By Michael Hurwitz | Date: June 6th, 2014 | Category: Chinese Culture
Along with all the crazy stuff we usually write about here, history and culture are probably some of the top reasons people visit or choose to live in China.
The country is chock full of must-see historical sites as well as overrated boring ones, but how do you sort the wheat from the chaff?
No worries, I’ve done it all for you!
Below is my personal list of the top 10 historical sites in China (in an order I’m going to claim is meritocratic but is actually totally based on my personal tastes and biases), enjoy!
#10 Forbidden City, zǐ jìn chéng (紫禁城)
Though it’s one of the two or three most famous tourist attractions in China, I’m not a big fan of the Forbidden City.
For one, it’s always crammed full of tourists, but what turned me off the most is how none of the buildings are really real – they were all “restored” in the last few decades, and I’m told that they don’t even look like the original Forbidden City structures.
That said, it’s still a must-visit destination if you’re in Beijing.
Its importance to the city and the history of Chinese culture is absolutely enormous: it was the Imperial Palace until 1912 and was considered the foremost example of Chinese architecture and design. You can almost picture the hugely significant stuff that went down there for 600 years or so.
It also contains the pretty nifty Palace Museum, if you can fight your way through the crowds.
#9 Shaoshan - birthplace of Mao Zedong, sháo shān (韶山)
Shaoshan (韶山) is remarkable for its general unremarkableness – it’s a small town (by Chinese standards, which means it has around 100,000 people, a.k.a the population of Erie, PA).
Nestled in rural Hunan province, Shaoshan is mostly full of farms and other not-especially exciting stuff, save for one thing – it's the birthplace of Mao Zedong, one of the 20th century’s most important people.
It’s a fascinating place to visit for a couple reasons: it’s deeply profound to wander around and think about how such a humble place gave birth to a man who defined the “cult of personality” concept, and is as significant a figure in the 4,000 years of Chinese history as just about anyone.
In Shaoshan, you can go to his former residence and even see a not-very-flattering 30-foot bronze statue of the man himself.
Personally, though, I think it’s a choice destination for people-watching, as it’s engrossing to observe the sorts of people who make the pilgrimage there – older people, as you might expect, but also a surprising number of younger people trying to get a sense of a long-lost part of China’s not-too-distant past.
#8 Kashgar Bazaar, kā shí dà bā zhā (喀什大巴扎)
Xinjiang is probably the most interesting place in China: it’s where Central Asia and China meet.
The (occasionally hairy) collision of cultures is fascinating, if only because in urban Eastern China you rarely see Chinese culture genuinely interacting with other ones in concrete ways – in Xinjiang, and in Kashgar in particular, it’s a palpable mixture.
The Kashgar Bazaar is one of the world’s largest, and it really feels like a classic Middle Eastern market from a Lawrence Olivier movie, but with a ton of Chinese twists, including herds of animals sauntering around, refitted electronics and loud fake market-style bargaining sessions.
It was a massively important stop on the Silk Road for centuries, and is famously situated about halfway between Beijing and Rome. You can genuinely feel history and cultural blending at the Bazaar, to an extent that it’s a place you can sort of just stand around and absorb, which is really rare for a high-profile tourist site anywhere in the world.
#7 The Mogao Caves, mò gāo kū (莫高窟)
This series of hundreds of temples is built into the caves and rock faces of Western China’s Gansu province, adjacent to the ancient Silk Road route.
It’s hard to overstate the awe of seeing so many distinct temples and buildings built into natural features like that.
The Mogao site has been under the control of various groups, including the Tibetans, and was a key defense and commerce point on the Silk Road
The Silk Road is, I think, super fascinating in its own right, connecting Europe and China so long ago that it took over a year to travel between them - a year!
I loathe my 14 hour flight between Shanghai and New York so much that I put off booking it until the last minute, but these dudes just set off for China even though getting there took 12 freaking months. Ballsy.
#6 Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, nán jīng dà tú shā jī niàn guǎn (南京大屠杀纪念馆)
An incredibly sobering experience, to say the least.
The Nanjing Massacre, nán jīng dà tú shā (南京大屠杀) was the invasion and mass murder campaign carried out by Japanese soldiers in the late 1930’s, resulting in some 300,000 deaths.
A dark incident that continues to color relations between the countries, the Massacre is memorialized in this museum, which provides a detailed (if one sided) look at the horrors of the Massacre (also known as the “Rape of Nanking”).
It’s a modern, well-organized and very emotionally impactful museum. Visiting it reminded me of my first time at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, which I went to as a kid when it opened in the early 90’s.
The Massacre Memorial does a great job immersing you in the time and place. As an outsider who didn’t know much about the Massacre, I came away much more informed and much more aware of the history behind the city and country I was visiting.
#5 Site of first Communist Party Congress, "zhōng gòng yì dà" huì zhǐ (“中共一大”会址)
It may not look like much, but I’m a sucker for non-descript sites where important stuff happened.
Tucked away in a busy but otherwise not-notable Shanghai neighborhood, this building essentially gave birth to the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and changed the course of history.
Inside they’ve restored the building to it’s 1920’s glory and included a small museum of Party history. Really interesting if you’re a modern Chinese history enthusiast.
The Congress site gets bonus points for convenience, as it hardly requires the pilgrimage that Mao’s Shaoshan birthplace does.
I also love the irony of the fact that it’s about half a block from Xintiandi, a swanky complex of high-end restaurants, nightclubs and apartments that is about as un-Communist as it gets.
#4 Terracotta Army, bīng mǎ yǒng (兵马俑)
Not far from the large, modern city of Xi’an (very much worth visiting in its own right), the underground Terracotta Army (also often called “The Terracotta Warriors”) is actually the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, who was buried with over 8,000 full-size terracota figurines some 2,200 years ago.
It’s an amazing site to see in part because of the pure scale of it all: the tomb is almost a mile and a half long and contains hundreds of chariots and horses to go along with thousands of the warriors themselves.
The more recent history is also interesting: the tomb lay undiscovered for millennia until the unimaginably futuristic year of 1974, when a group of farmers digging a well stumbled upon it.
I also love how, because Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) was the first real emperor of China, the Terracota Army set an exceptional precedent for leadership afterlife decadence (“just bury me with 8,000 intricately-made terracotta soldiers, IS THAT SO HARD?!”), and subsequent emperors and prime ministers have basically been playing catch-up ever since.
#3 Lijiang’s Old Town, lì jiāng gǔ chéng (丽江古城)
Not as visually impressive as other sites, the Old Town section of Lijiang is high on the list because it’s so well-preserved and has a really unique vibe about it.
It’s packed full of small waterways and bridges around them. Unlike a lot of historical sites in China that have been “restored”, it actually maintains its old, thousand-year old charm while still being a place you can walk around and enjoy.
As with most of Yunnan, Lijiang’s Old Town is home to a rare confluence of cultures, and feels equal parts Chinese and Southeast Asian.
The Old Town holds a special place in my heart because it was the first place I experienced true “foreign celebrity” status in China: though there are a small number of foreign travelers there, most of the people you’ll encounter are tourists from elsewhere in China.
As such, I ended up spending over two hours taking pictures with excited/confused/terrified kids and parents, and even signed a few autographs.
This era of foreigners being so noteworthy in China is coming to an end, but a few years ago it was still in full swing down in Lijiang. Head there yourself and see if foreignness still connotes celebrity!
#2 Potala Palace in Lhasa, bù dá lā gōng (布达拉宫)
I’ll confess off the bat that I’ve never actually been to Potala – Tibet can be a tricky place to get into, and access is pretty much dependent on how often the area is in the headlines.
Potala is such a sought-after tourist destination, however, because of the amazing spirituality and history behind the place.
Construction dates to the 1640’s, but the site’s importance goes back much further: it’s named after the mythical Mount Potalaka, home of the central Buddhist figure Avalokiteśvara (say that ten times fast...or at all), and holds an important place in Buddhist history and culture.
The Potala Palace has also been restored in a much more subtle, respectful and accurate way than most other historical landmarks in China.
Though it began in 2002, Tibetan authorities were careful to use only traditional building methods and materials to preserve the Palace’s look but still allow access and ensure it survives the harsh, high-altitude conditions.
Some of the appeal is also the exclusivity: there is a daily quota of visitors (depends on the season, I believe), and it often gets reached by lunchtime, which means if you want in, you have to get there bright and early.
#1 Great Wall (the real parts), cháng chéng (长城)
It may be China’s best-known tourist attraction, but it’s for a good reason - the Wall is truly a spectacular site.
Situated an hour or so outside of Beijing, the Wall isn’t really just one site - there are about a half dozen well-known sites with good tourist infrastructure in place, but obviously the Wall itself runs for thousands of miles.
The best way to experience it is to wander away from the tourist-heavy, restored areas and find the quiet, run-down parts of the Wall - these are the original sections that have seen little restoration, and will give you the best idea of what the Wall was really like back in the days when stopping Mongol invaders was a top priority.
My favorite section of the Wall is probably Mutianyu (慕田峪). It receives its fair share of tourist traffic in the summer, but in the winter it is all but abandoned, and features a harrowing-but-gorgeous cable car ride through the area’s gorges.
Honestly though, just about anywhere on the Wall will do; the pure architectural scale is always on full display, and it’s so impressive that they were able to build something this big so long ago.
Anywhere you go, there are plenty of chances to climb to the top of the guard towers and look out over the surrounding hills and mountains and think about what it must have been like hundreds and hundreds of years ago to keep watch.
Now that you know about my favorite places in China, are there any on that list that you've visited? Or maybe there are some unmentioned places that you think deserve a spot in the top 10. I've love to hear about it in the comments section below!
By Michael Hurwitz | Date: November 26th, 2013 | Category: Chinese Culture
So you’re putting in the hours and blasting away at learning Chinese – congrats! It’s a challenging and rewarding journey. But how will you take advantage of your newly-earned language skills, while sharpening them and broadening your horizons ALL AT THE SAME TIME? By travelling through China, of course! Despite the occasional complaint that all of China’s cities look the same (there’s some truth to it, certainly), it’s nonetheless a ginormously ginormous country (approx. the size of the US including Alaska), and a surprisingly diverse one culturally, geographically and even linguistically.
Everyone knows the big cities and landmarks, but once you get past that, there are some remarkable, beautiful and (sometimes) not at all crowded places that make China such an enticing travel destination. I’m excited to share some of my favorite spots with you guys.
1. 西双版纳 (Xīshuāngbǎnnà)
East Asia and Southeast Asia collide in Xishuangbanna
Situated in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province and on the border with Thailand and Burma, Xishuangbanna is one of China’s most unique places. The area is centered around the city of Jinghong (景洪), and is about as far from the hustle and bustle of China’s east coast cities as you can get, with mountainous terrain and a substantial population of the Dai (傣) minority, as well as tons of good hiking and sightseeing and a very strong Southeast Asian influence. The architecture is particularly interesting, a mix of the blocky low-rise buildings you’ll find everywhere in China and golden-roofed structures that immediately scream THAILAND. I loved the 烧烤 (shāo kǎo, street BBQ) and just the general cultural mixing that you can’t really find elsewhere. The warm weather year-round doesn’t hurt either.
2. 阳朔 (Yángshuò)
Away from the crowds, Yangshuo is about as peaceful as China gets
This picturesque region is hardly off the beaten path, but it’s worth fighting the crowds: these mountains are all kinds of stunning. The town itself is kind of hit or miss and really touristy, but the relatively nearby city of Guilin (桂林) is pretty cool and wandering around Yangshuo you’ll encounter friendly locals and scenery that’s hard to match anywhere in the world. There’s rock climbing and other outdoor/adventure sports to be found, and the lakes and mountains bear a resemblance to New Zealand’s famous Mitre Peak. The scenery might be confusingly familiar to you, actually – Yangshuo was a direct inspiration for the floating mountains in the film Avatar, and the Li River and accompanying peaks are featured on the back of China’s 20 yuan bill. The upside of the crowds is that there’s good tourism infrastructure, though I preferred the quiet parts and scenery myself.
3. 大理 (Dàlǐ)
I was briefly part of a very beneficent biker gang in Dali
Another classic Yunnan backpacker spot, Dali is possibly the most laid-back place in China, which is actually a pretty laid-back country on the whole. It’s a really interesting combination of old and new, with cobblestone streets, good, modern infrastructure, some very nice hostels (the Jade Emu was the nicest hostel I’ve stayed at anywhere in the world). Lakes, mountains and rice paddies are seemingly piled on top of each other, and easy access to the amazing Tiger Leaping Gorge (pictured below) makes Dali a must-hit destination if you’re in China. There’s also an interesting cultural mix going on here, and I loved biking around and practicing my Mandarin out on minorities who were still learning it themselves!
Me looking much cooler than normal at Tiger Leaping Gorge
4. 峨嵋山 (Emei Shan/Mt. Emei)
Cultural and religious significance is everywhere in Emei Shan, amid some awesome scenery
Located smack-dab in the middle of the country in Sichuan Province, Emei Shan is not quite as heavy on the scenery as some of its better known counterparts. What it lacks in views (the views are still awesome, though), it makes up for in height (3,100m/10171ft) and significance, as Emei Shan is one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism. Adherents made pilgrimages there every year, a practice known in Chinese as cháobài shèng shān(朝拜圣山), literally “pilgrimage to a holy mountain.” I actually haven’t personally been, but friends tell me you can sort of feel the weight and significance of the place, not unlike how a trip to Gettysburg or other sites of historical or religious significance can convey a certain sense of importance and power. Despite its momentousness, crowds are not a problem at Emei Shan, and there are monasteries and a cool variety of animals (monkeys!) around to enjoy after you’ve soaked in the spiritual weight of the place. It’s also not far from the乐山大佛 (Lèshān Dàfó), the huge carved Buddah head at Leshan that is not to be missed.
5. 司马台 (Simatai)/ 慕田峪 (Mutianyu) on the Great Wall
A well-insulated me and my very patient mom take in the view at Mutianyu
The Great Wall of China (chángchéng,长城) is about as touristy as it gets, but there are some spots that are still worth checking out. If you want authentic, Simatai is the way to go, as most of it isn’t restored or refitted for tourists. The Wall is crumbling in places, and the history and gravity are amazing to experience as you ruminate on how long this thing had been here and how hard it must have been to build it. I’m a fairly experienced hiker but this was a definite challenge, as the Wall gets very steep in places, but it’s worth the trip for the authenticity and history if you’re into that kind of thing.
Mutianyu is a bit more crowded and tourist-oriented, but the views are amazing. I was there in December (about as much cold as my Midwestern blood could handle), and with snow everywhere it’s the type of site you won’t quite be able to find anywhere else in the world. There’s a cable-car that offers an at-times-frightening-but-scenically-dramatic experience, and though most of it is restored, the towers themselves are generally in original condition and make great photo spots and lookout points. In the winter, in fact, it tends to be nearly abandoned on the wall itself, and with bus service from Beijing fairly spotty that time of year, it can be a serene and beautiful experience.
6. 上海 (Shànghǎi)
Here I am enjoying the spoils of a Shanghai summer’s day
My adopted home city is really unlike any place in the world, and even though everyone says that about everywhere, I seriously totally mean it. Often described as China’s showpiece, it’s a case study in what happens when a preposterously old and established culture meets the late 20th century head-on. The best word to describe it is 热闹 (rènao), a hard-to-translate term that basically means bustling, happening, or busy, but with a highly positive connotation. There’s just an unavoidable feeling that this is where things are happening, and it’s palpable to locals, long-term visitors and tourists alike. Aside from the standard tourist itinerary (skip Yu Gardens if you enjoy sanity), the best thing to do is just wander around the city’s older neighborhoods and see how the classic and the modern mix in ways you never thought possible.
7. 大明山 (Dàmíngshān/ Mt. Daming)
I made a new friend atop Damingshan’s summit
Easily accessible from Hangzhou, Daming Shan is the laid-back alternative to the region’s main tourist hotspot, Huangshan (黄山). While there are still crowds, especially in the summer, they’re paltry compared to the mountain’s more famous counterparts, and the views are no less stunning. It’s a lengthy but not especially challenging walk up the mountain (nearly every mountain in China has stairs, for some reason), there’s great scenery throughout and a casual air to the mountain, as well. My favorite part of the trail was the elevated walkway, affixed to the side of the mountain only by rivets and so many prayers to various deities that it not fall that particular day. The tiny town at the base of the mountain features no ATMs but lots of local color and inexpensive beer to while away the evening with residents and visitors.
8. 内蒙古 (Inner Mongolia)
My accommodations were not without their charms...
China’s border regions tend to be really interesting, if only because Chinese culture tends to mix with others in unexpected ways. Case in point is Inner Mongolia, a province (“Autonomous Region” more accurately) made up mostly of desert, mountains and high plains up on the border with Mongolia and a bit of Russia. It’s very, very cold and a bit sparse, but the scenery is fantastic and you can do cool stuff like stay in a yurt and ride horses. Hohhot (呼和浩特, Hūhéhàotè) is the largest city, but the cool stuff is out in the boondocks and at the very not touristy sections of the Great Wall you can find here. It’s actually fascinating to drive a couple hours from a pretty modern, standard Chinese-looking city and find people (here, ethnic Mongols but Chinese citizens, who make up about 20% of the population) living a lifestyle not all that different from the one they lived centuries ago. It’s one of the only places I’ve seen in the PRC where almost every sign is bilingual (Chinese and the vertically-written Mongolian), and where the local culture mixes with the dominant Han culture very harmoniously.
9. 新疆 (Xīnjiāng)
Frozen lakes and snowy mountains won me over despite my preferences for sunny beaches and frozen margaritas
For most travellers coming from overseas, Xinjiang is a bit off the radar, and it’s kind of hard to get to (it’s as far from Shanghai as Las Vegas is from New York), but it is very decidedly worth the trip. If you like mountains, lakes, and outdoor activities, there’s really nowhere in Asia better than Xinjiang, which means “new frontier” in Mandarin and is a split fairly evenly between Han Chinese and the local Uighurs, a Turkic people that are more Middle Eastern than East Asian in culture and appearance. There’s tons of history to be taken in, as the region was a pivotal point on the ancient Silk Road between China, the Middle East and Europe, and has historically been seen as a cultural pivot point of sorts. I really can’t reiterate enough that the mountains are stunning; the Tianshan mountains are part of the same range that features the Himalayas, and while many parts aren’t really accessible, the hiking is sublime and the people in rural areas are astoundingly friendly, as they don’t encounter Westerners very often. The food is also exceedingly fantastic.
Before I went a friend told me that Xinjiang is “the least Chinese place in China,” but I’m not sure that’s true. I think Chinese culture is so old and substantial that we often consider it a monolithic entity, whereas in reality, Uighurs and Han have been interacting for thousands of years. They, and Xinjiang, are as “Chinese” as a Beijing-raised Han is, in my book at least.
By Michael Hurwitz | Date: January 30th, 2014 | Category: Chinese Culture
So you’ve landed in Shanghai - I know it seems intimidating. People everywhere, signs in a different language, and it kind of smells weird. I get it. And when you’ve got to find your way around, navigating a Shanghai street can seem like an insurmountable challenge. But here’s the thing: it's actually a fun, rewarding and surprisingly easy experience! The city is gifted with reliable, super cheap public transport, and it’s laid out in a pretty simple way. So, here are my tips and fun facts for navigating China’s best city (there I said it).
Metro (or Subway, or Train, where I’m from it’s called the Metro)
Shanghai’s metro is the largest in the country, and I can say first hand, it’s actually pretty wonderful. Clean, reliable, and well-planned, the metro - dìtíe (地铁) - is exceptionally easy to navigate and the whole system is entirely bilingual, with announcements and maps in Mandarin, English and most recently Shanghainese (on some lines)!
Fun facts and even funner things to do on the metro:
The system is super easy to navigate because it was pretty much all built at once - construction started in 1993, and as recently as 2007 there were only 5 lines, compared to 14 today.
Last New Year’s Eve, the system handled 9 million passenger trips - that’s 12x what Washington DC’s venerable Metro system handles on an average day.
If you’re bored, hop on a random line and take it to the end - what you see out there has little in common with the city you started in, even though they’re all part of Shanghai (the world’s largest city) proper.
Do a “dìtíe (地铁) crawl” on the circular Line 4 loop, getting off and drinking a convenience store beer at every stop. Note: Line 4 has 26 stops, so if you actually do this you are a badass.
What I’ve also noticed about all these systems is that, because they’re in China, no expense is spared on building the stations and designing a convenient system. China is in a weird economic position in which the country is wealthy enough to build elaborate and extensive metro systems. However, the people are still poor enough (on average) to not have cars. Thus, an inordinately high number of people depend on these systems for getting around, resulting in some pretty fantastic and crowded subway systems.
Anyway, Shanghai’s system is designed so that all the stations are similar and easy to navigate, but some stations stand out more than others. Some of my favorite stations include the following:
Zhongshan Park - Zhōngshān Gōngyuán (中山公园) - built into an enormous mall, there is a huge food court just 10 meters from the station exit for your snacking needs. This place is so convenient, when my mom visited last December she stayed a hotel attached to the mall and didn’t ever have to go outside, which is great when you don’t bring a jacket (c’mon Mom, seriously, it’s December, what did you expect?).
Shanghai Railway Station - Shànghǎi Huǒchē Zhàn (上海火车站) - this is one of the oldest stations on the system (attached to the city’s biggest intercity train station), and frankly it kind of sucks, but it has so much character! The walk between lines 3 and 4 1) is long and goes through this mini bootleg mall full of bizarre stuff and people yelling in regional dialects and 2) it smells like smoke and is too hot in winter and cold in summer, but it’s just so beautifully Shanghai that I love it.
Shaanxi Nan Lu - Shǎnxī Nán Lù (陕西南路) - to transfer between lines here, you have to go outside, cross a busy street and hustle up a long block toward the always packed Huaihai Lu. You can only transfer if you have a general transport card, called “jiāotōng kǎ” (交通卡). However, your window is only 20 (supposedly 30 but I’m not convinced) minutes, so you have to book it and put your very life in danger to save that 3rmb! It’s fun to watch people risking life and limb and spilled coffee for the free transfer, I must admit.
Taxis
Taxis are actually the primary China urban transport method for some people; they’re (relatively) cheap and plentiful, and the drivers tend to be exceptionally knowledgeable about the city. Every city operates their taxis differently, but here in Shanghai, there’s a hierarchy of taxi companies that you should keep in mind to optimize your taxi experience (they all have the same pricing structure though)!
White cabs - jīnjiāng chūzūchē (锦江出租车) are the best cabs, clean and generally very professional, grab one of these if you can.
Light blue cabs - dàzhòng chūzūchē (大众出租车), the oldest cab company in the city. Usually have the most knowledgeable drivers, so if you need to get to/from somewhere obscure or far-flung, there are your guys (and gals)! I had a blue cab driver once who told me he’d been driving a cab since 1982 and that back then, the street I live on (Xinhua Lu) was still sometimes referred to by it’s pre-Communist English name, Amherst Avenue.
Gold cabs - jiàngshēng chūzūchē (强生出租车) are also pretty decent, a good alternative to the white/blue ones. In my experience, Qiangsheng drivers have more leeway in customizing their cars, so you’re likely to get those crazy beaded seat covers or random Western music (I heard Hank Wilson and Eminem in the same ride once) blaring from an iPod. Fun fact: 强生 is the Chinese adaptation of “Johnson,” which I suppose is just the most generic Western-sounding name they could think of? Imagine if a taxi company in the US was called “Old Wang’s Taxi Co.” (note: this is a great idea).
Red cabs (various companies) are truly the vehicles of last resort. Private drivers or smaller companies are required to use red or burgundy cabs and they often have uninformed, rude drivers and, shall we say, less than ideal interior situations. They’re also much more likely to try to take a circuitous route or otherwise rip you off, so avoid these cabs if possible. I once got picked up by one of these guys when he was obviously very drunk. He slowed down so as to not make a green light (!) so I just got out of the cab and walked away as he yelled “NOOO!!” in English like a B-movie villain.
Bus
Unlike the metro, buses run late into the night, making them a good after-partying option, but fair warning - buses tend to be the least pleasant way to traverse the city and generally aren’t popular with foreigners. The drivers aren’t so good with starting/stopping smoothly so you’d better hold on for dear life, and if you’re small you might get shoved around a little bit. BUT also unlike the metro, there is a flat rate for taking the bus: 2rmb. So you can make your way across the entirety of the world’s largest city for just 33 cents US, can’t beat that price. In some of the outer suburbs, in fact, some of the buses feature air conditioning while others don’t - and the non-A/C ones only cost 1rmb! So if you can tolerate the heat/cold and are saving up for a convenience store baozi or something, you’ve got options.
Few Chinese bus systems feature English maps or navigation aids, even in Shanghai, but that’s OK! They’re actually really easy to navigate if you can read or even memorize a few Chinese characters.
Every bus stop has a sign that looks like the photo on the left. Your current location is highlighted in red. If you know the characters of the intersection you’re going to, just scan left from your current location until you find them! Bonus points for being able to read Chinese written vertically old-school style. I've learned to decipher these signs, and you can find a way as well. That's part of the fun!
However you choose to make your way through Shanghai, you'll be delighted at the low price and constant entertainment of the crowded public transportation system. Be brave and try it out next time you're there! Your city experience won't be complete without it.