Monday, January 05, 2009

Nanjing Road (Shanghai)

shanghai nanjing road shoppingEvery visitor to Shanghai must visit this most popular Nanjing Road (南京路)... and so did I when I went to this bustling China city.

It's easy to get there by metro from People's Park (the metro stops right below). And just coming out from it, I was greeted with these array of bright neon lights everywhere!

shanghai nanjing road, new world emporiumAnd just like the many lights, there are shops and malls throughout this whole road, the more notably popular one is this departmental store - New World Emporium.

shanghai nanjing road, departmental storeI actually did go in this mega 13 levels departmental store twice - once while going for the Shanghai Wax Museum (which is on one of the levels inside the same mall) and another time during the sale. However, the crowd is way too much for me to handle.

shanghai nanjing road, mallBesides that departmental store, there are other departmental stores around, and surprisingly, the one I visited was rather empty when I went in (it's a huge difference from the crowd just outside).

The reason I figured out was - I visited it before the 4 day huge mega sales period! (So, I missed the discount, but I also missed the crowd).

shanghai nanjing road shoppingIf mall is not the thing, then, there are so many other shops selling all sort of items - mainly boutiques - from mid to high range, with some low range in between (surprisingly, I found some quite affordable prices, before bargaining).

shanghai nanjing road, departmental storeOr, if like me, just take a stroll enjoying the view of the old buildings around, passing more shops and even hotels, eateries & restaurants.

shanghai nanjing road, shanghaiFor me, that is what I enjoyed most - just taking many photographs along the busy Nanjing Road (though I must admit, I did purchase a pair of shoes along the way).

shanghai nanjing road, trainAnd when the legs give in (or when one buys too many things), one can opt of sitting on the payable train ride to bring through this long road.

But for me, there's no better way to soak in the atmosphere of the heart of the city than to walk! And of course along the way, I met with some of the hustlers. But, that to me is all part of the fun! haha.

shanghai nanjing road, colourful buildingLooking just above, many other well lit buildings seem to compliment the Nanjing Road bright colours (the colours actually changes).

shanghai nanjing road, christmasAnd before I left, I took some opportunity to also take photos of the many Christmas trees along the road... considering myself lucky as I visited Nanjing Road during the year end period.

But despite all the bright lights and decorations, there's one thing that really caught my attention...

shanghai nanjing road, advertisementAh... the feeling 0f warmth along the 'cold'. That got me smiling, definitely!

*If one is 'hardworking' enough, one can actually walk all the way down Nanjing Road East which will then lead to the Bund.

*This part of Nanjing Road is the Nanjing Road East. The other part of Nanjing Road, the Nanjing Road West, is not a closed vehicle pedestrian walkway and 'not as bright & lively'. However, there are more shops & malls there too - which is definitely good news for the shopaholics!

*There are many hotels around Nanjing Road, from medium/ low budget to high end. However, I find it too crowded despite it's 'strategic location'.

6 comments:

  1. Now that's what we call City Of Lights! Interesting too see how prosperous Nanjing is! At the same time it looks very warm. =)

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  2. wao, so beautiful la!!!
    how come malaysia cannot be like that one? quachee, u have "connection" with a lot of malaysia "big ppl" ma, ask them to make malaysia better la~

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  3. The night life here is definitely very vibrant. The road seems very wide, or is it your photos that make it so?

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  4. nanjing road... the road where you would approached at every single corner... by ladies... and tonne and tonne of beautiful xiao long nu....

    asking you some dumb questions, like where is this, where is that.. or telling u that u drop something, or etc... then they will start inviting u over for drinks and etc..

    i rejected so many fo the offer... that until i have to speak BM and pretend i dont understand what they said

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  5. I used to watch old movies featuring Shanghai and I was rather surprised by the brightness of the neon lights - like they are too exaggerated and unreal. Looking at your pictures, I can tell now that they are real.

    The top picture is amazing. You only see people and neon lights.

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  6. @tekkaus
    yes, i was so awed by the lights. it shows a prosperous modern china/ shanghai! :)

    @bb community
    haha. i can try to recommend! lol. but im not close enough lah haha. maybe in the future, they will listen :)

    @foongpc
    its the road, they are really wide and spacious. i think it used to be open to vehicles last time :)

    @zbjernak
    i speak bm too! haha

    @happysufer
    this is really the heart of neon lights heh! :)

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Oh hey, thank you for commenting! :)