Shanghai, with a population around 25.8 million, is currently the third

of the world’s megacities. Its location on the mouth of the Yangtze

River Delta in eastern China makes it one of the busiest ports in the

world. The Huang Pu River, a tributary of the Yangtze, separates the

historic centre of the city, the Puxi area, from the newly-developed

financial and commercial area called Pudong.

 On the arrival in

Shanghai, visitors are hit by an explosion of sights, sounds and smells.

Rents are high, and apartments tiny, so most residents prefer to hang

out outside. The street is a place to eat, play, read and relax and it

is not usual to see people strolling around in the nightdresses and

pyjamas. The street serves as an extension of the workplace as well.

Hairdressers sit their customers on chairs outside their salons to cut

their hair, and there are food stalls on every street corner piled high

with delicious steamed buns filled with meat, vegetables, or mushrooms.

However, it is not only the pavement that is crowded. Despite the

extensive metro system- Shanghai has the third longest network in the

world- the traffic in the city is terrible. During the rush hour, it can

take two hours to drive a 30- minute route. In general, drivers do not

like to follow the rules of the road, and they regularly ignore speed

limits and traffic lights. This makes crossing the road extremely

hazardous for pedestrians, whose safety is not guaranteed even when the

green man is showing. In China, road accidents are the major cause of

death for people aged between 15 and 45, with an estimated 600 traffic

deaths per day.

  But as far as crime is concerned, Shanghai is a

relatively safe city. You rarely hear of crimes being committed,

although pickpockets are known to operate in crowded areas and tourists

are sometimes the target for scams. The most common of these consist of

unofficial taxi drivers overcharging passengers for the ride to their

hotel from the airport, or bar owners getting an accomplice to bring an

unsuspecting tourist to their bar only to present him with a terribly

high bill when he tries to leave. In general, however, the Chinese are

very friendly to foreigners and they treat them with a lot of respect.

Non-native residents usually become good friends with their Chinese

neighbours, once they have got used to each other.

   The city of

Shanghai offers a fusion  of East and West; old and new.  Visitors

staying at the brand new five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel can explore the

ancient Buddhist temples when they go sightseeing. Passengers travel on

the Shanghai Meglev, one of the fastest trains in the world, while

messengers transport impossible loads on their bicycles. Sometimes, the

contrasts can be exhausting, but one thing is certain: Shanghai is a

city where nobody ever, feels bored.