15 Things in Shanghai Your Tour Guide Won't Show You

Posted 2021-04-29 ShanghaiWOWeng

Sure, everyone knows about the Bund, the Pearl Tower, yadda yadda. But what are the other attractions you probably can’t find in the tour guide? Here are 20 much lesser known things to check out around the city.

 

Old Laoximen

 

Address: Area between Middle Fangbang Lu  and East Fuxing Lu

Rumors of old Laoximen’s imminent destruction have been swirling for quite some time. The narrow alleys and old residents provide a true glimpse into what Shanghai used to look like, while it’s still around at least.

 

Shanghai Circus World

Address: 2266 Gonghexin Lu

It’s 22,500 square meters and 1,638 seats, all dedicated to (quite spectacular) regular acrobatics and circus shows.

 

Marriage Market at People’s Square

 

Address: People’s Park, 231 Nanjing Xi Lu

Ok this one might actually be in the guide books, still cool though. The Shanghai Marriage Market, also known as Rénmín Gōngyuán Xiāngqīn Jiǎo; literally: "People's Park blind date corner" regularly features hundreds of people that come to basically auction of their children or grandchildren for marriage, what could be cooler than that?

 

Meilan Lake

 

Photo source: Yifei Zhang

 

At the very end of line 7 you can find the Meilan Lake station which is just a short walk from Meilan Lake itself.

 

Thames Town

Photo source: sometimes-interesting.com

 

Address:  900 Sanxinbei Lu

About a 20 minute walk west Line 9’s Songjiang Xincheng station and you’ll be in Thames Town, a freakishly authentic looking replica of a classic British market town. The 1 square kilometer town was completed in 2006, and cost around RMB 5 billion to construct.

 

SMP Skatepark

 

Photo source: convic.com

 

Address: 2100 Songhu Lu

For a brief while after it was built in 2005, this was the largest skatepark in the entire world. More than 12,000 square meters in size, it has every sort of ramp you can imagine and even a 5,000-seat stadium. Even if you don’t skate or bike or rollerblade, it’s still a marvel to behold.

 

Shanghai Automobile City

 

Photo source: photolar10

 

Address: 7565 Boyuan Lu

It’s pretty far from the city central, but The Shanghai Auto Museum is a great place to go burn a free day, especially if you’re into cars.  Opened to the public in 2007, the space has around 100 cars from all different eras and styles.

 

Avocado Lady

 

Photo source: chinaincidentals.com

 

Address: 274 Wulumuqi Lu

Yep, seems almost dumb to mention but we have to. Avocado lady is one of those special sort of places that everyone who lives here probably knows about, but the tour guides certainly don’t.

 

Muslim market

 

Flickr user: cuckoo over lulu

 

Address: Corner of Aomen Lu and Changde Lu

Every Friday there’s a Muslim market on the corner of Aomen Lu and Changde Lu. Go for peanuts, raisins, dates, fresh lamb meat and sorts of other goodies.

 

Qipu Lu

Address: 168 Qipu Lu

Tour guides might mention this strange, mostly bootleg clothing market, but it’s so chaotic and anxiety inducing that not many tourists are truly up for a long stroll through every building and floor.

International Cruise Terminal

 

Address: 500 Dongdaming Rd

 

Shanghai International Cruise Terminal is a pretty intriguing place, mostly because of these bizarre hanging sculptures that are impossible not to stop and gawk at.

 

Wild Animal Park

 

Photo source: David Blanchard

 

Address: 178, Nanliu Rd

Shanghai Wild Animal Park features over 200 kinds of animals including a giant panda hall, golden monkey hall, parrot house, white lion area, white tiger area, ostrich zone, kangaroo zoo and crocodile island.

 

The Fangbang Pet Market

 

Photo source:randomwire.com

Address: Xizang nan lu, near Fangbang Lu

If you’re an animal rights enthusiast, this is probably not the best place to go. They’ve got cats, fish, hamsters, rabbits and all sorts of other animals for sale, although they’re often not kept in the best conditions.

 

The Fangbang Clothing Market

Address: Henan lu, near Fangbang Lu

Basically on the same block as the pet market, this dark, semi-hidden secondhand clothing and shoe market is the very definition of a hidden gem.

 

Shinesun Digital Plaza

Address: 99 Huaihai Dong Lu

This big building at the corner of Huaihai Lu and Xizang Nan lu has all sorts of electronic goodies, from drones to ipads, and even phone and camera repair people. Be ready to negotiate though.