I was in an exchange programme and stayed in Shanghai for 6 months, from winter to near end of spring. Coming from a freggin' clean country, I was appalled by the extent of air pollution and dust on the road. But, no one wore masks! They have an extensive metro line, which is expanding by the minute. And hell of a time to get on during peak hours. If you havent heard, they have people to give you that extra push (literally) to get into the impossibly full cabins. Oh, and dont be surprised to see occasional open breastfeeding and parent coaxing a child to pee onto the train floor. Buses are equally crowded. One thing to note is to take EXTRA CARE of your belongings. My friends had experienced pickpockets who'd nonchalantly looked them in the eye while doing their thang~ Also, in Shanghai, remember that pedastrians are NO KINGS/QUEENS on the road. Traffic lights are only there for formality so screw it and cross the road with care.

Shanghai is indeed a metropolitan, and you get to see an extensive mix of people. Mostly, foreigners hang out in the "town" areas such as Nanjing Road, Jing An Road, People's Square, Times Square where many shopping malls housing major brands can be found. Watsons is everywhere so fret not if u need your toiletries and what not. Hypermarts can be found in some of the major malls. Need IT stuff - there are dedicated malls in Puxi area. Foreigners worrying about missing your daily cuppa, there's Starbucks and some others. Shanghai is all about food, luxury, entertainment, shopping. Japanese/Brazilian Grill Buffet/Fast food/Korean/fusion..easily found. Meat lovers, recommend that you eat at Brazil Steakhouse - buffet at just RMB 80 or SGD13. Gorge yourself silly with potato salads/bbq beef meat/chicken and the GRILLED-BLACK BANANAS! If you're easy with food or on strict budget, eat at the humble/rundown shops. U can fill you stomach with staple noodles (w diff toppings) for just RMB 4-8!! But neglect the hygiene and service and u'll love your food. I just loved the tomato+egg hand made ramen from "Lan Zhou" eateries all over Shanghai.

If you're looking to buy fake goods, take the metro to Shanghai Science and Technology Park Station. It's an underground maze of shops selling LV, abercrombie, juicy couture, mui mui, chloe, tag huer, bottega venetta, etc. Be daring and slash the prices by 1/2. If you find the shopowners asking for a raise that's beyond what u'r willing to pay, walk out of the shop. They'll immediately call you back if your offer profits however little. Works everytime, especially during slow business time. If your offer is indeed too low, u might just get an offensive scream in your face..but that's all~ Move on to other shops who'll sell you similar items. I just loved haggling in Shanghai! Didnt have the chance to do it in Singapore! It's indeed an art! ;p

If u'r looking for CHEAP clothes w not so much quality and dont mind travelling, you can go to "Qi Pu Lu" by bus/taxi which is basically 3 or more 4-5 storeys complexes cramped with small shops selling abercrombie/juicy/ed hardy/etc clothes, accessories, leather bags, pirated goods like dvds, bags/wallets/clutches like classic LVs, coach, tiffany, bally, anna sui, mango, straw bags...This is the place to shop yourself silly but be warned of MANY pickpockets and little air during weekends. Remember to slash the prices!!!

One place you have to visit in Shanghai would be The Bund, where you can take in the changing lights of the Oriental Pearl Tower and sky scrapers and tour ferries down the Huangpu River. If u dnt mind wasting money, there are tonnes of business makers who'll gladly take your striking poses with average digicams. Across the street u'll see the warm lights radiating from the AIA building which has the colonial feel to it..and of course..luxury brands on ground level. Oriental Pearl Tower has a restaurant up there and if im not wrong u'll have to pay for the admission fees into the tower if you wanna dine up in the sky.
Want a taste of traditional chinese architecture, head down to "Lao Jie" (Old Street) near Nanjing Rd where u can buy jade/stone carved name stamps/traditional craft art made of paper/metal. This tourist attraction also offers Fermented Beancurds, Xiaolongbao, etc.

Pubs with live bands can be found at the Jing An Shi area if I didnt remember wrongly. Clubbing scene is also pretty decent, just head to the clubs dominated by foreigners. Clean,luxurious and spacious KTV lounges at "Da Mu Zi" (Big Thumb Square) operate til 6am and are VALUE FOR MONEY compared to Singapore's family lounges like KBOX and PARTYWORLD. 5hrs of overnight latest chinese songs (w/o) food & drinks cost only about SGD13. Titbits and drinks can be bought at the minimart inside.

Extensive information about food/entertainment can be found online, but most details are in Chinese. Just search "Baidu" - China's version of Yahoo/Google. All in all, the local chinese can be nice and warm if you know them. Treat them as you would expect in return and keep your cool. U'll be appalled by the gap btw the rich and the really poor when you see beggars/kids with scarred eyes/severed til abdomen asking for money...and then limited edition luxury cars zooming down the streets...u'll get numb by the sight but remember it to heart. What matters is to get used to the culture and you'll learn to love your stay especially long ones.

Traffic and just getting around may be difficult for some especially if you not speak or understand the local language so to save time it is best to obtain accommodation that is central to your sight seeing. We found large cities in China (Sept 2006) can cost you time and money if your accommodation is in the wrong area to where you want to go e.g An hour or two extra quickly consunes a day if you stay in the SE and want to go to the NW etc
We found to be the case mostly notably so in China than any other country