Shanghai, China Itinerary: Tourist Sites, Restaurants, Mosques, Shopping, Pinned Map

After recently visiting Shanghai, we now understand the importance of doing your research before landing. There is a lot to do and see, and surprisingly, a lot of halal food available! Shanghai is a tourist friendly city in which people will commonly speak English, but you should still be prepared and have your destination's addresses written in Chinese in the case that you need directions.



Accessing the Internet in China - Research Needed!

The first thing you should know before coming to China is that if you rely on Facebook, Google, Gmail, Whatsapp, Google Drive, and many other popular apps on your phone to get around, you won't be able to access it using a Chinese sim card, as these apps are blocked in China.

How did we get around that? Well there are some common hacks, such as using a VPN on your phone, however that might be unreliable as more and more of those are being blocked each year. What we did was purchase an Asia-wide compatible SIM card in Hong Kong on our layover which was then able to access our apps unblocked.

Baidu vs. Google - How to search for Halal Restaurants in China

 

How about when you're doing your research before leaving home to find addresses and restaurants? Google maps is woefully outdated since it's blocked in China, so instead you have to access China's main search engine, Baidu. Don't worry! It's not that intimidating. Let's say you want to search for halal restaurants in Shanghai:

Step 1: Using a Chrome browser, go to map.baidu.com/

Step 2: Go to Google Translate, and translate the word "Shanghai" into Chinese (Traditional). You will get this: 上海 (Shanghai)

Step 3: Search 上海 (Shanghai) on Baidu maps so you can focus in on the city.

Step 4: Go back to Google Translate and translate the word "Halal" into Chinese (Traditional). You will get this:  清真 (pronounced ching-jen)

Step 5:  Search 清真 (halal) and zoom in and compare the Baidu map to a Google map in English that highlights the area nearby your tourist site (example: The Bund). When you find a restaurant that's nearby one of your destinations, click on the resulting pin, right-click the page and click "Translate to English".

Step 6: Have a quick read of the page (the translation will not be perfect and is often amusing!) and see if any menu items stand out that mention pork. If not, click the Street View button and have a look at the restaurant's storefront. 

 

Step 7: If the restaurant is halal, it will have very obvious signage that says halal in Arabic and might have decorations like mosque designs. This is the way we found all of our restaurants, and when we went to them, they were owned and operated by muslims. You can rest assured that you're eating halal.

The following picture is the Baidu streetview storefront of one of the restaurants we ate at, and as you can see, there are brothers wearing Kufis and sisters wearing hijab working beside signage which includes the Halal symbol. It was an awesome experience eating there!

Streetview from Baidu Maps of "Continuation Chang old Noodle"'s storefront

Shanghai Pinned Map

To save this map to your account and your phone for quick reference at home and on the go, scroll to the bottom of this article for instructions.

Tip: Zoom in and click on the pins for the direct link to the review websites!






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No.	Site Name	Chinese Site Name	Hours of Operation	Price	Recommended Length of Visit	Station	Address	Chinese Address	Google Map Coordinates	Official Website	Review Link
1	The Bund	上海外滩 (wàitān)	Better at night!	Free	2-3 hours	East Nanjing Road Station	5 blocks of Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu between Jinling Lu and Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, China	中山东一路5弄	31.23834, 121.49066		http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g308272-d311595-Reviews-The_Bund_Wai_Tan-Shanghai.html
2	Yu Garden	豫园 (Yùyuán)	Morning Open: 8:30 pm Closed Park: 16:45 (17:15 clearance)	40 yuan	2-3 hours	Yu Garden Station	No.218 Anren Street, Huangpu District | near Fuyou Road, Shanghai 200010, China	200010黄浦区安仁街218号	31.22679, 121.49228	http://www.yugarden.com.cn/#_=_	http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g308272-d324259-Reviews-Yu_Garden_Yuyuan-Shanghai.html
3	Old French Concession	旧法租界 (Jiùfǎ zūjiè)	-	Free	1-2 hours		Puxi Central, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200000, China	200000黄浦区浦西中心		http://www.chinahighlights.com/shanghai/attraction/french-concession.htm	http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g308272-d1143615-Reviews-or60-Old_French_Concession-Shanghai.html#REVIEWS
4	Ferguson Lane in Old French Concession	武康庭 (Wǔkāng tíng )	Expensive	Free	1-2 hours	Shanghai Library	376 Wukang Rd, Xuhui, Shanghai, China	上海市徐汇区武康路376号 邮编：200031		http://www.smartshanghai.com/venue/7230/Ferguson_Lane
5	Tianzifang in Old French Concession	田子坊 (Tiánzi fāng)	Very touristy	Free	1-2 hours	Dapuqiao Station	Lane 210, Taikang Road, Luwan District, Shanghai	上海市上海卢湾区泰康路田子坊, 210弄		http://www.chinahighlights.com/shanghai/attraction/tianzifang.htm

No.	Restaurant Name	Chinese Restaurant Name	Style	Hours of Operation	Station	Address	Address in Chinese	Review Link
0	Yu Ren Wan Restaurant, Pudong International Airport, Terminal 1 Domestic Departure Hall, 3F			11:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m.
1	Lǎotóu qīngzhēn miànguǎn	老头清真面馆	Chinese 清真		Yu Garden	186 Houjia Rd, Huangpu, Shanghai, China	上海黄浦区侯家路186号(近方浜中路上海老街)	http://map.baidu.com/detail?qt=ninf&uid=ffd6d403839e8d9616b54b8e&detail=cater&from=list&ugc_ver=1&ugc_ver=1
2	Dōngfāng yà kè xī - Xinjiang Cuisine	东方亚克西	Lamb	10: 00- 23:00	Changping Road or Nanjing West Road	Jingan District Xikang 379 (near Wuding Road)	静安区 西康路379号(近武定路)	http://www.dianping.com/shop/504508#comment
3	Lanzhou La Mian		Hand pulled noodles	8:00 - 22:00	Shaanxi South Road	316 Nanchang Lu, Shanghai, Shanghai Shi 200020		http://www.zabihah.com/biz/Shanghai/Lanzhou-La-Mian/NhgZgvo1Nz
4	Lánzhōu niúròu lāmiàn	兰州牛肉拉面	Chinese 清真		Dapuqiao		建国中路26-6, 上海市卢湾区	http://map.baidu.com/detail?qt=ninf&uid=96666f94474e5181306212ef&wd=%E5%BB%BA%E5%9B%BD%E4%B8%AD%E8%B7%AF26-6%2C%20%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E5%B8%82%E5%8D%A2%E6%B9%BE%E5%8C%BA&b=(13522371.74,3638249.75;13522863.24,3638512.25)&query=&qid=&page_num=&detail=cater&from=map&ugc_ver=1
5	Zhèngzōng xīběi niúròu miàn	正宗西北牛肉面			Nanjing East Road		四川中路543号	http://map.baidu.com/detail?qt=ninf&uid=cc56a6d341493a969ff779e1&wd=%E6%B8%85%E7%9C%9F&b=(13524484.4,3642400.5;13524975.9,3642663)&query=&qid=&page_num=&detail=cater&from=map&ugc_ver=1
6	Qīngzhēn lánzhōu niúròu miàn	清真兰州牛肉面	Noodles		Zhongshan Park	Anhua Road, Changning District, Shanghai (near Dingxi) 407	上海长宁区安化路407号(近定西路)	http://map.baidu.com/detail?qt=ninf&uid=67dfd1eae36f5003621c67ac&wd=%E6%B8%85%E7%9C%9F&b=(13515941.34,3638379.74;13519625.34,3640719.74)&query=&qid=&page_num=&detail=cater#newComments&from=map&ugc_ver=1
7	Jīngpǐn niúròu miàn	精品牛肉面			Shanghai Library		淮海中路1650-1660号之间	http://map.baidu.com/detail?qt=ninf&uid=400d335e30a12ec340e192f5&wd=%E6%B8%85%E7%9C%9F&b=(13517860.98,3637681.38;13521792.98,3639781.38)&query=&qid=&page_num=&detail=cater&from=map&ugc_ver=1

No.	Shopping	Chinese Site Name	Type	Hours of Operation	Station	Address	Address in Chinese	Review Link
1	Nanjing Road	南京路 (Nánjīng lù)	Western stores, street shopping		Nanjing East Road Station	Nanjing East Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200000, China	200000黄浦区南京东路	http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g308272-d321173-Reviews-Nanjing_Lu_Nanjing_Road-Shanghai.html

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No.	Mosque Name	Mosque Name in Chinese	Hours	Station	Address	Address in Chinese	Review Link
1	Shanghai Fuyou Road Mosque	上海市福佑路清真寺		Yu Garden	378 Fuyou Road, Shanghai	上海市福佑路378号	http://islamichina.com/mosques-masjid-in-china-/fuyou-road-mosque-detail.html
2	Shanghai Xiaotaoyuan Mosque (largest)	上海小桃园清真寺	9:00am-20:00pm	Laoximen	52 Xiaotaoyuan Street, Nanshi District, Shanghai	上海南市区小桃园街52号	http://www.tour-beijing.com/shanghai_attractions/shanghai_xiao_taoyuan_mosque.php

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How to save the "My Maps" Pinned Map to your Computer and Phone: 

Step 1: Click the "Star" button.

Step 2: Log into your Google or Gmail Account

Step 3: While logged in, go to drive.google.com and click the "Starred" tab, you will find the map there.

Step 4: For Mobile, open your Google Maps App and click "Your places"

 

Step 5: You will find the Pinned Map there, and you may also save it to an offline map so you can access it while not connected to data or wifi.

We'd love to answer any questions you may have! Happy traveling!

-Maryam 

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