YUYUAN MARKET + Yu Garden Shanghai and the renown #xiaolongbao

I felt a little violated thinking that we wasted precious time wandering aimlessly in Shanghai in search for Hong Kong Shopping Center which turned out to be different than the one I have in mind. We ended up not finding the cheap clothes that is, and if not for the delicious noodle dish, would have regretted it entirely. 

 Good thing the area of People's park is an easy access to our next destination --YUYUAN MARKET which is a few stations away by bus.  

YUYUAN MARKET Shanghai

Yuyuan Market, otherwise known as Yuyuan Bazaar is a busy marketplace set in an old Chinese neighborhood with traditional architecture and shops selling  all sort of items from handicraft to jewelries to clothing and accessories to souvenir items and local snacks. If you want to shop in a classic Chinese setting then Yuyuan Market is the place to go. It is a very touristy place (and we are tourists so we were here) but many who go here are local tourists so you still get that authentic Chinese feel.

It was already late afternoon when we arrived and I notices that some of the stores were already closed. Panic mode again. Grabbed a few souvenirs at a shops selling small items after which we decided to take a little walk into what appears to be a park leading to "The Bund".

Many people pass by here and many locals bring their kids to play. The view here of Pudong is breathtaking with the tallest building in Shanghai under construction dominating the sky.

 

 

Sitting around, people watching, we realized how tired our feet were after hours of going around by foot. We were about to give up and go back to our hostel when we felt we were starving. Other than the noodles we ate at Hong Kong Shopping Center in People's Park, we almost forgot we barely eaten at all. I noticed a few food stalls on our way to the park so I encouraged my wife to go back to Yuyuan Market to find something to eat.

It was a good decision to come back. It was only then we noticed that Yuyuan Market is a huge complex. We went into what appears to be an entrance into a building of Chinese traditional architecture and what we saw next felt like a precious discovery. Inside is a labyrinth of shops after shops after shops selling everything from jewelries, clothing, food and snacks. The place is beautifully lighted and so the shopping experience becomes more pleasurable. Except that we didn't shop. We were content with looking around and trying some food.

The first thing we came across was this snack. Please refer to the picture below. Again, we randomly saw this stall and as usual, no English translation as to what it is called and what those ingredients are. Only God know. So you have some condiments wrapped in what appears to be sticky rice. I pointed at two flavors and continued with a hand gestures to complete the order. Pretty nice taste if I may say so. Palate quite satisfied.

We went deeper into the complex and came across another food stall where many people are queuing. I reckoned it must be popular so we queued as well. Turns out to be selling the most famous food in Shanghai---xiaolongbao. A Styrofoam with around 16 pcs of this dumpling costs 35 RMB. You have to order the whole set. It was satisfying except that we ate too many of it. Nakakasuya ^^

Further inside is an area with a pond and a zigzag bridge sorrounded by the same old Chinese architecture buildings. The pond has hundreds of coy fish and they are really huge. I have never seen this many coy fish and this large. The zigzag bridge is always full of people eapecially at night when the building around it are beautifully lighted. Being in the middle gives you a 360 degree view of the shops around it mostly cafe and restaurants.

It's interesting to see some popular western brands like Starbucks and Dairy Queen in this kind of setup. Yu Garden is next to Yuyuan Market so I reckon that this area connects to the garden. Unfortunately, we came late so it was already closed. We had our fill of xiaolongbao next to the pond and enjoyed taking photos for souvenir. We stayed a few minutes more to appreciate the view before we headed by to our place passing by Nanjing Road and the Bund which are both stunning at night. 

HOW TO GET TI YUYUAN MARKET:
Address: Hengshan Road Huangpu District Shanghai

By subway: Take Subway Line 8 and get off at Dashijie Station, walk along Huaiha East Road and Renmin Road, and you will find Yuyuan Garden.

By bus: Bus 11, 126, 926, 66

We flew in Shanghai via
AirAsia Zest which flies daily to Pudong International Airport.
Be sure not to miss on their promo fares
by logging in to http://www.airasia.com/ph/en/home.page .

You can also download AirAsia's Mobile App

http://www.airasia.com/mobile/app-download/main_en.htm

Play Store link >>>here

and Itunes link >>>here

More on Shanghai Soon! ^^


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