Shanghai is not only the cultural and business center of China but also the main fashion city of the country. Many Chinese people come there just to leave their money in local stores and buy more stylish new clothes. Experienced tourists admit that this is one of the best places in the world for shopping.

If you do not believe it, go to Nanjing Road – the main shopping artery in Shanghai. Its history began in 1845, although it received its current name only after 17 years and its modern appearance even later.

It is best to start exploring Nanjing Road from the Bund where it starts. Get ready for a long walk: the road is more than five kilometers long. So if you want to combine a trip along it with shopping and visiting nearby attractions, it will take you all day.

From the Bund to People's Square lies the eastern or historical part of Nanjing Road. This is one of the most crowded places in the city. According to some reports, at least a million people pass through there every day. During the day there are not so many people, and the situation seems calm, but in the evening…

Nanjing Road can be compared to the Shanghai version of Times Square in New York or Piccadilly Circus in London. The same huge shopping centers, the same obtrusive advertising signs and bright neon lights, the same endless crowds of people, and the same noise. The only difference is that in this part, Nanjing Road is completely pedestrian, and the familiar squares in America and Europe are surrounded by heavy traffic.

The western or modern part of the street starts from People's Square and continues to Jing'an temple and monastery complex. There the street becomes a little less spectacular, but its pathos increases a lot. Next to the old buildings, high-rise buildings begin to appear. They are adjacent to luxury restaurants, hotels, and business centers, and huge shopping centers begin to give way to refined luxury boutiques.