Places of Interest

Two of Shanghai's prominent landmarks are hotels on or near Zhong Shan Road—the Shanghai Mansion, a vast structure on the Wusong's north bank, and the Peace Hotel. On the east bank of the Huangpu is another major landmark, the Oriental Pearl Television Tower, which rises more than 1,500 feet (460 m). Near the center of the city is the old town district, a roughly circular area about one mile (1.6 km) in diameter that was once enclosed by walls. It is a maze of narrow streets and contains a number of traditional Chinese gardens and temples. The splendid Yu Yuan Garden dates from the 16th century.

Two public areas, People's Square and People's Park, occupy the former site of the British-built racecourse on Nanjing Road. Facing the square and park are the Municipal Library and the Workers' Cultural Palace. The Shanghai Art and History Museum, occupying a former bank building, has extensive displays on the evolution of Chinese art. Also in Shanghai are the tomb of the poet Lu Xun, an acrobatic theater, a museum of natural history, and a zoo.

Shanghai is one of China's leading educational centers. Among institutions of higher learning are Fudan, Shanghai, and Tongji universities and colleges of engineering, education, foreign languages, medicine, and textile science. There are also a number of research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.