new york times

First the Travel+Leisure feature, and now this article in the New York Times: it is increasingly apparent that China is set to experience a tourism renaissance in 2010.

Among the 31 chosen destinations in the article, Shanghai and Shenzhen ranked at number 12 and number 20, respectively. These are impressive numbers, given the caliber and reputations of the places with whom these Chinese cities share the list.

Shanghai's dynamic Pudong skyline. (Photo courtesy of shinanthology.files.wordpress.com)

Shanghai in particular is an intriguing destination: it has much to offer visitors, especially in light of the upcoming 2010 World Expo. Aric Chen writes,

To many, the idea of a World Expo might seem like a dated, superfluous throwback from some preglobalized age. (Remember the one in Aichi, Japan? Enough said.) But tell that to the 70 million who are expected to attend Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

This is China, after all. And following up on Beijing’s spectacular Olympics, Shanghai is pulling out all the stops. From May 1 to Oct. 31, more than 200 national and other pavilions will straddle the city’s Huangpu River, turning a two-square-mile site into an architectural playground: Switzerland will be represented by a building shaped like a map of that country, complete with a rooftop chairlift, while England is in the celebrated hands of the designer Thomas Heatherwick, who is fashioning what looks like a big, hairy marshmallow. Other attention grabbers include Macao, taking the form of a walk-through bunny, and the United Arab Emirates, which hired Foster + Partners to build a “sand dune.” (By contrast, the United States pavilion might be mistaken for a suburban office park.)

In the run-up to the Expo, Shanghai seems to have taken this year’s theme, “Better City, Better Life,” to heart, spending tens of billions of dollars to upgrade the city. The riverfront Bund promenade is getting a makeover with parks and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, while the subway is being dramatically expanded — including several new stations serving the World Expo site. — Aric Chen

Read about Shenzhen and find out what other destinations are featured on the list here.

Interested in learning more about travel to Shanghai? Please contact our Private Journeys director, Barbara Henderson, at barbara.henderson@wildchina.com. You can also send us a tweet @WildChina.