From the rickety charm of the Old Town to the space-age architecture of Pǔdōng, Shanghai is a city that’s hard to pin down. For first-timers it can be as daunting as the vertigo-inducing views from its skyscrapers and as challenging as trying to eat soup dumplings without ruining your shirt, but with a few tips and a bit of know-how you’ll have Shanghai worked out in no time.
Leave the skyscrapers and bustling metropolis of Beijing and Shanghai and dive deep into the mainland close to wild Mongolia. The area so remote yet so developed with its rich history, Inner Mongolia is truly a different world. The wild west feel of China is truly here.
As Beijing leaps skywards into the 21st century, its history can sometimes get left in the shadows. But despite the new highways and high-rises, China’s capital has plenty of past pockets hidden away to reward the intrepid explorer. Here how to spend two sunny days in history-rich Beijing .