Shanghai/Putuo

Putuo (local government) is a district in Shanghai.

Position in Shanghai

Get in

By train

Shanghai West Station is located in this district and is served by a few daily trains from around the area. Sales of tickets for travel within the same city are no longer permitted, so going to Shanghai Station now requires use of the subway or bus.

By metro

This area is crossed by a few metro lines. With line  7 , 1 Changshou Road Station will get you into the south part and take you all the way to 2 Xincun Road Station in the north.

Caoyang Rd. metro station (lines  3 ,  4  and  11 ) is located in the district, but the main attractions in the area require a bus ride from the station. Line  11  now runs further into this district, but taxis may be hard to find outside some of the stations (for example, going from Zhenru station to the nearest shopping center is a rather arduous journey on foot with no bus service while going the other way there are taxis and pedicabs which make the journey significantly quicker and easier; passengers going to the Meichuan Rd/Zhenguang Rd area are advised to take the subway to Shanghai West one stop over to aid in finding transportation). In addition, the new line  13  extends into this district.

By bus

Bus #947 runs from Zhongshan Park Metro station (lines  2 ,  3  and  4 ) through the important points in the district. Bus #837 runs from the main train station (lines  1 ,  3  and  4 ), #827 from Beixinjing station (line  2 ) and Shuicheng Rd (line  10 ), and #876 from Songhong Rd (line  2 ) and Caoyang Rd (lines  3 ,  4  and  11 ). Also, Bus #807 runs from Hongqiao airport. In addition to these, Changzhen line 1 runs from Shanghai West and Qilianshan Rd stations (both line  11 ).

See

• 1 Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺; Yùfó Chán Si) (Changshou Road, line  7 , exit 5, East on Xinhui road, turn right on Jiangning.). 08:30 to 17:00. A Buddhist temple founded in 1882 with two Jade statues of the Buddha imported from Burma. There are restaurant facilities with steamed dumplings. This is a bit of a hike from Jing'an temple, so consider taking a taxi or at the very least the Metro up to nearby Changshou Road Station. Note that Changshou Road is a different station than Changshu Road. ¥20 (+¥10 to see the statues!).  
• 2 Yuan-Dynasty Sluice Gate Museum (上海元代水闸遗址博物馆), 619 Yanchang West Road (near Zhidan Road), 延长西路619号（近志丹路) (Metro line  7  Xincun Road, then a 1.2 km walk, or bus). Tu-Su 09:00-16:00. The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) built several sluice gates along the Wusong River (now known as Suzhou Creek) to control flooding. This one was accidentally discovered during a construction project, excavated and turned into a museum. It has a raised walkway that lets you walk around and see all parts of the gate. Free. 
• 3 Zhenru Temple (真如寺; Zhēnrú Sì), 399 Lanxi Road (Metro lines  14  and  15  Tongchuan Road - under construction in 2018, or line  11  Zhenru), ☏ +86 2162546340. 08:00 to 16:00. A Buddhist temple built in 1320. In the middle stands a nine-storey pagoda, the ground floor of which is open for visitors. Special elements are prayer wheels, a colonnade along the river with a bell collection, paintings, stele and a fish pond. A major renovation will end in August 2018, but it is open during renovation. The entrance is on Lanxi Road near to Beishi Road. ¥10.  

M50 art district

This is an area of studios in a former textile factory at 50 Moganshan Road, along Suzhou Creek. Like Beijing's 798 district it is one of the main centers of contemporary Chinese art.

• 4 M50 art district.  

It now has dozens of studios, most of them open to the public, over 100 artists, and many galleries:

• Art Scene Warehouse, 2/F, Bldg #4, 50 Moganshan Rd, building 22, ☏ +86 21 6277 4940. Tu-Su 10:30-18:30. 
• Art Space 1918, 20 Moganshan Rd, building 22 (also reachable from M50 main entrance), ☏ +86 21 6276 9100. 
• Shang Art Gallery, 50 Moganshan Rd, ☏ +86 21 6359 3923. 

Do

• 1 Changfeng Park (#947 bus, stop is announced in English). It is a park like most others except it also has a mini-amusement park and aquarium within. Worth a visit if you are staying nearby as it is less crowded than Zhongshan or Century Parks.  
• Stampede Karting (#947/#807/#827 bus, Meichuan Rd/Zhenguang Rd stop). Supposedly the largest go-kart track in Asia, it's not bad, though the price leaves a little to be desired. ¥88/round. 

Buy

• Brilliance Zhonghuan Mall, intersection of Meichuan and Zhenguang Roads (Buses #947, #827, #807, #876, #727, #837 either). Su-Th 10:00-21:30, F Sa 10:00-22:00. Massive shopping mall with multiple restaurants and shops for clothing (including maternity clothing) as well as an Apple Store. This is also home to the only bowling alley within a 2-km radius and the only Baskin-Robbins and Uniqlo in the district. 
• Macalline, intersection of Meichuan and Zhenbei Roads. Has a huge furniture and bathroom fixtures' mall. It is amazingly well-stocked, and the newer half can even be considered an attraction in itself for the truly bored. 
• Shanghai Light Textile Market, Cao'an Road (Bus #947, last stop #948). Not to be missed. Despite its name, it also sells various knick-knacks, photo frames, paintings, shoes, and all kinds of dresses, among other things. 
• Tesco Supermarket (Near Zhengping Road station). Very large supermarket; Tesco is the UK's largest chain but Chinese branches mostly sell domestic Chinese products. 

Eat

• Muslim Market, 1328 Changde Road, near Aomen Road (常德路1328弄4号, 近澳门路) (Metro: Line  7 ,  13  Changshou Road exit 2, then walk north on Changde Road). Friday only 10:00-15:00. Diversity of food from Western China. They prepare the halal meat mostly on BBQ sticks, and serve with fried vegetables, rice or "nang" bread. The Chinese steamed buns (baozi) also originate from these peoples. One recommendation is lamb mixed with rice and carrot. The great difference of their food compared to Han Chinese cuisine is remarkable, for example the Muslim yogurt tastes very natural and sour and they never add sugar. 
• Tiger Topokki (Across the street from 1333 Meichuan Rd). 09:00-21:00. When Yi Pin Quan closed, two dining establishments took its place. Tiger Topokki is a Korean restaurant aimed at a younger, cooler crowd and is if nothing else, newer and less well-known (and thus less crowded) than Hanlin. ¥30-100. 
• Hanlin Korean Restaurant, Mei Chuan Lu/Zhen Guang Lu (Take any bus to Zhenguang Rd/Meichuan Rd stop and walk towards the giant mall; go upstairs to the 4th floor from the escalators where the SPD Bank is). Open until late night. A new Korean restaurant that has somewhat expensive barbecue and more affordable regular Korean dishes. The larger location on Wan Zhen Lu has closed so only the smaller mall location remains. ¥50-200. 

Sleep

Budget

• Le Tour Shanghai Youth Hostel (上海乐途白兰国际青年旅舍), 136 Bailan Rd (普陀区白兰路136号,凯旋北路口) (Between Metro Stations Caoyang Rd and Jinshajiang Rd (lines 3 and 4)), ☏ +86 21-52510808. While it is not in the most beautiful section of Shanghai, the place is clean, people friendly, Metro close, and there is a supermarket right across the corner from the hostel. ¥70. 
• 1 Utels Shanghai City Central International Youth Hostel, 300 Wuning Rd (普陀区武宁路300号). very convenient, clean, free buffet breakfast, good bar and restaurant and close to metro. McDonalds, KFC and street food stalls across the road. 

Mid-range

• Jin Sha Hotel Jin Jiang. 3-star accommodation that houses restaurants, banquet halls, multipurpose meeting rooms, recreational facilities, and a shopping arcade. Easy access to Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway. 
• Riverside Hotel, 1305 N Kaixuan Rd W, ☏ +86 21-51013030. 4-star hotel with 212 rooms. Start ¥398. 
• Shanghai Wumao Hotel, 2550 N Zhongshan Rd. Infusing pleasure in business. This three-star hotel offers contemporary facilities and multi-cuisine restaurants. Near Inner Ring Rd and Metro Lines 3 and 4. 

Splurge

• Crowne Plaza Shanghai Noah Square, No.1699 Jinshajiang Road (Line 13 Zhenbei Road metro station). Five-star hotels are finally starting to pop up in this corner of Shanghai. For those wanting the upscale experience without going broke, staying at this hotel is frequently cheaper than other Crowne Plazas in the city, and it's easily accessible by metro- get off line 13 at Zhenbei Road station, cross one (very very busy) street, and it is right past the large mall on the left side of the street. (updated Apr 2015)