. Old-style teahouses, temples, markets, bazaars, ramshackle shops and stalls are loosely scattered about the area.
The Old Shanghai Teahouse, which doubles as a museum, is well worth a stop.
Nearby is the Temple of the City God, which for over 600 years has been frequented by residents and visitors seeking advice from the spiritual city god on private and business matters.
Nowadays, the Communist Party allows Shanghai citizens to partake in religious and spiritual activities, as long as they respect the primacy of communist rule.
Adjacent to the temple is the city's most popular visitor attraction, Yu Gardens. Originally created in the 16th century, the gardens are a visual symphony. Miniature pavilions, ornate bridges, rockeries, lotus ponds and manicured plantings will keep your camera on overtime.
The city's most famous teahouse, the Huxingting, has played host to the Queen and former United States president Bill Clinton.
Market hounds shouldn't miss the Dongtai Lu Antique Market. Many tourists visit to browse through the old books, particularly for Mao memorabilia.