Travel Tips: Beijing and Shanghai, China - Places to See, Things to Do

Recently, I've been asked by two different friends about where to go, what to see, and what to do in Beijing and Shanghai. Below is a summary of some of the best things to do in these cities if you only have a few days (some of the 'insider tips' after having lived in China for 3 years). Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Beijing (besides the usual Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen, Summer Place):
1. try to get to one of the many big public parks very early in the morning, say 7am or so to see old people practicing tai-chi.
2. go on a 'Hutong' tour - when I was living in BJ, there used to be guides offering tourists tricycle rides around the Houhai area. (see pic to the left) They'll take you around the 'Hutongs' or alleyway houses in the area - the traditional Beijing courtyard houses. Sadly, like much of China's real culture, many have been razed to make way for new developments. See them before only a few sanitized ones remain. A really nice pitstop is the Passby Bar (it's also a café with both Chinese and western food) - a hip backpacker favorite inside a Hutong.
3. not sure if the Beijing Dragonboating club is still active but it was when I was there - they practice Saturday mornings from 8am-11am on Houhai. The club is composed of both expats and local Chinese.
4. definitely have the famous Beijing duck - one of the best places is on the corner of Gongti Bei Lu and the 3rd ring road. Unfortunately don't remember the name but the restaurant is very popular with both tourists and locals alike.

Shanghai:
1. visit the museum in Xiantiandi that gives a history on Shanghai's shikumen - Shanghai's traditional stone-gated alley houses: architecturally, very different than Beijing's Hutong's. Xiantiandi is also one of the hippest and most expensive retail/dining areas in Shanghai.
2. take a boat tour down the Huangpu - the boats have English narration giving the history of the Bund from colonial days to present (but you have to stay close to the speaker to hear what they are saying) - (The Bund - see picture to the left)
3. take the Maglev to the airport - it's the world's first and boy, did the Chinese did a good job at milking the Germans for their technology and investment dollars!... Sadly, like so much of China's shoddy construction, the Maglev track is actually sinking... it's still operational... for now.
4. visit one of the nearby watertowns - Zhouzhuang is very touristy, others include Wu Zhen, Luzhi, Tongli, and Xitang (picture to the left). They're China's version of Venice. Except for Zhouzhuang, I think all the rest are actual living watertowns. Xitang was the site where one of the scenes for Mission Impossible 3 was shot.
5. visit Xi Hu, in Hangzhou or 'West Lake' - about 2-3 hrs by train from Shanghai to Hangzhou. This is probably one of the more scenic spots near Shanghai.