Throughout the past century, Shanghai has had numerous titles attached to it; such as "Paris of the Orient" and "Pearl of China." Images of Shanghai, more than any other Chinese city, are bountiful in the west. A visit here, therefore, is naturally tainted to some extent with a preconception of how the city will be.

As the largest and most prosperous city in the nation, Shanghai is the economic, financial and cultural center of China, while Beijing is the political heart. This image of Shanghai as a fast and modern metropolis is certainly the one that most visitors take away.

Shanghai is a modern and fast-paced city, rich in history and culture and with a wealth of areas and sites just waiting to be explored. One of the nicest aspects of Shanghai is that the crowds here are much more manageable than in a city like Beijing. This is largely because there are no great ancient sites to which people flock to. Rather, this is a city to be walked, wandered, explored and discovered in your own time and, in your own style.

What makes Shanghai particularly attractive are the many different styles of architecture and design throughout the city. Shanghai was once divided up into different "Concessions" or districts and the boundaries of these areas still remain today. The famous Bund was home to the "British Public Park," and this boulevard has a plethora of colonial structures to visit, all reminders of Shanghai's days of decadence.

The Japanese and the French Concessions too, are fascinating areas to explore. The French Quarter is a particularly charming district to wander, and there are many former residences to look at while discovering something about old Shanghai and the people who lived here. The area known as the "Chinese City" is also worthy of a visit. Take a break from the tourists around the Yuyuan and do some serious antique shopping or just lose yourself amidst the old alleys and streets.

However, perhaps most of all, today Shanghai is a spectacularly modern city. The pace of development here is unbelievable. Currently, seventeen percent of the world's cranes are in the city and developers boast that the city is changing at a rate incomparable to anywhere else in the world ever. The newest area of the city, Pudong, has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and is almost unrecognizable from the way it was when development began. In addition, most companies in the Fortune 500 list nowadays have set up an office or even Asia-pacific headquarters in Shanghai while many big retailers from around the world set up their Shanghai office as the most important sourcing or buying office in the company.

For any visitor to China, perhaps the most attractive thing about this city is just how fashionable it is. Museums, galleries, restaurants and bars have emerged in the past few years. This cosmopolitan cultural scene that harkens back to the heydays of the 1920s and 30s and the newfound wealth in the city are helping to reinvent Shanghai as a place with a fabulous and optimistic style and attitude.