China Guide
Shanghai
Pudong
Historically, Pudong has been known as the "wrong side of the Huangpu" – before 1949, the area was characterized by unemployed migrants, prostitution, murders, and the most appalling living conditions in the city. In 1990, however, it was finally decided to grant the status of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to this large tract of mainly agricultural land, a decision which, more than any other, is now fuelling Shanghai's rocket-like economic advance. The skyline has since been completely transformed from a stream of rice paddies into a sea of cranes, and ultimately a maze of skyscrapers that seemingly stretches east as far as the eye can see.
The bustling street life that so animates the rest of Shanghai is striking by its absence, but if you know where you're going, Pudong can be very rewarding. There are two areas that are really interesting; the first is the battery of skyscrapers in Lujiazui, just across the water from the Bund, where you'll find the bulbous Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the elegant Jinmao Tower, both of which offer sublime views across the city. Several museums have been plonked here, to take advantage of the huge crowds of Chinese tourists who flock to the Pearl TV Tower. Of these, the Museum of History is fun, and the China Sex Culture Exhibition is intriguing.
From Liujiazui, the eight-lane Century Avenue zooms for 4km to one of the city's few spacious green spaces, Century Park, where you'll find the Science and Technology Museum, the Oriental Arts Centre and, further out, the Zendai Museum of Modern Art.
The simplest way to reach the area is to catch the metro, which whooshes passengers from Renmin Square to downtown Pudong in less than three minutes; otherwise, several minibuses cross under the river using the Yan'an Dong Lu tunnel. For a more picturesque trip, catch the very frequent double-decker ferry from the Bund opposite the eastern end of Jinling Lu (¥1). There's also a Tourist Tunnel under the river (entrance in the metro opposite Beijing Dong Lu; ¥20), in which you're driven past a silly light show.