Shanghai, China
This was my first trip to Shanghai, as well as my first visit to China. I've been to ong Kong a few times, but I figured that Hong Kong wasn't really China.
There's a lot of European-styled buildings in the city. The street along the river seemed to be mostly banks, and such.
If it weren't for all the red flags, you might not guess it was China. One big difference between Hong Kong and Shanghai was that there were fewer cars in Shanghai, and there were still many people riding bicycles.
In order to fullfill my cultural penance, I went to the museum. It was a very modern looking building located next to Renmin Square.
There were a lot of ancient artifacts like this tablet with many small clay Buddhas.
An example of traditional Chinese furniture at the Shanghai Museum. It reminded me of a furniture store.
... and of course, an entire section filled with pottery.
A view across the river at the Pudong area.
The Shanghai Grand Theater.
East Nanjing Road is a pedestrian mall filled with typical tourist crap. You will constantly be harrassed here as touts attempt to lure you to buy various knock-offs. Make sure you read your trusty Lonely Planet before you come here, or you will become a victim of scams like my friends were.
So, I guess I had some pre-conceived notions about what Shanghai would be like. In reality, it was more like Hong Kong than I expected.