Peter_T

Long story short: I might have the chance to study in Shanghai for two months!
Regarding tourism, I’d like to stay close to the city since I’m not a confident solo traveller, maybe out for a day trip or something (also accommodation in Shanghai is payed for). Having in mind I’ll be there for studies, I won’t have that much time for tourism unless it’s weekends or after the two months of the scholarship. I already have many things to do in the city, but any recommendations of what I could do around Shanghai?
I’m more interested in seeing things related to Chinese culture and history, so any shrines, castles or temples and the like would be great.

Are these good day trips?
- Nanjing
- Zhenjiang
- Wuxi (I’d like to see Lake Taihu, as well as sights in the city, are a couple of days better for this?)
- Chongming Island
- The water towns and cities I have are Zgujiajiao, Fengjing, Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Tonglizhen and Wuzhenzhen. Which ones would you recommend, since I probably will only choose one or two?

And last but not least, I would like to go to Huangshan Mountain (and maybe Jiuhua Shan). How would I go about that?

Thanks! I’ve just started the planning and don’t know much about the place, so please forgive my ignorance

thursdaysd

Suggest picking up some guidebooks. Besides Fodors, Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are more likely to help with logistics. And I'm sure your fellow students will help, too!

I would start with Hangzhou and Suzhou, which should give you the confidence to go further. I really enjoyed visiting the sacred island of Putuoshan, but that was an overnight.

There are several TRs here from people who have traveled solo in China which you may find helpful.

There are links to English language sites with train schedules here:

http://seat61.com/China.htm

Although I wouldn't use them to buy tickets. Do that from local travel agencies in China.

shelemm

thursdaysd, tell me more aobut putuoshan. I've heard about it for a long time now, but you're the first who has mentioned traveling there.....

thursdaysd

From the post I wrote at the time (not on Fodors):

"From Hangzhou I took a bus, a car and a ferry to Putuoshan, a Buddhist island. Again, I loved the place despite the crowds [I was traveling over the National Day holiday], and want to revisit. While I took pictures in the temples, the Chinese burned incense, apparently the bigger and more numerous the sticks the better. Great clouds of smoke rose from the big burners, and trays filled with water caught the wax dripping from the racks of red candles.

... I had a part-time guide in Putuoshan, and she took me to a small fish restaurant hidden behind my rather posh hotel. Plastic bowls full of water were lined up on the concrete floor, holding fish, eels and shellfish. At lunch I made the mistake of ordering crab, which proved difficult to eat even using fingers instead of chopsticks. For dinner I settled for the safer fish, easy enough to eat with chopsticks, and bean sprouts, which I enjoyed more.

None of the temples in Putuoshan are individually impressive compared to Lingyin Si [at Hangzhou], but the pools, pagodas and bridges around the main temple are beautifully landscaped, and the overall impression of the rocky, tree-covered island is one of serenity."

I took an overnight ferry to Shanghai. It docked at an inconvenient location out of town, but that was in 2004, I am sure things have changed.

shelemm

Thanks for the rundown of Putuoshan. It's good to get a first-hand account.

amyxuhm

Towns like Wuzhen, Zhouzhuang. They near to Shanghai.