Shanghai & Beijing

To Shanghai

Actually China was not on the list in my initial plan, but my itinerary changed due to the Middle East situation. I initially planned to go to Sri Lanka and the Middle East, but sadly my flight from Sri Lanka to Dubai was canceled... so I decided to change my route to go to Turkey via China instead of the Middle East.

It's my second time going to China, but Shanghai and Beijing are my first time, so I was very excited! I chose a flight arriving at midnight, so I booked a hotel near the airport with an airport pick-up service. There are two airports in Shanghai, and I landed at the bigger one called Shanghai Pudong Airport — the airport is super large and very modern.

In conclusion, I didn't use cash at all in China. China is a cashless country and you can use payment apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay everywhere — you literally can't live without them. There was nothing around the hotel, so I bought an instant noodle from a vending machine. It was still a bit cold in early April in China, so this noodle helped warm me up.

Shanghai sightseeing

Unfortunately, I felt sick during these days and wasn't actively going outside, but you can still enjoy good food through delivery apps, which are very convenient and cover many restaurants. There are several apps and I used 美団 (Meituan), the most popular one in China. Food delivery is also popular in Vietnam, but here it was more convenient because they deliver inside the building, meaning you don't need to go outside to pick up your meals. Also, I found out that Chinese people like to eat their meals while they're still warm, even when using delivery apps. Maybe because Chinese cuisine uses a lot of oil?

Once I felt better, I went to some places in Shanghai. The first one was The Bund. Shanghai has the biggest economy in China, and The Bund is its symbol. There are many buildings that light up at night. I went there on Saturday night, so it was super crowded.

The Bund is a famous waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River in central Shanghai. It stretches about 1.5 kilometers and features a row of grand colonial-era buildings from the early 20th century, when Shanghai was a major international trading port. The architectural styles range from neoclassical to art deco, earning it the nickname "the museum of buildings." Across the river, you can see the modern skyline of Pudong, including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower. The contrast between the historic Bund and the futuristic Pudong skyline is one of the most iconic views in all of China, especially stunning at night when everything is lit up.

I also went to the Yuyuan area. Yuyuan is a famous Chinese garden in Shanghai, and I walked around this area at night. Unfortunately, the garden was already closed, but I could see beautiful architecture and enjoyed some food.

Yuyuan (Yu Garden) is a classical Chinese garden in the heart of Shanghai's Old City, dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1559). It was built by a government official as a gift for his aging father — "Yu" means "pleasing" in Chinese. The garden features traditional pavilions, rockeries, ponds, and winding corridors packed into a surprisingly compact space. Despite being in the middle of one of the world's busiest cities, it feels like stepping back in time. Surrounding the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar, a lively area filled with shops and street food stalls selling xiaolongbao, scallion pancakes, and other local snacks. It's one of the most popular tourist spots in Shanghai, blending history, architecture, and food all in one place.

While walking the street, I found a well-known soup dumpling restaurant that is said to be the birthplace of soup dumplings. Soup dumplings are my favorite dish, so there was no reason to skip this chance. I ordered two types and both were actually good, but I personally still prefer Din Tai Fung.

I used the metro heavily during this China trip. You can ride the metro using Alipay and even credit cards, so it was very convenient. However, you can't use Google Maps in China, so I needed to use a local map app to find my way. It wasn't English-friendly, but I could understand about 70% of the Chinese words since Japanese has many similar characters, which really helped.

Continuing to Beijing