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Food window and entrance of center.
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Lighthouse at Morrow Castle, Havana, Cuba
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TWA Flight 529 Memorial
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Facade of the Former Mármoles Molina Shop
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The Hunterian Museum in London.
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All China Shanghai

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Shanghai

31 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Shanghai, China

Updated August 31, 2023
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Unusual Attractions in Shanghai

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

Shanghai, China

Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

This psychedelic tourist trap is a leisurely descent into madness.
Posters with a distincy

Shanghai, China

Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre

An collection of Chinese propaganda posters from 1949 to 1979.
Fly over of the whole resort

Shanghai, China

Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel

The world's first hotel built in an abandoned water-filled quarry.
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Shanghai, China

Shanghai's 1933 Slaughterhouse

Rivers of cattle blood gone, a strange Escheresque building remains, the last of its kind.
View of Shanghai and the Oriental Pearl Tower

Shanghai, China

Oriental Pearl Tower

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai Marriage Market

A son-and-daughter meat market, hawked by mom and dad.
European architechture mixes with traditional Chinese iconography throughout the area.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai French Concession

An out-of-place slice of France, smack in the middle of Shanghai.
See All 31 Things To Do in Shanghai

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Shanghai

Shanghai, China

Peace Hotel Jazz Bar

This bar is home to what's likely the oldest living jazz band in the world.
Permanently Closed
Looking down one of the supermarket’s aisles

Shanghai, China

Shanghart Supermarket

This supermarket in Shanghai appears to be a typical Chinese convenience store, but all of the bottles are empty and all the containers are filled with nothing but air.
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Shanghai, China

Museums 8
History & Culture 6
Architecture 5
Communism 3
Design 3
Politics 3
Bars 3
Architectural Oddities 3
Temples 3
Collections 3
Subterranean Sites 2
Tunnels 2
Hotels 2
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Intriguing Environs 2
Art 2
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Places To Stay 2

Shanghai Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. katielou106 profile photo
    katielou106
    7
  2. linkogecko profile photo
    linkogecko
    2
  3. atimian profile photo
    atimian
    1
  4. Rachel profile photo
    Rachel
    1
  5. Alicia Bones profile photo
    Alicia Bones
    1
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Shanghai.

Places Edited

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    Martin
    7
  2. katielou106 profile photo
    katielou106
    6
  3. linkogecko profile photo
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    5
  4. A angusperformance profile photo
    angusperformance
    3
  5. stevox profile photo
    stevox
    2

Places Visited

  1. F faithgen 094885ca profile photo
    faithgen 094885ca
    24
  2. M mmohtashim000 profile photo
    mmohtashim000
    24
  3. R rojacaliente profile photo
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    22
  4. B bonaudistudio profile photo
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    19
  5. 7 7hmkdhdc4h profile photo
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    18

Recent Shanghai Activity

  • C cameronsolley profile photo

    cameronsolley

    wants to go to 1930 Folk Street

  • C cameronsolley profile photo

    cameronsolley

    wants to go to Confucian Temple of Shanghai

  • C cameronsolley profile photo

    cameronsolley

    wants to go to Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre

  • C cameronsolley profile photo

    cameronsolley

    wants to go to Longhua Temple

  • C cameronsolley profile photo

    cameronsolley

    wants to go to Lu Xun Memorial Park

Stories About Shanghai

Zheng Pingru was about 19 years old when she was recruited to spy on the Japanese forces that occupied Shanghai at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

A Socialite’s Plot to Assassinate a Corrupt Official in Occupied Shanghai

Zheng Pingru’s scheme involved a fabulous fur coat and ended in tragedy.
by April White, Atlas Obscura
March 10, 2022
The Fiedler family poses in front of their home on Tongshan Road.

The Hidden History of Shanghai's Jewish Quarter

As Hitler rose to power, the city welcomed refugees.
by Courtney Lichterman, Atlas Obscura
June 13, 2018

Shanghai's Daring 'Rooftoppers' Are Taking Urban Exploration to New Heights

But a local crackdown on building access is making expeditions more difficult.
by Diane Hope, Atlas Obscura
March 24, 2017
Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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