Tours

Partner Tours

The partner tours will run on the afternoon of Thursday 6th September 2007. You may select to participate in either of the two options below when registering.

Option 1 - A Taste of Old Shanghai
Confucian Temple, Yu Yuan Gardens and shopping at Old Town

Shanghai Confucian Temple

Shanghai Confucian Temple is the only ancient architectural complex combining temple and school in downtown Shanghai to worship Confucian culture-Confucius.

Built in 1855 on the site of the Zitong Clan Temple, and most recently restored to celebrate the 2,550th birthday of Confucius in 1999 (after serving as a Children's Palace), this temple honoring China's Great Sage is a quiet refuge from the crowded streets of Old Town nearby. The narrow winding lane that leads to it from Henan Lu on the east gives a true picture of urban life in Shanghai. The entrance opens on the courtyard of the newly renovated Dacheng Hall. Inside are statues of Confucius flanked by his two disciples, Mencius and Yanhui, and his two favorite musical instruments, a drum and set of bells. Behind this hall and to the right (northeast) is Zunjin (Scripture Esteeming) Tower, the former library now containing a display of miniature rock gardens in pots. Southward from here, along the eastern corridor of the complex, is Mingling Pavilion, a former lecture hall now housing a gallery of wooden sculptures, and a pretty goldfish pool with a large "Tai Hu" rock. The final structure, back near the entrance, is Kuixing Ge (Liberal Arts Star Tower). Consecrated to the god of liberal arts upon its construction in 1855, this three-story, 20m (66-ft.) high pagoda is the only original structure left on these tranquil grounds.

Yu Yuan Garden & Shanghai Old Town

In Shanghai's 'Old Town' district are the Yu Yuan Gardens, the cities most famous example of the traditional garden's kept by wealthy families in the Ming & Qing Dynasties. This traditional Garden is a masterpiece of beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes, bridges and rock formations. So much so that during it's construction, the emperor Wan Li of the Ming Dynasty, personally visited the site to ensure that the Garden did not better his own. This small park is located in the heart of Shanghai's old Chinese quarter. Built in 1559, in the Suzhou style by a high official in honor of his father, the garden has maintained its classic beauty over centuries. The Pavilion of Spring in the northeast section of the park is famous for being the headquarters of the anti-imperialist "Little Sword Society"', who in 1853 led an uprising against the Qing dynasty rulers and occupied Shanghai for 17 months. Weapons, coins and other objects used by the society are now housed in an exhibition hall.

After investigating the Garden's spend time wandering through the markets and bazaar's of Shanghai's Old Town. This area has been recreated to remind travelers both national and international about the character of Shanghai prior to the Concession era of the late 1800's and early 1900's. A great opportunity to get your souvenir shopping done while soaking in the atmosphere of old Shanghai.

Option 2
Pudong New Area, Oriental Pearl TV Tower and History Museum

Puddong

The Pudong New Area, with a size of 522 square kilometers and a population of 1.63 million, is a triangular area to the east of the Huangpu River and to the west of the Yangtze River estuary. It occupies the central spot of China's coastal line where the Yangtze River pours into the East China Sea. With the developed downtown Shanghai and the vast and rich Yangtze River Delta in its west precincts, the new area has an easy access to economically-developed countries and regions on the Pacific Rim and in Southeast Asia. Launched by the government as a development zone in April 1990, the geographic location offers the area exceptional advantages. Pudong has four major districts - the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone (location of Pudong Shangri-La).

Oriental Pearl Tower

Looking more like something out of "Blade Runner" than "The Good Earth" the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai is one of the world's great towers. At first glance it appears to be molded in the most modern of styles. But a more careful study reveals that it, like most modern Asian architecture, it still adheres to traditional norms. The spheres hang in the sky like perfect pearls, reflecting in the Huangpu River they seem perfectly at home amid the lush greenery surrounding. In fact, the tower is the host of eleven spheres, or pearls, that appear to be dropping from the sky onto a jade plate; two very traditional, very Chinese, precious elements. From a more practical standpoint, the tower serves as a radiating point for a number of television and radio stations in Shanghai, beaming signals over a 44-mile radius. It has a high-speed double-decker elevator plus two standard elevators that whisk up to 50 people at a time to the attractions in the skyscraper. The tower is such an important landmark and a fascination to tourists that its 1,148-foot high observation deck was opened to the public seven months before the building was completed.

Shanghai History Museum

The new Shanghai History Museum, located now just below the Oriental TV Tower at Pudong New Area, was formally opened to the public on July 1, 2000. There are three major exhibition units reflecting Shanghai's history, modern and recent revolutionary history.

Founded in September 1983, Shanghai History Museum was formerly known as Shanghai Historical Relic Exhibition Hall and got the present name in 1991. In 1992, the Museum was moved to Hongqiao Road as the temporary site, and the exhibition hall was expanded to 1,400 square meters. The 40,000-plus exhibits collected by the Museum reflect the historic vicissitudes of the Shanghai city.

Many historical exhibits -- bronze tigers which originally stood in front of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, printing machines the Commercial Press bought from the United States in the 1920s, a model of the Bund set in the 1930s and the model of the Hardoon Garden -- are now already in their new home in Pudong.

In a 4,000-square-metre exhibition hall, the 1,000 artifacts and exhibits are elaborately arranged to revive the old Shanghai. Amidst the unique shikumen, or stone-arched houses and various Chinese shops, visitors are able to savour the charm of the oriental metropolis, once the largest city in the Far East.

Most exciting for many will be the "performing zone". Every day, performances are staged to tell the history of different periods -- from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1940s. Audiences can experience the old atmosphere with the help of the actors' songs and verbal and body languages.

A documentary about the Jewish influx to Shanghai to escape the Holocaust is on display regularly at the museum.