Surprises in Shanghai Advent Calendar [11] Quiz

Answer: Huangpu River

Found at the mouth of the Yangtze River and quite near the Pacific Ocean, the Huangpu River winds its way through Shanghai from its source at Dianshan Lake to the west. It's a major lifeline for the port city; countless watercraft traverse it on the daily and it splits the old city on the west bank from the futuristic new city on the east.

And the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the most recognizable structures on its eastern bank. A futurist structure with very little like it in the world, it acts as a key tourist spot and an observation tower with nearly unparalleled views of Shanghai. Upon its opening in 1995, it was the fifth-tallest structure in the world. It was surpassed as the tallest in Shanghai only thirteen years later.

Answer: Shanghai Tower

While the Shanghai World Financial Center, shaped like a bottle opener, became the city's tallest structure upon completion in 2008, it was surpassed by the simply-named Shanghai Tower in 2015. The larger of the two buildings, the Shanghai Tower is quite unique, being a series of nine buildings within an outer 'twisted' glass shell. Combined, the structure tops out at one hundred twenty-eight storeys and contains one of the fastest elevators/transport systems in the world.

The observation deck, found at the 121st floor of the structure, is at a taller height than the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Answer: Garden Bridge

The last surviving camelback truss bridge in China, Waibaidu Bridge spans the mouth of a creek that feeds into the Huangpu on the west side of the river, creating a link between the Huangpu and Hongkou districts in Shanghai's urban core. An easily accessible landmark for tourists, it's a walkable attraction that links up to some of the busiest spots for visitors.

The version of the bridge that exists there today was not the original; it's the fourth iteration. The previous one was actually a wooden bridge and it was replaced in 1907. It has been renovated many times over to continue standing while, all the while, different generations of structures have been built around it, each reflecting different architectures and time periods throughout the growth of the city.

Answer: Bund

Running alongside Zhongshan Road on the western side of the Huangpu River, the Bund is a massive promenade that gazes out across the water at the financial centre of Shanghai, giving the perfect vantage point of the ultramodern skyline for anyone visiting its urban core. The Bund side isn't without its landmarks though, since the opposite side of the street contains some of the most important buildings in Shanghai's growth as a port city including several embassies, social clubs, banks, hotels, and customs houses.

On the north end of the Bund, where the promenade connects to the Garden Bridge, is the Monument to the People's Heroes. On the other end, the Gutzlaff Signal Tower was built in 1907 to track for typhoons. It became a museum at the turn of the century.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, which runs under the Huangpu, transports tourists from the promenade to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. While it gives a bit of a light show for its lengthy, but slow, run under the river, it is much more expensive than just taking the ferry or the metro.

Answer: Nanjing Road

While Nanjing Road technically begins with its east end at The Bund and the Peace Hotel, the pedestrian stretch, considered West Nanjing Road, commences at He'nan Road and proceeds westward alongside People's Park, the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, and the Shanghai Historical Museum, before transitioning into a main arterial road for vehicle traffic all the way to the Jing'an Temple.

The pedestrian stretch, however, is home to one of the longer stretches of shopping and dining experiences in the city. The intent, when it was built to link up to the Shanghai Race Club earlier in the 20th century, was to create a section of the city that reflected Paris' Champs-Élysées.

Answer: A tourist mart

While it may sound like it cheapens the purpose-built respite that Yu Yuan Garden really is in the heart of Shanghai's Old City, the tourist mart that abuts the walled-in grounds here doesn't really detract. The gardens were built in the mid-16th century by a Shanghai politician who would, during his later years, become the Governor of Sichuan, China. Today, it's one of the best-kept landmarks of Shanghai. Though one of the busiest tourist spots, it's a calming oasis from the chaos nearby.

Immediately outside the gates of the garden is the Yu Yuan Tourist Mart which includes the narrow shops of Old Street, the traditional buildings surrounding the pond below Jiuqu Bridge, and the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant where xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were allegedly invented. And they're worth it...provided you're okay with a line for them!

Answer: The French Concession

Found west of the Huangpu River and southwest of the Old City, the French Concession was built up starting in the 19th century. Though Vichy France handed back all of its territories in this region of the world during the Second World War, this part of the city seemed to remain both in its growth and its influences. In the modern era, it's one of the unique pockets of the city and one of the ones populated by the most ex-patriates.

Tianzifang, specifically, is a series of narrow streets known for their restaurants and shops. Known to be one of the most expensive regions in Shanghai, it's still one of its most visited due to its meticulously preserved buildings, examples of well-lived-in Shikumen structures with Western accents.

Answer: Science and Technology

Found southeast of Shanghai's Financial Centre, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is found adjacent to Century Park in a complex that also contains the Shanghai Oriental Art Center and the Shanghai Pudong Expo. Opening in 2001, the massive, futuristic structure found here features two large wings containing more than a dozen permanent exhibit spaces ranging from early biology to outer space. And at the middle of the building is the massive glass orb, as seen in the image.

The building sits at the southwest edge of Century Square, a promenade sitting next to Shanghai's largest urban park space, one of its protected nature reserves, and its forest of flowering plum blossoms.

Answer: Thames Town

There are actually a number of small towns throughout Shanghai created with the sole purpose of replicating an international feel and aesthetic-- Thames Town is just one of the earlier ones. Found in Songjiang, to the west of the Huangpu, it's in a part of the city that created the original backbone of Shanghai.

Thames Town was established in 2006 and in addition to cobblestone streets akin to old-style British villages, visitors might be unsurprised to find functioning red telephone boxes along the streets. Part of the One City, Nine Towns initiative, it was built alongside regions made to look like Sweden, Canada, Italy, Spain, and Germany, amongst other locations,

Answer: Zhujiajiao

One of the oldest-inhabited regions of the city, at least judging by the remains found there, Zhujiajiao is part of a protected tourist area that serves to ensure its unique canals and old buildings weather both the environment and the influx of guests it receives on the regular. Found at the far end of Shanghai's metro line on the shores of Dianshan Lake, it consists of temples, bridges, traditional restaurants, and waterways that liken it as much to Venice, Italy as it does East Asia.

Visiting Zhujiajiao is unlike seeing virtually any other part of Shanghai. Far enough from the futuristic skyline of central Shanghai, it's a much quieter, slow-moving destination composed of manor houses, walled gardens, and small markets navigated by boats or, otherwise, small footpaths and three dozen pedestrian bridges.