We arrived in Shanghai after dark yesterday, which I believe is the best way to arrive in the city. My first impression is that it is a cross between Las Vegas and Manhattan. Skyscrapers all lit up in neon. Although while I don’t believe the lights ever go off in Las Vegas, they are turned off at 11 pm in Shanghai.

In the morning, we left for our tour of the city. We started at the Shanghai World Financial Center going all the way up to the 100th floor. It was amazing to see the city from that high! They also had windows on the floor. I have to admit I couldn’t walk across them although I did take a few pictures looking down.

Next we walked along the the Lujiazui which is the new financial district taking pictures of all the tall buildings we just saw from above.

It was then on to a silk factory where they showed us how they made silk blankets and pillows. Like Morocco all I could see is Porter digging into a silk bedspread. So no purchases for me! We then headed to the Yuyuan Gardens walking through a local market. The gardens were built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty and are located in the middle of the city showing a mix of old and new. They were quite beautiful.

From there we had lunch and then to the French Concession where we toured a former residence to get a feel for Chinese life in Shanghai.

Then sat outside in the square for a bit to do some people watching.

What is amazing to me is how there are more people in Shanghai than Beijing, yet it doesn’t seem as crowded.