We were really only in Shanghai as our entry point for China, so neither of us had any great interest in the city, especially as we'd just been in Tokyo and Hong Kong which have similar reputations. Again, we weren't interested in the shopping so that removed a lot of the things to do in Shanghai. Nonetheless we'd booked to stay two nights in Shanghai and after being couped up on a ferry for 2 days we were eager to explore.

First night we walked along the Bund, which Gemma really liked, but which Craig thought wasn't so great. Along the Bund we took the rather weird and bizarre Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. There were no sights, merely a collection of strange lights and rocks which remain a mystery to both of us. The tunnel leads to Pudong which is the heavily developed economic heart of the city and which contains lots of skyscrapers with observatories, so many that we were spoilt for choice. We made our choice of observatory (Jinmao Tower) and were treated to great views of the city and especially the Bund.

Next day we visited the Jade Buddha Temple which was one of the highlights of our time in Shanghai. The temple is beautiful and has a number of different statutes of Buddha, the most breathtaking of which is the 1.9m pale green jade Buddha. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to photograph the Jade Buddha, nor could we find any pictures for sale so you'll have to look it up on Google Images if you want to see it. As usual on arrival in any city, Craig dragged Gemma to a museum, this time the Shanghai Museum. The museum is large and contains many excellent pieces, if a little tedious in the way that it lays out its exhibits. We rounded off the day with a visit to Shanghai's old town and the Yuyuan Gardens, an oasis of tranquility in an otherwise bustling city. The "gardens" are mainly rockery (with some frozen pools) which was great as we were visiting in winter, many of the other gardens and parks we'd visited previously were cold and barren due to the season.

Our last day is Shanghai proved to be a relaxing one as it was snowing heavily. Throughout our stay in Shanghai it had been absolutely freezing cold (especially in the hostel) and we were pleased for the extra warmth from the winter gear we had purchased in Hong Kong. Gemma had asked for some "alone time" in the morning and returned to the hostel looking like the abominable snowwoman. Sightseeing was suspended save for a quick trip to the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, which was exhibiting a Chanel collection.

That night we boarded one of the spanking new D class train for Beijing. After the overnight sleepers we had endured in India we were in for a treat as these trains are state of the art covering the 1400km between Shanghai and Biejing in 12 hours while cosseting passengers in compartments with linens, slippers and individual Tvs. Even Craig was able to sleep on this train - a first.