Watching a "live" movie - the guy changes the settings by tugging on the strings and provides the music and narration. It's like a one-man cartoon movie. 

Chenghuang Temple Sights (Don't be mistaken - the place is a shopping mall. To enter the Chenghuang Temple, one has to pay!) 

If you really want a comparison, Chenghuang Temple Shopping Street is like the Chinatown of China. Get the irony? 

Chenghuang Temple Market
The most famous place in Shanghai to enjoy the true flavor of authentic Shanghai food is Chenghuang Temple Market, which serves a large variety of pure Shanghai food.

Different from the sweet taste of Cantonese and Hong Kong food and the spicy flavor of Sichuan and Chongqing food, Shanghai snack food is well-known for being light, fresh and tasty. Among them, the most popular are Tangbao (steamed dumplings filled with minced meat and gravy), Baiye (boiled thin sheets of bean curd) and Youmianjin (soft, fired fermented dough that?s hollow).

Have you ever had the chance to taste Chinese dumplings, one of the best-known traditional Chinese foods? If you haven?t, it?s a real shame?dumplings are essential parts of many Chinese festivals and are, on top of that, delicious! But one of the best is a unique kind of dumpling filled with gravy or soup stalk called tangbao. They?re small and delicately made with a thin layer of dough and abundant stuffing, tangbao taste best when filled with crab or shrimp, but different combinations are often equally as good. When you take a bite of the soft exterior shell, some gravy with pleasant smell will flow out. Certainly not short on taste, tangbao are nearly impossible to resist. Although the first one isn't free, they?re relatively inexpensive and have been noted for their addictive qualities.

Baiye is another kind of tempting snack which is made of several thin layers of bean curd. It looks very much like a bow-tie and is usually mixed with rib soup after being boiled. Salt and chopped green onions are later added to the mix to make it taste better.

Youmianjin are small fermented dough balls made from flour powder. Having been deep-fried, they are also blended with boiling rib soup. Then a lot of seasoning is added to enhance the snack?s flavor. When you are enjoying them, you?ll find they?re tasty but not too greasy.

Here is a question. Is it possible to enjoy North American style Thanksgiving food in Shanghai? The answer is a definite yes! Among all of Shanghai's delicious snack food, there is also one known as ?pumpkin pie?. However, the major difference from the traditional pumpkin pie lies in its size and ingredients. In essence, it?s a ?mini-pumpkin pie? and the crust is made from sticky rice and pumpkin. But what's the filling made of? Is it more pumpkin? Perhaps a special kind of Chinese gourd? To relieve the mounting suspense, it?s minced cashew, that?s both sweet and fragrant. So, it?s not exactly a pumpkin pie, but does manage to produce the same, warm feeling.

There are hundreds of kinds of snack foods in Shanghai. A complete introduction to them would take weeks?if not months?and perhaps offer a few extra pounds for the investment. It would be quite a feat of hedonism to enjoy them all at once! But if you want to try them, come and join our tour in snack kingdom to find out more about food!
 

The day is too young. Wait a while longer and the people throng the streets! 

Street hawker (sight from our hotel room) 

Shanghai on Christmas Day 

Crowd, people, and more crowd, more people... 

Nanjing Street is so crowded! 

Nanjing Street (as it got later). This is the crowd on 24 Dec 05. Incredibly crowded. 

Orient Pearl TV Tower
The Orient Pearl TV Tower is 468 meters high, the tallest in Asia and third tallest in the world. It faces the Bund across the Huangpu River. When viewed from the Bund, the tower and the Nanpu and Yangpu bridges create a vivid imagery known as "two dragons playing with a pearl." The sphere at the top has a diameter of 45 meters and is 263 meters above ground. The observation deck in the sphere offers a sweeping view of the city. The revolving restaurant is set at 267 meters above Pudong New Area. The dance ball, piano bar and 20 karaoke rooms, at 271 meters, are also opened to the public. The penthouse, which sits at 350 meters, has an observation deck, meeting room, and coffee shop. The tower integrates broadcasting technologies with sightseeing, catering, shopping, amusement, and accommodations. It has become the symbol of the city and a major tourist attraction in Shanghai.

 

The Oriental Pearl Tower and the Pearl Tower Hotel 

The wonders of long exposure 

"Heaven and Hell" 

The lit tracks of the Bund Transit Train for tourists. The train runs under the Huang Pu River and it costs a lot to do this crossing! 

"Entering the ocean" 

More lighting effects in the tunnel 

The bund is a hive of activity and crowded to high heavens! 

The famous Peace Hotel, where Dr Sun Yat-sen and Song Qingling tied their nuptial knot 

The Bund
The well-known Bund is a must for visitors to Shanghai. Fifty-two buildings lining the narrow shoreline of the Huangpu River offer a living exhibition of Gothic, Baroque,Roman,Classic Revival and Renaissance architectural styles, as well as combinations of Chinese and Western styles. They are also a condensation of the recent history of the city. The wide embankment offers ample room for strolling and is used by locals for morning exercises and evening gatherings. In the evening, colorful lights illuminate the area and create a shimmering image deserving of the name Pearl of the Orient.