Beijing or Shanghai for a small vacation?

by Alex
9. August 2015
Category:   Shanghai

Question:

I am planning a weekend trip to China, but do not know which city we should travel to. It is a weekend trip as I am currently living in Seoul, South Korea (I am an expat working in an American company).

The travel group consists of a family (two parents and three children). Beijng og Shanghai – where should we go? Shopping is really the main goal, but once we are in China, it would have been exciting to the experienced The Great Wall of China in Beijing. How is shopping these two cities compared to each other?

Is the shopping opportunities mainly driven by “fake markets” or can you find genuine clothing in Shanghai/Beijing?

I don´t know anything about China myself, so it would be very much appreciated if you can enlighten me.

Answer:

I’ve been in both places a number of times, and I definately prefer Shanghai if you are there as a tourist. The city is much more alive, much nicer city vibe, much more contrasting between the super ultra-modern, the old and classic Chinese, colonial European and Chinese neighborhoods ….and so on!

But of course, Beijing has The Great Wall if you really want to see that. I know that everyone says that you should see the Great Wall while being in China, but it just wasnt a very big experience for me. I managed to get there early in the morning (as recommended on different websites), but it just wasnt as great as I expected.

When it comes to shopping I really have problems giving advice. The reason is that both cities have the same opportunities and the selection of fake goods is huge in both Shanghai and Beijing. The price depends on the ability to bargain and the quality of the fake goods.

Shimao Riviera on the Pudong side of the river.

Shimao Riviera on the Pudong side of the river.