China Highlights: Touring Shanghai

Jon and I recently visited Shanghai, China to put together a three part video series for China Highlights, a Chinese travel agency that builds custom tours for tourists from all over the world. Typically, I'm not really into the whole tourist thing in cities of paying entrance fees, standing in lines, and sharing the experience with a gaggle of fellow siteseers. However, Shanghai is a big city and it was nice to see a few of the historic landmarks, rather than just hang in the climbing gym (which is pretty cool by the way. Think the CATS of China). China Highlights provided us with a guide for three days, Rooney, and Jon and I built our schedule based on the things we wanted to see in the city. If you're interested in visiting China and need some help planning your visit (flights, reservations, tours, etc.), China Highlights is an awesome resource.Below are the 3 videos Jon put together of Rooney and I touring Shanghai. Full on tourist action here, no climbing involved.Day 1: Dongtai Road Antique Market.*Side tip: Right across the street from the Antique Market is a market selling flowers, birds, and crickets. Definitely worth a visit, it's pretty bizarre. You'll find hundreds of business men in suits crammed over counters to examine crickets. We later learned they use them for betting.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg_zV1LW_GEDay 2: Zhujiajiao Water TownAn ancient village built among a series of canals over 1700 years ago. Hop on a bamboo boat to see the famous village bridges, then walk through the narrow alleyways to see local food and goods.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKVjBWvykx4Day 3: The Bund and French ConcessionThe Bund is the waterfront area of central Shanghai, also known as the old financial district. Look across the river to see the modern buildings of the PuDong district, or the new financial center, built just 20 years ago. The French Concession is a small district with modern shops, restaurants, and clubs, a great place to spend an evening.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvjrt-B2LTc