When outsiders and foreigners come to Shanghai, they would invariably like to stroll along its main streets and roads, looking for Shanghai-made things and buy some of those commodities with special Shanghai flavor to be brought back when they return home as souvenirs, keepsakes or gifts for their relatives and friends.

In the old days of Shanghai, many shops for foreign buyers were opened in such sections as Nanking Road (Nanjing Lu), Yates Road (Tongfu Lu), Northern Szechuan Road(Sichuan Bei Lu) and Avenue Joffre(Huaihai Zhong Lu). The tourists coming from all parts of the world would like to go there for shopping.

The advent of the 90s saw the ongoing contriving efforts of Shanghai in creating its image as a "tourists' metropolis" for the tourists from other parts of the country and foreign countries. Having enjoyed the wide fame as "China's Number One Street", Nanjing Road has seen new features with its old face in regression in these few years. On one hand, long-established stores and old famed restaurants have "recovered their youthful vigour", and their business now continues to thrive as ever before. While on the other hand, utterly new shopping centres have sprung up like mushrooms such as Mosta, Manhattan Square, Wings Dressmarket and Sincere Company, providing a vast space for the buyers to pick up what they would like to have. On Nanjing Road one can find not only distinctly characterised "Homes of Famous-brand Goods", but also elegant eating houses tastefully laid out. There the mellow fragrance of hot coffee now and then is being wafted to you by the breeze; and fairly often lingers in the air the reveberation of merriment of video game players.

As a "shoppers' paradise" for the world's tourists, Shanghai should be able to proffer the world's exquisite goods. It is Huaihai Road that has been fulfilling this requirement for elegant articles on the highest plane. Esprit, Nick, Jeans West, Dison and some other exclusive stores or counters selling brands of goods of international fame are of "Five-Star" grade as has been used to grade luxury hotels, one of which you will find just on the same road----Jinjiang Hotel.

The Old Temple of City God wherein lies Yuyuan the Happy Garden, and the Old Shanghai County Seat City proper retain their classical or antique features in a way. As the first-stage renovation of the used-to-be "kingdom of small commodities", there you will find a complete range of varieties of tourists' souvenirs possessing the unique features of the local Shanghainese taste.

Lastly, Xujia Hui(used to be a border assembly area years ago) has now been built into a new commerce and shopping assembly area. There have gone up Oriental Shopping Centre, Pacific Department Store plus its square, Daqian Centre of Delicious Foods, Jianguo Hotel, Huating Sheralton Hotel and the like. If you go there, to be sure, you will feel the out-of-the-common breath of spirit of this metropolis in the Orient--its name is SHANGHAI!

The following is a list of famous shopping centers: