Travel to Shanghai China

In June 2007 I traveled to Shanghai China for two weeks. This was my second trip; in 2006, I went for one  week in September.

I recommend if you are thinking of going to china you go for 2 weeks; especially if you are going on business. My companies office is located outside the city in an office park about 25 miles from the downtown area. This left very little time to explore during my week long trip in 2005.

I am gluten intolerant (Celiac Disease), so I also had to have meals especially prepared to meet my needs. The Hilton hotel in Shanghai was able to accommodate my needs. I had excellent gluten free breads; and other foods every day. The hotel was able to provide a take out lunch everyday to eat at the office.

However your Chinese business associates will want to take you to dinner often. Since I am a technical person; I got a lot less pressure to go out to eat. If you are in sales and need to spend time connecting with people there you will no doubt get a lot more pressure to eat out. With the language barrier I would fully expect to get food that isn’t 100% gluten free. You need to be extra cautious and stick to things that are going to be gluten free. Avoid think sauces and soy sauce.

Should you be traveling to Shanghai and needing to stay in a hotel that offers gluten free food, I recommend the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai. It is very near the JinAn Temple and has easy access to subway line #2. In the evenings I would usually walk over to the JinAn temple and then return to the hotel. This was a nice way to relax and walk off the large meal at the end of the day.

I spent much time wandering about city by foot on the weekend. I took a taxi down to the old section of the city and visited Yu Yuang gardens, the historic shopping area, the Bund and then walked at least 15 blocks up Nanjin Road. Other than being constantly asked if I would like to buy something; most people didn’t give me a second look.

I thought the best place that I visited in the city was the old market and Yu Yuang gardens. Both of these are in the same area of the old city. It cost 80rmb to get in to the Yu Yuang Gardens – Lots of old Chinese architecture, carved figurines on the roofs of the buildings, High thresholds, beautiful Coi Ponds. The historic market is of course free unless you buy something; the merchants there are a little less likely to bargain with you.

I also enjoyed walking along the Bund. This is the old foreign section of town; in the late 19th century most of the western powers had established a presence in the city for trading with the locals. There is a walkway park along the banks of the Huangpu River; which has a constant stream of boats coming and going. It is a nice place to just sit and watch all the river traffic.

Overall it was an excellent experience to visit there. I would recommend it to anyone; however it is a really long trip from the US and it is difficult to eat food from the local market if you have Celiac Disease. If you are planning to goto to China; most western hotels probably can accommodate your needs.