Discover China
Beijing
Living in Beijing is quite different from Shanghai, hence the reason that there is less mobility in China from the one city to the other. Culturally, Beijing has incredible offerings including, of course, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the round Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Beijing has the broad avenues and the grandiose spaces that one expects from a nation’s capital and the pace is somewhat less frenetic than further South. From Beijing you can go ski-ing or nature walking and the new railroad line to Tibet is an enormously popular trip.
www.beijingscene.com
www.beijing.ixpat.com/links
Shanghai
In the last century, Shanghai was known as the “Paris of the East” and it is a city with a cosmopolitan flair. The Shanghai people are traditionally viewed as shrewd dealmakers and commerce is the life blood of the city. From the Bund, once again the main business artery of the city, to Pudong, the brash newcomer, Shanghai thrusts itself forward as the centre of “can-do” business and deals, with the chicest shops and the trendiest restaurants. From Shanghai you can travel to Soochow, known as the “Venice of the East” for its canals or Hangzhou, one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years. It is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake as the most noteworthy location.
www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai Shanghai city guide
www.shanghai-club-scene.com Shanghai club scene
www.shanghaiexpat.com/ Shanghai expats guide