Shanghai

Thirty-four million people live in Shanghai’s vast metropolitan area. The famous old buildings on the Bund — such as the Customs House, the former Palace Hotel and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank — are now overshadowed by skyscrapers. Shanghai is divided by the Huangpu River into the areas of Puxi and Pudong, or the westside and eastside, respectively. Remnants of the old city are to be found in Puxi, in particular on the tree-lined streets of the old French Concession. Despite rampant development, some attempts at preservation have been relatively successful; Xintiandi, for example, is a revived 19th-century neighborhood that has become a lively restaurant district.