Huangpu River Cruise & the Bund City Lights Evening Muslim Tour of Shanghai

Key Details
• Tour Duration: Approximately 3 hours
• Live Guide: English & Chinese
• Pick-up Service: Your hotel between 18:00 and 19:00
• Pick-up & Drop off Place: Your hotel

Brief Itinerary
• Pick up at your hotel
• Cruise on Huangpu River at night
• Walk along the Bund & Nanjing Road
• Transfer to your hotel in Shanghai

What's Included
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off service
• Transportation in an air-conditioned coach
• Services of an English-speaking guide
• Entrance tickets to mentioned attractions

What's Not Included
• Optional activity costs
• Gratuities to guide & driver (optional)
• Any other personal expenses

Huangpu River Cruise
The Huangpu River, formerly romanized as Whangpoo, is a 113 kilometres long river flowing through Shanghai. It is the last significant tributary of the Yangtze before it empties into the East China Sea. The Huangpu River is the largest river in Shanghai, with Suzhou Creek being its major tributary. Huangpu River is Shanghai's shipping artery both to the East China Sea and to the mouth of the Yangtze River, which the Huangpu joins 29km (18 miles) north of downtown Shanghai. It has also become a demarcating line between two Shanghais, east and west, past and future. On its western shore, the colonial landmarks of the Bund serve as a reminder of Shanghai's 19th-century struggle to reclaim a waterfront from the bogs of Huangpu River; on the eastern shore, the steel-and-glass skyscrapers of the Pudong New Area point to a burgeoning financial empire of the future. Besides offering a privileged view of the bridges that span the Huangpu River, the cruise boats also offer an excellent view of the famous colonial-era buildings that make up the Bund, buildings such as the Peace Hotel with its unique pyramid roof in blazing green and the Customs House with its large clock tower, the glittering skyscrapers on the eastern shore of Pudong, and the unceasing river traffic.

The Bund
The Bund refers to Shanghai's famous waterfront stretching for 1.6km (1 mile) along the west shore of the Huangpu River. The original Bund runs from Suzhou Creek in the north to Jinling Lu in the south. On the west side of the main avenue that runs along the Bund are the colonial edifices of yore, while the eastern side is taken by the Bund Promenade, a newly widened and lengthened, raised embankment that acts as a dike against the Huangpu River. Once a muddy towpath for boats along the river, the Bund was where the foreign powers that entered Shanghai after the Opium War of 1842 erected their distinct Western-style banks and trading houses. From here, Shanghai grew into Asia's leading city in the 1920s and 1930s, a cosmopolitan and thriving commercial and financial center. Many of the awesome colonial structures you see today date from that prosperous time and have become an indelible part of Shanghai's cityscape. The colonial-era buildings that highlight the Bund include the former British Consulate, Customs House, former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, former Shanghai Club (now the Waldorf Astoria Hotel), and the Peace Hotel. 

Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai and one of the busiest shopping streets in the world. The 3.4-mile-long Nanjing Road starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west at the junction of Jingan Temple and Yan'an West Street. As a result of the Opium War (1839-1842), Shanghai was forced to open to the West as a port. Nanjing Road was first the British Concession, then the International Settlement. Importing large quantities of foreign goods, it became the earliest shopping street in Shanghai. Over time, Nanjing Road has been restructured, undergoing significant change. For shopping convenience, its eastern end has an all-weather pedestrian arcade. Big traditional stores no longer dominate the market since modern shopping malls, specialty stores, theatres, and international hotels have mushroomed on both sides of the street. Today over 600 businesses on Nanjing road offer countless famous brands, superior quality, and new fashions. Upscale stores include Tiffany, Mont Blanc, and Dunhill. In addition, approximately a hundred traditional stores and specialty shops still provide choice silk goods, jade, embroidery, wool, and clocks.