Would you rather go to Beijing or Shanghai?

Question

(and try not to factor the Olympics into it.)

Answer 1

Beijing, I was there for two weeks and it was not enough time to see everything.

Answer 2

I would perfer Beijing becasue it is not as big and spread out as Shanghai.

Answer 3

Shanghai, that's only because I live in Beijing already.

Answer 4

Shanghai

Answer 5

shanghai ;)

Answer 6

Beijing by far if you want to see CHINA.

Shanghai is no different than New York City or Seattle... Boring major city.  You can get the feeling in almost any other major city.

Beijing is unique.  You can see the old stuff and new things.  Why else would you go to China for?

Shanghai at most 2 days.  Beijing at least 1 week if not 3 weeks to see everything.

Great wall, summer palace, forbidden city, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square are all located in Beijing.

Answer 7

Shanghai , it's the best city in China and has a better surrounding to visit for a tourist ..

Answer 8

Shanghai, I have been to both!!! But I still love Beijing!!!

Answer 9

Shanghai

Great variety of foods: Shanghainese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Korean

Although Shanghai is hot, the sun is fazed out so the ray of the sun would not hurt your skin.

Answer 10

i think i would rather go to shanghai because it is more international in shanghai more people in shanghai can speak english and their english is better and there is great shopping here with good quality and cheap price and the food is just great. it's not too pricey. and wide variety of foods. all sorts of food from different countries and especially the japanese food here is good and cheap.

but the only thing that beijing has that shanghai doesnt is that beijing has become really clean lately, the streets, the toilets and everything because of the olympics beijing has became extremely clean.

Answer 11

Shanghai of course.. it's a place where the old and new meets when travelling on the river (don't know what it's called).. And there's the food food food.. And not to forget other places like Hang Zhou etc which is quite near it and spots good scenery too.. =)

Answer 12

I would go to Shanghai.

Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; pinyin: Shànghǎi; Wu (Long-short): Zånhae; Shanghainese (IPA): [zɑ̃'he]; abbreviation: 沪; nickname: 申), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People's Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world.Widely regarded as the citadel of China's modern economy, the city also serves as one of the nation's most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers.

Administratively, Shanghai is a municipality of the People's Republic of China that has province-level status. Also, Shanghai is one of the world's busiest ports, and became the largest cargo port in the world in 2005.

Originally a fishing town, Shanghai became China's most important city by the 20th century and was the center of popular culture, intellectual discourse and political struggle during the Republic of China era. After the communist takeover in 1949, Shanghai languished due to heavy central government taxation and cessation of foreign investment, and had many of its supposedly "bourgeois" elements purged. Following the central government's authorization of market-economic redevelopment of Shanghai in 1992, Shanghai has now surpassed early-starters Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has since led China's economic growth. Some challenges remain for Shanghai at the beginning of the 21st century, as the city struggles to cope with increased worker migration, a huge wealth gap, and environmental degradation. Despite these challenges, Shanghai's skyscrapers and modern lifestyle are often seen as representing China's recent economic development.

Shikumen

     Renovated shikumen lanes in Xintiandi,

     this tribute to old Shanghai

     is now a high end restaurant and shopping center.

One uniquely Shanghainese cultural element is the shikumen (石库门) residences, which are two or three-story townhouses, with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. Each residence is connected and arranged in straight alleys, known as a lòngtang (弄堂), pronounced longdang in Shanghainese. The entrance to each alley is usually surmounted by a stylistic stone arch. The whole resembles terrace houses or townhouses commonly seen in Anglo-American countries, but distinguished by the tall, heavy brick wall in front of each house. The name "shikumen" literally means "stone storage door", referring to the strong gateway to each house.

The shikumen is a cultural blend of elements found in Western architecture with traditional Lower Yangtze (Jiangnan) Chinese architecture and social behavior. All traditional Chinese dwellings had a courtyard, and the shikumen was no exception. Yet, to compromise with its urban nature, it was much smaller and provided an "interior haven" to the commotions in the streets, allowing for raindrops to fall and vegetation to grow freely within a residence. The courtyard also allowed sunlight and adequate ventilation into the rooms.

This style of housing originally developed when local developers adapted terrace houses to Chinese conditions. The wall was added to protect against fighting and looting during the Taiping rebellion, and later burglars and vandals during the social upheavals of the early twentieth century. By World War II, more than 80% of the population in the city lived in these kinds of dwellings. Many of these were hastily built and were akin to slums, while others were of sturdier construction and featured all modern amenities such as the flush toilet.

During and after World War II, massive population increases in Shanghai led many shikumen houses to be heavily subdivided. For example, the spacious living room is often divided into three or four rooms, each lent out to a family. These cramped conditions continue to exist in many of the shikumen districts that have survived recent development.

The landlords who leased (subletted) the shikumen out to other families were called "erfangdong"(二房东), or "second landlord" as many of them acquired the shikumen buildings from its original owner ("dafangdong"大房东). These landlords families usually share the same shikumen building with the tenants.