A day trip to nearby Suzhou is most rewarding just for one attraction alone – The Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuo Zheng Yuan). About an hour or so by train or car from Shanghai city centre, you’ll cut through suburbs, industrial zones and the open countryside. Here in the farmlands, the holdings may be small but the farmers are not the buffalo pushing and changkol wielding kind. These latterday farmers are doing pretty well judging from the tractors, trucks, motorcycles and tv antennae visible from the road.  As you approach Suzhou, farmlands give way to industrial estates stretching as far as the eye can see. Soon you are on the edge of the old town renowned for its canals and ancient dwellings, some dating back to the days of Marco Polo who must have felt quite at home in the city dubbed the “Venice of the East.” The old Administrator’s title might sound deferential, but his abode is anything but humble. Located at 178 Northeast Road, Pingjiang District, the Humble Admi

Its architectural form inspired by a bronze age sacrificial vessel, the Shanghai Museum sits imposingly in downtown People’s Square district. Housed inside the galleries are some of China’s most precious treasures including ancient bronze pieces, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, jade and coins, Ming and Ching furniture, Buddhist sculptures, and art of the minority nationalities. There is also a gallery devoted to the quintessential Chinese invention – paper money. The Shanghai Museum is no place to hurry through, especially if you are a connoisseur of fine objets d’art. Be prepared to spend several fruitful hours just going through the permanent collection spread over 38,000 sq m of floor space, and more if there are themed exhibits put up in its three exhibition halls. The Shanghai Museum building with its upper half unmistakably inspired by a Shang dynasty bronze ritual vessel. A  masterpiece from the ceramics gallery with its vast collection covering simple N

From the people who sweep the streets clean, to the cops who keep them safe, from those who toil in the sun, to those who snooze in the shade, one can get a feel of what makes a great city tick. This is a city that never sleeps, ever on the move, and at hyperspeed. Yet within this pulsating urban sprawl, exists a parallel universe going at an unhurried clip. Intriguing, engaging, enchanting. Experience this charming world on the streets of Shanghai. Micro-taxi, small but gets you there, rain or shine Petrol powered or pedal powered, two-wheeling is freedom A chance to light up while waiting for the green Delivering drinking water, safely parked away from heavy traffic Trusty transport, on business or on errand A traffic cop looking more benign than ticket happy

Like all cosmopolitan cities Shanghai is a gourmet’s paradise. Apart from the usual  western signature restaurants there is also a fine mix of places offering local fare from high cuisine to “small eats”. If you want to test the Chinese saying “east is sweet, south is salty, west is sour, north is spicy” without going all over China, Shanghai is the place.  While posh joints cater to the well heeled, the rest are well fed at myriad shops and stalls providing basic fare.  This small shop serves up a variety of tasty local dishes in a spartan white setting. The door under a little bowl and chopsticks sign opens onto a small sit-down area. In downtown Huai Hai Lu eager customers queue expectantly for takeaway delicacies and snacks to complement dishes prepared at home. Skewered cuttlefish and other small bites at a bustling street food corner. Nostalgia-themed restaurant feeds your longing for the good old days.

The Shanghai Auto Museum is located on the outskirts of the city in the Shanghai Anting International Automobile City. Covering a planned area of over 3 million sq m the auto township is an integrated “live, work, play” development offering manufacturing, R&D, education, expositions and trading for the automobile industry. This auto hub is also home to the Shanghai International Circuit which hosts the glamorous Shanghai F-1 Grand Prix. The Shanghai Auto Museum has a floor area of 28,000 sq m and boasts a prized collection of some of the most coveted cars in the world. Level 2 houses the Blackhawk Collection owned by American Don Williams. Major marques from both sides of the Atlantic are represented, a few with masterpieces going back to their founding days. Classics from the stables of Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and others are sure to set your heart racing. Some famous brands have passed into history but their creations live on in this wondrous coll

Fuxing Park is one of several scattered around Shanghai providing respite in this throbbing metropolis. Built by the French during the colonial era, it has the usual Parisian features like sycamore-lined walkways, placid ponds and colourful flower beds, augmented by typical Chinese garden features like rockeries and willows. Located in the Luwan District, it has several entrances, the main one on Fuxing Zhong Lu. Here’s a place to observe the locals in their natural habitat doing their recreation thing. Come weekends, there are more than the usual family strolling with children, joggers, or elderly folk swaying to tai qi. Throughout the day, young and old cha cha, tango and waltz, or hip-hop and pop to the blare of their boomboxes, while cultural groups belt out Chinese opera arias, recite Tang poetry or sing folk and classical numbers, accompanied by live ensemble. All in all a rewarding day for spectators and performers alike. Feeding carp in a pond while a crowd gathers in t