Shanghai New Phoenix Town Hotel

When to Go...

by Tal_A

When to Go ------------------------------------------
Summer is the peak tourist season, and hotels and transportation can be very crowded. Book early-several months in advance if possible-for summer travel. The weather can be scorching in the summer in most of China. The weather will be better and the crowds not quite as dense in late spring and early fall, although be prepared for rain. Winter is bitterly cold and not conducive to travel in most of China. Avoid traveling around Chinese New Year, when much of China shuts down and the Chinese themselves travel, making reservations into and out of China virtually impossible to get.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Climate -----------------------------------------------

What follows are average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for Shanghai: January-February, 33-47°F (1-8°C); March and December, 36-55°F (2-13°C); April and November, 45-66°F (7-19°C); May and October, 57-77°F (14-25°C); June and September, 66-82°F (19-28°C); July and August, 74-90°F (23-32°C).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Festivals and Seasonal Events -------------------------

China has only three official holidays a year: Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, National Day, and International Labor Day, for a grand total of five days off. These are high travel times for the Chinese, especially during Chinese New Year, and it's best to avoid them if at all possible.

The majority of China's holidays and festivals are calculated according to the lunar calendar and can vary as much as a few weeks from year to year. Check your lunar calendar for dates more specific than those below.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Winter-----------------------------------------------

December 25 and January 1: Christmas and New Year's Day are becoming an excuse for the Chinese to exchange cards, buy decorations (made in China), and eat out banquet-style. In the big cities, Christmas makes itself known by a ubiquitous paper Santa that is taped to almost every store. Some employees get a day off on New Year's.

February: Chinese New Year, China's most celebrated and important holiday, follows the lunar calendar and falls in early to mid-February. Also called Spring Festival, it gives the Chinese an official three-day holiday to visit family and relatives, eat special meals, and throw firecrackers to celebrate the New Year and its respective Chinese zodiac animal. Students and teachers get up to four weeks off, and many others consider that the festival runs as long as a month. It is a particularly crowded time to travel in China, as workers and students use their time off to go to and from home. Many offices and services reduce their hours or close altogether. Tickets and hotels may be unavailable for as much as a week.

February/March: The Spring Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year on the 15th day of the first moon. Colorful paper lanterns are carried through the streets, sometimes accompanied by dragon dances.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Spring -------------------------------------------------

April 5: Not so much a holiday as a day of worship, Qing Ming (clean and bright), or Remembrance of the Dead, gathers relatives at the graves of the deceased to clean the surface and leave fresh flowers.

May 1: International Labor Day is another busy travel time, especially if the holiday falls near a weekend.

May 4: Youth Day, though no longer a publicly celebrated holiday, commemorates the first mass student movement in 1919, which has come to symbolize a rejection of traditional, political and religious ideas.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Summer ----------------------------------------------

June: The Dragon Boat Festival, on the fifth day of the fifth moon, celebrates the national hero Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the 3rd century in protest against the corrupt emperor. Legend has it that people attempted to rescue him by throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the sea and frightening fish away by beating drums. Today crews in narrow dragon boats race to the beat of heavy drums, and rice wrapped in bamboo leaves is consumed.

July 1: Perhaps July 1 will go down in history as the day China ended 150 years of shame and looked to the future with Hong Kong under its wing. Stay tuned for what turns up on both the island and the mainland-a

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
memorial day or a celebration?
-------------------------------------------------------
Autumn

October 1: National Day celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China.

October: Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th moon, which generally falls in early October. The Chinese spend this time gazing at the full moon and exchanging tasty moon cakes filled with meat, bean paste, sugar, and other delectable surprises.

The BEST night spot in Shanghai

by bellatrix about Face

Located in the heart of the city, behind bustling Mao Ming Road, it's a gorgeous old country house with a huge lawn that makes you feel like you're in some rural garden idyll. In summer, drinkers take gin and tonic on the lawn or recline on the armchairs on the wooden verandah, while two great restaurants inside specialise in tasty Thai and Indian cuisine. The old-world interior décor includes ancient South East Asian and Indian artefacts, arranged so tastefully you half feel you've stumbled into a Country Life magazine shoot. Offset this with handsome hardwood floors and the latest ambient techno tunes and you'll begin to sense a certain melding of eras. Cocktails cost a bit but they are strong, and a daily happy hour from 5pm - 8pm helps those with thin wallets. Definately take a shower and dress up for this bar.

Be on Cloud9 when u visit Grand Hyatt at Jin Mao

by imstress about Cloud9

Cloud9 at the Grand Hyatt at Jin Mao Tower.
Do go with lovely friends to keep you company and to chat and have some fun together.

The view up there is awesome!
tasty desserts and ice cream.
the portion is big so do share your what you have ordered.

ask for window seats or be at Level 88 enjoying your romantic moments.

thanks to MaosRedArmy and we2364 for sharing this unforgettable moment with me! Excellent Desserts!
minimum spending of RMB110++ per person.

Former British Consulate

by Willettsworld

This rather sorry looking building at the northern-most end of The Bund was once the British Consulate, built in 1873. It was the first building built on The Bund but has long since seen better days. Shame really. I do hope that the local authorities realise its historic value and give it a renovation someday.

The Oriental Pearl Tower

by rosie_b

It's hard not to notice this tower in Shanghai. The Pearl Tower, which is located in the Pudong area, dominates the landscape. You can see it from the Bund, which is an area right across the river from the Tower that stretches for about a mile long. Another way of seeing it is from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, just the way I did it. You have an option of having a cocktail at the lobby of the hotel, or looking through a not so good window that will give enough exposure of the Tower, which I did.
I spent about a week in there, because my father had a liver transplant at one of the hospitals. Between the hospital and the short term apartment where my mother stayed, I got some chances to see the beauty of the city,their culture, their stores ... and also their very delicious Shanghainese cuisine.

"The Bund ... a magnificent mile of Shanghai"

I also took this picture from the Grand Hyatt hotel at Jingmao Tower, at their restaurant Club Jin Mao. It's very nice to experience a fine dining and a spectacular view of Shanghai at the same time.