Things to see in Shanghai and the South

Some of the most beautiful scenery in China is in the province of Guangxi, around the town of Guilin, 35h by train and 1h 40 by plane from Shanghai.

The Cultural Revolution was a black period for Chinese arts. For ten years its craftsmen, led by Mao Tse Tung and his wife Jiang Qing, carefully annihilated any artistic creation. Intellectuals, painters, poets and film-makers were sent to work camps, prison, or were assassinated. Part of the artistic heritage - pottery, calligraphy and precious embroidery - was destroyed. Since then, China has undertaken restoration work on some tourist sites.

The people.

Nanjing and Shanghai are the two cities with the most monuments, temples and mausoleums. Take a cruise on the Huangpu River in Shanghai and discover the heart of the city on each side of the legendary Bund. Take in the skyscrapers in the Pudong district for a real journey into the future! Nanjing is more traditional, with its main attraction being Purple Mountain, an immense park home to the Temple of Confucius and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

> Shanghai has numerous commercial thoroughfares to satisfy even the wildest shopping sprees. Nanjing Road (Nanjing Lu), Huaihai Road (Huaihai Lu), Sichuan Road (Sichuan Bei Lu) and Tibet Road are a haven for those in need of serious retail therapy.

Evenings in Shanghai are far from boring. In terms of shows, the Shanghai Acrobatic Theatre puts on amazing traditional spectacles every evening. You can also choose from a karaoke bar, the Real Love techno club and an evening at the Peace Hotel, where a Chinese orchestra plays jazz from the 1930s every night.

Shanghai has a multitude of museums, meaning there's something for everyone. It's impossible to name them all, but we recommend the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Shanghai Museum, and the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum.

Shanghai and the Jiangsu Province are home to many green havens where you can take a relaxing walk through the idyllic scenery. These include Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai and Lake Taihu in Wuxi.