Destination: Shanghai

Standing in the airport, I often play the If I could, where would I go? game. It involves scanning the departure boards full of names of destinations all over the globe and choosing the destination that appeals most at that moment. Having recently discovered the exceptional service aboard Jet Airways, it’s easy to choose destinations this airline flies to because getting there is half the fun! And so, a trip to Shanghai aboard Jet Airways turned out to be the perfect getaway and the experience of a lifetime.

Arriving in Shanghai
It’s easy for travel-weary visitors to Shanghai to arrive and find themselves surveying their surroundings with a touch of wonder, then engaging in a geographical guessing game: Where in the world am I?  Especially under the cover of night, Shanghai channels a rather intercontinental vibe. It’s a little bit Hong Kong, a little bit Paris and perhaps a little bit Manhattan. But as the dawn breaks, Shanghai emerges from the shadows as an inimitable metropolis all its own, not just a city of lights at night and more than the sum of its soaring skyscrapers. Shanghai is a burgeoning example of East meets West, at the heart of a collision between old and new.

And who’s winning the battle? It’s tough to say. As tradition and transformation jostle for their rightful positions, both hold their ground. Teenage girls dressed in designer jeans with iPhones cradled tenderly to their ears swarm the shopping malls, like their counterparts the world over. But just a short stroll down the street, the local markets of this former fishing town, selling every manner of animal, vegetable and mineral, take unsuspecting tourists by surprise, making them feel as though they’ve stumbled upon a centuries-old, sepia-tinged moment, frozen in time.

2010 World Expo
The world is about to get up close and personal with Shanghai as the city prepares to take center stage next year and throw open its doors for all the world to enter. Touting a slogan of Better City, Better Life for World Expo 2010, Shanghai is increasing its efforts to raise awareness about eco-friendly living, improve the city’s level of function and show the world what community can accomplish and what world-class means in Shanghai.
As the host of the 2010 World Expo, Shanghai has its work cut out. Some twenty million people already call the city home but World Expo is expected to lure an additional 70 million visitors between May 1 and October 31. And considering that jaws around the globe became unhinged as rival city Beijing unveiled its spectacular Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the pressure to impress is most certainly on.

As the dawn breaks, Shanghai emerges from the shadows as an inimitable metropolis all its own, not just a city of lights at night and more than the sum of its soaring skyscrapers.

So, a city of this size and stamina rises to the challenge in more ways than one. Shanghai is building up, up, up, with new high-rises and skyscrapers being added to the city’s developing skyline at every turn. Currently boasting 4,000 skyscrapers (and counting), Shanghai’s upward expansion is aggressive. And its construction plans for Expo alone, even more so. Five metro lines, two cross-river tunnels and three ferry docks are all being planned to help politely usher the influx of visitors from one end of the city to the other. Furthermore, two airports, three railway stations, a 400-kilometre metro line network, a 700-kilometre expressway system and a large number of parking lots are all being designed to help further the imperative cause of order and efficiency. Shanghai currently has 310 star-rated hotels with 58, 575 rooms available to bed the arriving throngs with another 80 hotels with a three or higher star rating slated for completion by 2010.