Shanghai is one of the biggest megacities in the world. As cities go, it’s grand, impersonal and strangely beautiful; its skyline full of possibilities and distant untold stories. Here we take you on a whirlwind virtual tour of one of the strangest, most visually-stunning utopias mankind has ever created:
photo credit: Sprengben
This looks like the cover of an old Sci-Fi novel; maybe one of the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. It looks like a myth, something that existed a long, long time ago.
photo credit: Bert van Dijk
Check into a city-centre hotel and soak up the skyline between excursions, who knows what inspiration you might find?
photo credit: alika89
A classic view across the harbour. Silent, imposing and fairly thrumming with life, this is Shanghai at its postcard best.
photo credit: Miss Jo|?????
This black and white vortex of roads looks like something from J.G. Ballard. Actually it’s one of the city’s bigger junctions, sucking cars in from across Shanghai and spitting them back out again.
photo credit: Wolfgang Staudt
The Wusong River coils through central Shanghai, giving the city a geographical focal point. As grand as the Thames or Danube have ever been.
photo credit: Wolfgang Staudt
It may look like a spaceship, but the Oriental Pearl Tower is home to one of Shanghai’s best viewing platforms. Check out the top-floor restaurant for an epic night out.
photo credit: yakobusan Jakob Montrasio ???
It looks like a still from Bladrunner; and that’s Shanghai all over. Unreal, mythological and – at night – near hallucinatory.
photo credit: XRacZ
Lit up like a Christmas tree, the Jinmao Tower rises dominates the skyline; a dizzying monument to Shanghai’s own-brand model of capitalism.
photo credit: XRacZ
One of the best ways to view the city is from above; this shot demonstrates the sheer ethereal beauty that only becomes apparent high above the ground.
photo credit: rickyqi
Lit in befuddling neon colours, any part of the city can seem beautiful viewed from the right angle. This almost looks like an abstract artwork.
photo credit: le niners
Even the turnpikes have a certain stylistic flair in this most-stylish of cities; swirling round in some great incandescent vortex.
photo credit: Axel Rouvin
Seen at night, each window in these towers seems to hold a different story; a hundred different lives lived in close proximity without ever even touching. With its vast apartment buildings, downtown is the perfect place for such contemplation.
photo credit: @yakobusan Jakob Montrasio ???
The city as a glittering jewel, viewed from far above.
photo credit: The eclectic Oneironaut
Imposing, rain-flecked; neon streaked across hard angles… such corners of the city give off a distinctly neo-noir feel.
photo credit: jijis
A slum-area shot taken one summer night. With the city glittering remote in the background, this shows the flipside to the Shanghai dream.
photo credit: Orange ?
Downtown Shanghai; a slice of life seen on a street corner. Plenty of moments like this await the intrepid traveller.
photo credit: wowitsstephen
A psychedelic re-imagining of this vertiginous view; as breath-taking as anything New York has to offer.
photo credit: Xiao C
In Shanghai seemingly every window looks out on an incredible view. This photo was taken through an office window.
photo credit: Rampant Gian
And yet, amid all this glass and steel, corners of tradition still manage to flourish; offering wonderful little mini-vistas of their own.
photo credit: alika89
An early-morning stroll along the waterfront is ripe for contemplation. Sitting in silence while the water flows is as zen an experience as any monastic retreat.
photo credit: myheimu
Lastly, a beautiful dawn shot, showing the city awake. Warm, sensuous, magical; in a word: Shanghai.
To see the incredible views of Shanghai for yourself, book a room at the Swissotel Grand Shanghai; priding itself on five-star luxury and located within the heart of the city’s business district.