Beneath Shanghai’s towering skyscrapers that stand tall, steely, and immovable over the average citizen, lays a soothing, passionate and romantic quality about the city. If you know where to look, everyday in Shanghai is a chance to discover secret romantic hideaways with your special someone. Suspend your disbelief and indulge in our top 5 romantic retreats in Shanghai:
1. Old Town – Jiading District, Nanxiang Town
A great way to spend some one-on-one time with your date is to escape the frenetic city for a day and journey to the Old Town in the Jiading District. You can get to there by taking the metro from the East China Normal University campus. Ancient gardens, towers, temples, bridges and ruins with a distinguished architectural style from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties will separate you from the rest of the city and make you wonder if you’d stepped back in time.
2. 50 Moganshan Road
If you and our date prefer your culture a little more contemporary, try 50 Moganshan Road. Also know as “M50,” this is the nerve center of Shanghai’s buzzing art scene. Formerly a set of dilapidated warehouses, the M50 is today home to China’s premier art galleries. Many visitors leave with a reasonably priced piece of art tucked under their arm. This contemporary self-styled art district has a unique vibe that sets it apart from the rest of the city, and is not to be missed.
3. Shanghai Film Park 上海影视乐园
Tired of going to the movies with your date? Check out Shanghai Film Park and discover an extremely diverse collection of props and film sets from over 100 feature films. Interestingly, the film park has become a popular site in recent years for shooting wedding photos, as well as the usual selfies one would expect on a famous movie set. Take advantage of the photo ops to let loose with your date and see their creative and goofy side. Everyone likes a date with a sense of humor, right?
4. Duolun Road
If you’re feeling extra cute, go for a stroll down Duolun Road, a historic street with Chinese love poems engraved alongside the road. If you’re feeling inspired, visitors can drop their own poems in a special mailbox that will be delivered anywhere in the world with a special “love postmark” from Shanghai. Drop one in while your date isn’t looing, but be sure their address is correct!
5. Three on the Bund
Done with the cute stuff and ready to pull out all the stops? Three on the Bund is your choice. The grand neo-classical building was completed in 1916, and is famous as the first steel frame building in Shanghai. The balcony will give you the best angle to take photos of the most famous landmark of Shanghai, the Bund. With such a romantic evening, your date will surely be swooning by the end of the night.
What are you waiting for? Come to Shanghai!