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.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai's 1933 Slaughterhouse

Rivers of cattle blood gone, a strange Escheresque building remains, the last of its kind.

Shanghai, China

Shanghai Marriage Market

A son-and-daughter meat market, hawked by mom and dad.

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.

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.

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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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

Sacred Spaces 2

Outsider Art 2

Parks 2

Intriguing Environs 2

Art 2

Memorials 2

Monuments 2

Places To Stay 2

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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

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

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