After living in the concrete jungle for more than four years, I have mainly positive things to say about Shanghai. From an environmental perspective, the city has improved quite a lot over the last few years. And the living standard for foreigners is quite high.
Hey – you can even find an Italian restaurant on nearly every street corner. Is that an advantage for an Asian city by the way? I think so.
Gigantic cities without green lungs is like potato chips without salt. It just doesn’t work. So after spending countless hours tracking down (and successfully finding) the parks and wildlife places in Shanghai, I planned to show you some of my pictures:
)
Table of Contents
- Pictures from Nature Spots and Parks in Shanghai, China
- Tips for Foreigners/Tourists Seeking Nature Spots in and Around Shanghai
- Is it more Wildlife in Shanghai compared to Beijing?
- Yes. Slightly.
Pictures from Nature Spots and Parks in Shanghai, China
The Bund Bike Ride
One of the great nature experiences in Shanghai can be found by The Bund. “The Bund” refers to the seaside by Huangpu River – and the Chinese government have developed a fantastic bike track that lasts about 8 kilometers.
Biking down The Bund seeing skyscrapers to the left and feeling the breeze from the legendary river on your right….AMAZING!
Zhongshan Park
Probably the best and most legendary park in Shanghai. Zhongshan Park can be found in Changning district. Loads of Chinese old men fly their kites, play Chinese chess and talk about the weather. If you want to find a real, local experience: head over to Zhongshan Park.
Century Park (in Pudong)
Century Park is the single biggest park in Shanghai. In fact, as it is located on the East side of Huangpu River, you can actually find some wildlife here. Going to Century Park with a couple of beers and some good friends on a Sunday afternoon….10/10.
General nature pictures from Shanghai
It´s not like the rest of the city is concrete…at least not ALL of it. Here are some other pictures that I have taken over the last five years in Shanghai:
PS! Please note that all pictures have been taken by me or my friends – and that you can only use these pictures if you ask me. I do not pretend that they are NICE pictures, but I know for a fact that the demand for “nature pictures from China” is quite high on the Internet! 😉
Tips for Foreigners/Tourists Seeking Nature Spots in and Around Shanghai
Believe me, you would want to read these tips if you are visiting any park or nature spot around Shanghai:
#1: Do I need to buy my way into this park…? YUP!
Most of the parks demand you to buy an entrance ticket. Zhongshan Park or Jingan Park do not – and I would consider these as possibly the best parks in Shanghai.
Here is a map that shows where Zhongshan Park is (the big red dot) and Jingan Park (the ugly, small, red dot):
If you are a tourist in Shanghai, the chances are that you are living really close to at least one of these parks.
#2: 1.4 billion people…say no more
If you hate crowds, do not visit the parks during “rush hour”. And the “rush hours” for a park is on Saturdays and Sundays between 09:00 and 18:00.
In fact, I would say that most people should be able to handle these crowds quite well – apart from places like the entrance area or by the ticket shop. Century Park in Pudong can be a nightmare.
#3: I don´t speak Chinese…wo bu hui shou zhongwen….
No one will speak English – not even in the most “touristy” nature spots. Not that you necessarily need it, but just don’t expect anything. All signs/posters are in purely Chinese and/or in broken English.
#4: The Fantastic Yellow Mountains
Huangshan (Yellow Mountains) is a good alternative if you want to get a bit out of the city. Its probably one hour drive out of Shanghai, but it’s still really crowded.
If you are unfamiliar with The Yellow Mountains, feel free to watch this video:
Is it more Wildlife in Shanghai compared to Beijing?
Yes. Slightly.
After living a year in Beijing, I can honestly count on one hand the number of birds I saw within the city center. All of them had died due to the horrible air pollution. In Shanghai? Well, I see at least 20 a year. That must mean something.
