Don’t forget to check out our Pudong and Puxi food guides as well.

1. Fresh and crisp Belgian fries by Chez Leon

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Northwest of Belgium-European Union

RMB 20 per person

These fries are dipped in a thick concoction of cheese and mayonnaise.

2. Meals from Czech Restaurant

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Czech Pavilion

RMB 150 per person

German beer is said to be the best; but they said once you have tried beer from the Czech Republic, you would think otherwise. The beer consumption per person in Czech Republic is 215 liters per year. Germany is only second at 134 liters per year.

3. Seafood from the Norwegian Pavilion Restaurant: Love From The Norwegian Sea

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Norwegian Pavilion, 1st Floor

RMB 250 per person

Norway’s fishing industry is extremely well-know. The world’s best salmon comes from Norway. The Chinese have a saying–the way Norwegian salmon is prepared is “有两把刷子” or is really, really good.

Besides salmon, their cod fish is also said to be promising.

4. Turkish ice cream, also called “Dondurman”

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Turkish Pavilion, Exit

RMB 25 per person

People are attracted to how the ice cream is made (or performed) by the ice cream man.

5. Spanish Pavilion: Pedro Larumbe Restaurant

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Spanish Pavilion, 1st floor

RMB 200 per person

The Iberico ham has a unique wine aroma resulting from it being cured in wine for a long time (3 years).

6. Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)

Address: Puxi, Zone D, Southwest of Japanese Industrial Pavilions

RMB 35 per person

These small octopus balls come from Osaka. They are wrapped in soft, almost crunchy wrappers, and when bitten, the insides are super hot with sweet and chili flavors mixed together.

Unfortunately, queue time is especially long. Unless you are really craving for authentic takoyaki balls, you might lose your appetite in the end.

7. Porterhouse Irish Pub

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Near Belgium-European Union

RMB 80 per person

Compared to food, Ireland is actually better known for their beer (but you can also get set meals in Porterhouse). Though heard that it is almost always sold out (probably due to intentionally limiting the supply?).

8. Austrian Pavilion: Ewald’s Cafe

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Austrian Pavilion, 2nd floor

RMB 200 per person

Price is on the expensive side. And you could say the meal above is just breaded pork chop or tonkatsu (in Japan). But the Austrian Pavilion’s version uses slightly less oil with a bowl of salad to go with it and paired with Austrian wheat beer or ginger ale–a perfect match so to say.

9. Le Restaurant Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse

Address: Puxi, Urban Best Practices Area, Rhône-Alpes Pavillon, 4th Floor

Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm

Dinner: 6pm to 8.30pm (reservations required)

RMB 300 per person

Luxurious French cuisine that makes you want to return to the time of King Louie XIV. Enjoy foie gras, grilled cod, and others. This is said to be better than the Michelin-starred 6sens found at the French Pavilion.

10. Hakuna Matata African Restaurant

Address: Pudong, Zone C, Near Joint Africa Pavilion and Italian Pavilion

The unique African cuisine is not too bad actually. Ostrich meat is very lean and can conjure similar tastes coming from juicy beef. The restaurant looks simple on the outside, yet on the second floor there is an amazing buffet spread of grilled lamb chops, steak, salmon, etc., cooked by an Ethiopian chef.

I just came back from Shanghai studying Mandarin in Fudan University. Someone said–you can learn any language from anywhere you are. Like you do not need to go to China to study Mandarin.

True. I actually studied Mandarin in my country before I even knew there is such a place called China.

So why the need to go to China learn Chinese?!

Good question. My friend Allan said it best–

The exposure in terms of listening and reading helps a lot. Also, the very valuable opportunity to practice your speaking skills could not be given credit enough. The setting itself allows one to blossom his Mandarin skills.

And with that, if you are planning to go to China to take up language courses, here are some tips to help you along the way.

What school should I go to? Beijing or Shanghai?

Here we are at it again. Beijing or Shanghai? First, realize that there are other places in China aside from Beijing and Shanghai. Like Harbin or Tianjin.

Purists will say that choosing a good school to enroll in is probably the most important factor to consider as the right learning environment will give you the motivation to continue learning.

Personally, I think there is no difference if you go to whichever university or school. [Unless there are people here who think otherwise, I welcome your comments below!] If you are seriously motivated, I think you can achieve your goals still.

Though I have bias to Fudan University in Shanghai as it is one of the top universities in China last 2008 and 2009. Before going to Fudan, my dream school was Beijing Language and Culture University or BLCU for short. They have the best books for Chinese learning.

One of the most important considerations I have heard was that if the place has a lot of non-Chinese. Because if the place has a lot of non-Chinese (and what’s worst, if they know how to speak English), your opportunities of interacting with the Chinese locals are not a lot.

But then, if you are studying Chinese in China after all, there is 99.99% chance that your classmates are foreigners. [The tolerance factor is because I have met Chinese who actually enrolled in the same language program as I did. But their curriculum was a bit slanted. They might have grew up abroad so that they do not know much hanzi or Chinese characters, etc.]

Another consideration is the weather. Do you like the cold? Whether you will be staying in the first semester or the second semester, you still might catch a few weeks of winter (depending on the area). Fall semester generally starts on September 1st, and ends around just before Chinese New Year. Spring semester starts on March 1st and ends in mid-June. You can check out China.org.cn for their China weather map.

And if you are paying your way to China, you might want to think about the cost of living. Different areas in China have varying costs of living. China Briefing did research on the cost of living in 9 major cities in China for 2009.

Now that we are on the subject of money…

I have heard that the Chinese government offers scholarships. How do I apply?

I actually thought of applying for this scholarship, but the requirements were just too tedious, and I had trouble coordinating with our country’s embassy on this. But as they say, no pain, no gain. So you might want to read up on the China Scholarship Council.

This scholarship is actually very competitive. A friend recommended that I ask about the local government scholarships instead. Like within Shanghai only. You have to inquire about this directly to your school of choice.

Just some random question–but where do I stay–dorm or apartment?

Tough decision. If you want a no-brainer answer, stay in the school dormitory. But if you want to have more freedom and/or save on cash, an apartment maybe the way to go. Generally, anything for the international student is more expensive. Tuition is more expensive. And dorm accommodations are more expensive too.

How expensive? I mean, come on, Fudan has a special price list for international students.

With an apartment, if you could find (safe) people who can share with you, I think it would be really fun! But dorm life is also another thing. And at least, it is within the campus vicinity.

By the way, Fudan does not have curfew on the foreign students dormitory.

Fudan University Foreign Students Dormitory

Sample room--actually, my room before I accumulated tons of stuff

Or you could always look for an apartment outside.

I thought going to China has a setting which allows me to”blossom my Mandarin skills”? How could I do that with all those English-speaking people around me?

This is a question of discipline. In China, especially if you are learning the language for the first time, your comfort zone would be around your English-speaking peers. You should go out of your way to maximize local interactions which would not be available in your home country. How do you do that?

Look for a language partner.

I found out that it helps if you have at least one language buddy who will meet with you on a regular basis. There are a lot of Chinese who want to improve their English as well so they are eager to pair up with a foreigner.

But if you are going to China on your own, how do you pick a language partner who does not turn out to be an axe murderer? Ask your teacher for referrals. He or she can post an ad in the school’s BBS or forum. And since he/she is a teacher from that school, he/she would know how the BBS culture of that school is. Another thing is, your teacher might personally know a local student who is also looking for a language partner. That is how I met mine.

Join school organizations.

Are you musically talented? Join the school orchestra. My friend did just that. She said that she was the only non-Chinese in the group, and it really helped her speaking skills.

School organizations are excellent venues for you to meet local students. Many recruit at the start of the school year. Again, if you are hesitant, your teacher would be happy to help you.

Have internships. Volunteer your time.

I was really fortunate to have a lot of learning experiences outside class hours. As an intern with HUBS1 and working with Elliott on Expotia (which is the official hotel reservation service provider of Expo 2010), I have interacted with a number of Chinese-speaking individuals. And because I was in Shanghai during the World Expo, I decided to take advantage of the event by volunteering there as well. [In the meantime, why not check out CNReviews' coverage of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo?]

Some of my friends volunteered at a few migrant schools teaching little kids. They found out about this through a school organization.

Basically, you really need to go out of your way to look for opportunities where you can maximize your Chinese education that you cannot easily have when you are back home. Otherwise, what is the point of you going to China when you can simply learn the language from where you are at?

Now that I have decided to learn Chinese, what your top 3 tips?

Allan graciously shared his tips on learning Chinese–

1. Repetition.

Mandarin is one of the most grueling languages to learn in the world. The sheer number of characters with the limited combination of tones could make the language daunting and confusing all at the same time.

But it is possible, well, a billion people could speak it, so why couldn’t I?

So one should really invest time in writing, listening, speaking etc. until it becomes natural to you. The key here is to focus on the basics, and do not try to do too much too soon. Once you master the basics you will make a solid foundation to build upon.

2. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.

There is a common notion that we learn more through our failures rather than our successes. This is also true in Mandarin especially in spoken Chinese. Do not be afraid to make mistakes as this is probably one of the quickest ways to learn. Do not worry about being embarrassed. People will be forgiving especially when they know that you are a foreigner. They would be happy to see you exerting effort in learning the language. It is also by venturing out that you learn plenty of things that the books would not teach you such as daily expressions and more commonly used spoken terms.

3. Do not rely too much on the books.

What I mean here is, books are definitely a valuable asset in learning the language, no doubt about that. I think though you must take the extra step outside the books in learning the language. Keeping a separate notebook for new words that you hear randomly during conversations, class etc. that you feel you can directly use in daily conversations is very helpful. We all have our varying styles of speaking, and our vocabulary are all different. You are the one who knows the kind of words you usually use, hence certain words for me may not be as valuable as it is to you. Thus, whenever you hear words that you deem important, make mental notes or if possible jot them down right away. This will help you develop smoother and more natural conversations, because you are armed with the words that come out naturally from your thought process

I agree with all of them. Let me just add my own top 3 tips.

• Speak Chinese to your classmates. Do not use English. Even when you are just starting to learn, force yourself to speak the language. And you will develop this habit later on. Because of how I look, some of my classmates at first do not know I can speak English. I had 2 classmates–an Italian and a German–who would converse with each other in English–then turn back to me and translate everything in Chinese. I know it is bad, but I actually let them continue (until they found out much later on that I can actually understand everything!). The lesson here is not to trick your classmates into thinking you are some ignorant person but to develop the habit of speaking to everyone in Chinese. Because we started this way, we still use Mandarin with each other even after class.
• Make friends with everyone. There are 5 vital people–the ayi, the dorm security, the street food vendor, the taxi driver, and the bookstore/clothes shop guy (whichever you frequent). They love a good conversation especially when they find out you a student learning their language.
• And when you done with your China stint, watch Chinese shows and movies and listen to Chinese songs. I really like watching Taiwanese soaps even before going to China. I think I have received most of my Mandarin education through here than 10+ years of Chinese schooling! Let me know if you want some recommendations.

So that’s it! If you have tips of your own, please share them in the comments below. And if you have any other questions on learning Chinese in China, let me know.

The Shanghai World Expo has already become infamous due to the long lines and crowds that await visitors. Thankfully, there are benefits and provisions provided for the elderly, handicapped, and people with disabilities.

On tickets

Special admission ticket prices can be enjoyed by people with disabilities and people born on or before December 31, 1950.

The special admission ticket prices are RMB 100 for standard days and RMB 120 for non-standard or peak days. As of now, there are 2 peak seasons:

• October 1 to 7, 2010 which is for the National Day of China and
• October 25 to 31, 2010 which is the last week of the World Expo.

Those who fall in the above categories must show twice proof of their eligibility:

• when purchasing the ticket and
• upon entrance to the Expo Garden.

The following can be presented as proofs of eligibility:

On wheelchairs

Wheelchairs are provided for free at the Expo Garden entrances starting 9am. However, in order to prevent those people pretending to be disabled so as to gain fast pass access to the pavilions, only eligible people can avail of the free wheelchair rentals.

The only eligible people are–

• people with disabilities
• and people born on or before December 31, 1950.

Again, they need to show proofs of their eligibility. No exceptions will be made. According to the rules, documentation must be presented. Even if the person is absent-minded and has forgotten his/or card.

Pregnant women are not considered disabled and handicapped. For safety reasons, it is better that they stay at home if they can not bear the long walking. [If they show medical certificates, it would be a different story--it will really depend on the staff if they will allow pregnant women to avail of the wheelchairs. However, again, for safety reasons, it is better that they stay at home.]

The wheelchair rentals are located at Expo Gates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 (Gate 6 not included). Other areas for wheelchair rentals are four of the designated parking lots at the Expo–in Pudong, Parking Lots 12 and 16; in Puxi, Parking Lots 2 and 4.

The wheelchairs are free, but a deposit of RMB 500 must be made. They must be returned by 9pm. Visitors do not necessarily need to return the wheelchairs at the place where they made the deposit. Any of the Expo Gates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8; and the four parking lots will do. The deposit will be refunded upon return as well.

Some wheelchairs have been placed around the site, including inside the China Pavilion and Theme Pavilions, for emergency help. These wheelchairs must be returned immediately after patrons leave pavilions.

The Shanghai More Love Foundation on June 24 donated 1,000 additional wheelchairs to the Expo site, taking its tally of donations to 2,500 chairs.

There are now more than 3,500 wheelchairs for rent at the site but the supply continues to be inadequate.

Hong Hao, director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, encouraged visitors living in Shanghai to bring their own wheelchairs to the Expo site.

On walking canes and first-aid kits

The Expo does not provide walking canes. Though there are volunteers at every corner who are ready to assist you–just in case. That is the ideal case. Though I have noticed that I am seeing fewer of them. Or maybe they are hiding? But ideally, as I have mentioned, the volunteers should be there with their first-aid kits. They are the ones in the green, cabbage uniforms.

Expo Volunteers

On baby strollers

Pregnant women may not be able to enjoy special prvileges but babies (or rather their mothers) can. Free baby stroller rentals are also provided at the same areas where wheelchair rentals are made. The deposit is RMB 200.

But there are also restrictions as to whom the baby strollers can be rented out. The babies should be 3 years old (or below) and/or less than 15kg. Now, I am not sure how strict they are with babies. I mean, come on, they are babies! But those are the rules.

On when to go

My personal recommendation is that the elderly go to the Expo on September instead. That way, the weather will be cooler thus making the Expo trip more enjoyable.

On the Expo fast pass–could the elderly, handicapped, and people with disabilities enter the China Pavilion?

A press conference last June 30 made official that only the physically-challenged and the elderly aged 75 years old and above are given priority access to the green lane or fast pass lane. And they can only be accompanied by one able-bodied person.

But this rule still does not apply to the China Pavilion. Check out our China Pavilion reservations guide on how to enter the China Pavilion. And I also listed my reasons on why you would want to get a China Pavilion reservation.

Some pavilions, including Sweden, Thailand, Norway and Ireland, closed their green channels or set stricter access rules for disadvantaged groups after they were abused.

Life and Sunshine Pavilion

The Shanghai Disabled Persons Federation has setup a special pavilion focusing on the disabled people.

Life and Sunshine Pavilion

The Life and Sunshine Pavilion has chosen four generally accepted concepts of ‘Dignity’, ‘Contribution’, ‘Care’ and ‘Future’ as its basic display factors. Its purpose is to develop the theme of “Equality, Participation, Share”, the ultimate goal of people with disabilities, to stress the objective of “lighting every soul of people with disabilities with the sunshine of care”, to help society know better about the competence of people with disabilities and contribution they have made, to demonstrate the concept of ‘harmonious city’ from the perspective of people with disabilities, and to fully embody the theme of “Better City, Better Life”, to increase the awareness of the contributions made by the people with disability.

This is located at Zone B.

Generally, the Shanghai Expo is elderly and handicap friendly. At least it makes an effort with the ramps and the privileges for the elderly and handicap.

Some pavilions provide wheelchair lifts.

Wheelchair lift inside the Russian Pavilion

And there are toilets for people with special needs.

Toilets for people with special needs

Easy access to toilets

The water fountains have different heights for easy reach as well.

When you visit the Expo itself, especially when sundown is nearing, the pavilion staff themselves are tired and grouchy (not all but some of them). So there will always be exceptions to the rules.

It gets really crazy when even the old people fight back at the staff for not letting them in. The basic rule is that different pavilions have their own policies. Even if the Expo organizers say that the fast lanes rules will be applied universally by all pavilions, putting an end to arguments about different VIP practices at various pavilions.

So let us cross our fingers at that. I have been to the Expo Garden a lot of times even after the new fast lanes rules have been published. It still depends on how happy or stressed the pavilion staffs are at that given moment. Again, because of that, there will always be exceptions to the rules given that the pavilion guides are also humans; and I would think they have soft hearts too. Heh.

Except for the China Pavilion. The China Pavilion reservations guide is totally a different story.

Anyway for your enjoyment, here’s a video on smart elders at the Expo. They could make a killing out of this! Heard that this refit costs RMB 3800.

Ok, we need to get to the Expo really early so that we can get in the China Pavilion; because I think that’s the most important thing–if that’s the only thing we’ll be able to see what with the long lines.

The Expo Garden opens 9am. Let’s meet at xxx metro station 8am. [And I thought we were very early that time! Because now--lining up at 6am still might not get you a pass. Luck sometimes has to do with it.]

That's 8.20am and just look at the crowd!

You first read about the Expo Fast Pass techniques here. But why would you want to go through all that trouble?

First off, because it is the China Pavilion. The Pavilion commands awe and attention just by the bright Chinese red color and the intricate upside-down pyramid with interlocking blocks made to look like the traditional Dougong.

Second, well, aside from the mini train ride inside [Hehe, yes! There is a train ride inside which reminded me of Disneyland's "It's A Small World." But I am getting way ahead of myself.], the China Pavilion is definitely the pavilion with the most quality content. The buzz around it was telling the truth.

After checking out the pavilion for myself, here are my top 5 reasons why you would want to “fight” for your reservation pass as well. (More on the “fighting” part later.)–

The prize

1. Going up the China Pavilion feels majestic.

Feel the majestic air.

In China’s history, notable in Imperial Tombs, there is such a thing called the Sacred Way or the Divine Road leading to heaven. Only the emperor, who is the son of heaven, can walk on that road. The same with the China Pavilion, the center is not passable; so we climbed the escalators on the side.

2. The animated version of Zhang Zeduan’s famous thousand-year-old scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

Painting of Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan

I will just quote the entire description from here.

As the representative work of Zhang Zeduan, a famous palace painter living in the late Northern Song Dynasty, Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival is a handscroll of painting reflecting the life and customs of the Northern Song Dynasty. The handscroll of painting, measuring 24.8cm wide and 528.7cm long, is painted on silk with a light color background. It is now kept in the National Palace Museum in Beijing.

In a form of long handscroll of painting, the work adopts a splashed clairvoyance painting composition method to take complex sceneries into a unified and varied frame and gives a detailed description of the prosperous vision and natural scenes of Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Bian River. The entire painting is composed of three sections: the spring scenery of Bianliang suburban area, the busy dock of Bian River, and busy downtown streets. From representative aspects such as commerce, traffic, inland river transportation, and architecture, the painting gives an integrated showing of the blooming and busy visions of suburban area, downtown, and waterway of Bianliang as the political and economic center of the Northern Song Dynasty, presenting in front of us the detailed and vivid social life of Bianliang over 1,000 years ago.

In the 5-plus-meter-long painting, there are in total over 550 persons in different clothes and expressions engaged in different activities, showing a proper spacing through an artful painting composition method. In addition to the persons mentioned above, there are still 50 ~ 60 livestock including cattle, horses, mules, and donkeys, and more than 40 carriages and vessels in different sizes presented on the painting. The buildings, bridges, and city towers possess their respective characteristics and show the architectural properties of the Northern Song Dynasty.

As a representative of realism among Chinese paintings, Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival has exerted a great influence over the creation of genre paintings in later generations and provided the studies on the economy and folk customs of the Northern Song Dynasty with precious and direct materials. Therefore, it enjoys a very high historical and artistic value, and is an art treasure renowned both at home and abroad.

Since its birth, Riverside Scenes at Qingming Festival, for five times, has been taken into palaces and, for as many as four times, stolen away. In spite of the dramatic fate, it is still intact and kept in the National Palace Museum as an art treasure of China.

I could stare at the animation the whole day if I wanted to if not for the armies of  people shoving and harassing me. What I like about Chinese paintings is that the details are incredibly small yet vivid. The original version of this painting is so delicate that it is rarely shown in public.

Sheila Melvin of the New York Times describes the work of art as such–

It depicts a tranquil landscape of rolling mountains and leafless trees with thatched cottages scattered here and there along a riverbank. As the river meanders onward, the landscape becomes more populated. Farmers ride past on donkeys, fishermen moor their boats and men carry buckets of water in shoulder poles. The river widens and is spanned by a gravity-defying, rainbow-shaped bridge mobbed with peddlers, pedestrians, coolies and idlers. A boat prepares to pass beneath, its crew hustling to lower the masts as dozens of passersby stop to watch and offer unsolicited advice. Just past the bridge lies the town, a snug and prosperous enclave of homes, restaurants, hotels and temples. Everywhere there are people engaged in the business of life: shopping for a new bow; slurping noodles; commuting by camel caravan, ox cart, horse, sedan chair and foot; listening to a story-teller; having their fortune told; sipping tea, or showing off a grandson to friends encountered in the street. For a brief moment, I too am a part of all this activity — until the man beside me elbows my ribs and the guard shouts “Move on!

The last line–that’s what I felt too.

3. Visual eye-candy

I am a very visual person. And the China Pavilion offers a lot of that in its exhibits. The whole structure is divided into 3 sections–

Section1: The Footprints

Pre-show Hall

Blocks where you can see videos on them while waiting for the theater to open

Pre-show hall

Story of Spring

A romantic story on China's progress to modernization. Connect that.

Reminiscence- See 4 different versions of the Chinese living room.

Your home then

Your home now

River of Wisdom

• The Scroll
• National Treasures
• Crystals of Civilization

Land of Hope

Land of Hope

• Green Homeland
• Under the Same Roof
• Rural-Urban Duet

Children’s Aspiration- 300m, 3.3m wide ring-shaped pedestrian ramp that is filled with artworks depicting the children’s ideals and wishes for the city and the world.

Children's Aspiration

Section 2: The Dialogue

This is basically about China’s past and present and moving towards modernization.

And we finally got on the monorail.

Section 3: The Vision

Focus on low-carbon future

Warning from Nature
Proper Exploration
Measured Consumption
Return to Simplicity
Fountain of Illumination

My only problem with the last part is that it may come off as too technical and hardcore for the laymen. The exhibits talk about the environment and a lot of facts and figures on combating pollution and how to go about a greener future.

But like I said, it's all eye-candy. So I guess, it's easy to understand.

4. Awesome architecture and cool water fountain

The China Pavilion is designed by He Jingtang who is the director of the Architectural Academy of the South China University of Technology. According to him, the pavilion includes many energy saving technologies. The exterior of the structure offers a temperature buffer zone and natural ventilation for the interior. The inverted shape of the pavilion acts as shading for entire building, and the roof harvests rainwater as well.

View from the bottom

Water fountain that forms words

5. Nice view going down

This is not much of a reason, but the ride down the escalator and just watching all those little people at the bottom is relaxing (after lining up in the other pavilions). And not to mention, good photo-op!

Organized people at the Expo

There is a video produced by Janek Zdzarski on the China Pavilion, and it captures perfectly on what to expect once you get the precious reservation voucher.

I did mention about “fighting” for the fast pass. What happened before was that my friend and I got different time slots on entering the China Pavilion. So we looked for others who can switch with us. It was a messy situation. But according to my Expo volunteer spy (actually, my language buddy), the time slots are no longer followed. As long as you get a reservation voucher, you’re good as in (for that day only of course).

Are you coming to Shanghai (or flying out) and want to take the Maglev to the city (or airport)? Here is all you need to know about Pudong’s ultimate superlative.

The Maglev is based on a system of magnetic levitation technology designed by the German company Trans-Rapid. It is the fastest way from the city to the airport as its highest speed can reach 431kph in just under 8 minutes. However, it is not the most convenient; because it only starts at Longyang Station all the way to PVG. From wherever you are, you have to take another form of transport system going to Longyang. Or if you are coming from the airport, you have to step off at Longyang and take something else  to wherever you are going.

The steps shown here start from Longyang. But it is just the same banana if you are coming from the airport–just reverse everything.

Before proceeding, have you checked this post already? Clear out your options first on how you want to go downtown from PVG before deciding on taking the Maglev.

From Longyang to PVG

Take Metro Line 2 (the green line) and get-off at Longyang Station. When you reach Longyang, look for the sign pointing to the Maglev station.

Sign pointing to Maglev station

You might want to say goodbye first to whoever is dropping you off at the station, because they would not be joining you as they need to exit the turnstiles and pay if they do. Hehe.

Goodbye...

Proceed to Exit 4

Just follow the arrows towards Exit 4 and you will see a McDonald’s to your right and a Chinese fast food to your left.

Go up the escalators…

Up, up the escalators

…and buy your ticket to a very fast ride.

You will immediately see the ticket booth when you reach the second floor. Do not worry about not speaking Chinese. English-language signs are all over the place.

The ticket booth

How much is the fare?

For single-trip, it is RMB 50; but if you show your plane ticket, it is only RMB 40. However, if the plane ticket you brought with you does not fly on that same day (like I did), heave a sigh of relief if you have your public transportation card with you; because that will also entitle you to a RMB 40 ticket (like I did).

What I did was, I raced back down to the ground floor again towards the service center to deposit money in my transportation card.

I think these people were thinking of the same thing.

Anyway, round-trip is RMB 80. Now why would you want a round-trip ticket if you are flying out of Shanghai anyway? Because a round-trip ticket is valid for 7 days. You can fly out then come back to Shanghai within the 7-day period.

There are VIP prices too, by the way. Single-trip is RMB 100, and round-trip is RMB 160. All round-trips are valid for 7 days. All discounts are 20% less if you present your plane ticket of the same day or use your public transportation card to pay.

Basically, if you have a VIP ticket, your cabin interiors are nicer; and that’s about it. So decide too if those 7 minutes of your life are worth double the price of a ticket.

In summary–

• Single-trip economy is RMB 50. VIP is RMB 100. Validity is 1 day only.
• Round-trip economy is RMB 80. VIP is RMB 160. Validity is 7 days.
• Souvenir-ticket (for single-trip and economy only) is RMB 55. This is valid for 2 years.

Why is there a special souvenir ticket?

Because they take the tickets when you exit the train. If you want to keep your ticket, buy the souvenir ticket. However, if you are a cheapskate (like me) and is just contented with taking a picture, then just buy the regular-priced ticket.

But if you will be using your public transportation card…

…you do not get a ticket. Just swipe your card like what you normally do. So I just took a picture of my friend’s single-trip economy ticket.

Single-trip economy

Frequent passengers

If you think you will be riding the Maglev quite often, you could buy the RMB 900 ticket good for 30 single trips valid for 1 year from date of purchase.

You can also buy your tickets at the vending machine.

Ticket vending machine

Time table

Take note of the following boarding times and speed increases of the Maglev:

Time table & maximum speeds

Before you board, you might want to check out the Maglev museum at the ground floor. The museum is composed of “Birth of Maglev”, “Maglev Shanghai Line”, “Maglev Technology”, “Maglev Superiorities”, and “Prospects for Maglev” halls.

This is free for Maglev passengers.

The trip is less than 8 minutes. But if you think you would go hungry during that time, well, the station has a small store in the second floor where you can buy last-minute snacks before checking-in–aside from the ones at the ground floor of course.

Small store

Boarding

Like the airport and the metro, there is also luggage-check before boarding the train.

Security x-ray

And there are group check-ins too.

Group check-ins

If you have been to the train or metro station before, the Maglev boarding area does not look any different.

Before riding the train

Once you get in the train, there are places for you to secure your luggage.

Luggage compartments

Lots of seats. Seat anywhere.

We started at this time…

Actually around 14.45. But, dude! Look at the speed after one minute!

Top speed!

…and stopped at this time.

And it was over just like that.

What was the experience like? Well, there were about 2 sharp curves. And it was really fast. Probably if the time was longer than 8 minutes, the ride would not feel as comfortable.

Is it worth a second try? If my time is really short, like I need to get to a business meeting or whatever, the Maglev will save me time definitely. PVG metro station to Longyang will take about 50 minutes already. However, maybe I should be taking an earlier flight instead so as not to stress myself with that time difference.

Remember, our 12 Must-See Pavilions? Well, I wrote that days before the Expo. Actually 3 days. Heh. But I did go to the preview, so give me a little credit.

However, after how many days of going to the Expo Park by myself or with friends (basically, a lot of times), I also discover other pavilions on my own which I think are must-sees in their own right too!

Must-see is a very relative description. For me, a must-see is if it adds value to whatever my perspectives are after viewing the pavilion. It can be because it’s geeky. Or it amazed me with its application of technology (still geeky). Or it just has a lot of meaning to it in relation to Shanghai World Expo’s theme of “Better City, Better Life”. One such example is the Danish Pavilion.

Danish Pavilion

Ok, the design is actually very basic or “primitive” if you dare say it out loud. It’s basically a steel structure that spirals all the way to the top. And that’s it.

Before anyone of you concludes that I’m this hyper-critical Expo-nian . I’m not. I like the Danish Pavilion. And since the Danes could better describe their pavilion, I’ll leave that to them–

The Danish Pavilion is wrapped around the Harbour Pool. The building itself is a monolithic steel structure designed as a double spiral with pedestrian and cycling lanes taking you from the ground and through two curves up to a level of 12 metres and down again.

So scratch that. The Danish Pavilion is more than primitive actually. Simple, yes; but that’s exactly one of the many reasons why it’s on my list.

Christopher Bo Bramsen

I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with the Commissioner General of Denmark Christopher Bo Bramsen. (Thank you Aidi!) He is also a Former Ambassador to China. Funny, light-hearted older uncle.

When I arrived at the Danish Pavilion, the lines were pretty long (surprise, surprise). It’s a shock really that the Chinese would still want to bike at the Expo given that they do this all the time. On the other hand, the Danish Pavilion offers a different kind of interactive experience; and I guess everyone loves an exhibit where you can tinker with something in it (This was an exception for me as I don’t bike. Boo.).

Here are snippets of our exchange–

CNReviews: Please tell me more about the theme of the Danish Pavilion.

Christopher: When we look at Denmark and the cities of Denmark, the concept of the pavilion controlled by the architect is a play on 2 words–welfare and fairy tales.  So you call it welfairytales. It doesn’t make sense but that’s what we are. We’ll interpret that here. A good city is a good city where it has all the technical, scientific developments. But we’re presenting something else. If you want happy life, better life, it should also have some cultural aspects like experiences or activities. That’s where The Little Mermaid comes in.

So what we have here–our building, it’s round because our theme is connected to bicycles. And if you want to bike around, you can’t do it in a square building. *laughs*

So the building is round. It goes up and down in a spiral. On the other hand, the building has a hole in the middle; and therefore we put The Little Mermaid in the middle as an example of what we call the fairy tale part of the cultural experiences.  So together this is our concept of how to get a happy city, a good city welfare by combining these elements.

We have the bike as I’ve mentioned. It’s very important to Danish cities that you don’t cover up the streets with cars and you know, you can’t park anywhere. So we tend to give our bicycles a good chance in the cities. That’s one aspect. Not only is it good for the traffic, it’s also good for the CO₂ emissions; and it’s also good for your health. So the bicycle is a good thing. All Danes like that. That’s one thing. Another thing is water.

Water because we believe that…Copenhagen has now a harbor where you can swim in. And we believe that it’s important if you go to a big city that you have water there where you can actually jump in to enjoy during the summer, because it could be too far to the beach. So I think you will see when I was a little boy I could not swim in our home, because it was too dirty. But today, I can.

CNR: In Copenhagen.

Christopher: And in other cities. So water is very important. The water in this pavilion, you will see that around The Little Mermaid, is so symbolic.

And then we have…we don’t have a fancy restaurant here. But we have picnics. And we have an open, very open pavilion. So all-in-all it gives you a feeling of informality and openness. And picnics and green areas and sustainability for a happy city.

CNR: China is also a bicycle country.

Christopher: Yes. But I’ve been in China for many years, because I started here as a consul-general in 1994. And I’ve seen the number of cars growing tremendously. Now that’s good in one way, because it shows the wealth of the people. But it’s also dangerous, because you will end up getting everything stuck in traffic. And that’s why I sometimes…I know it’s funny to bring a bicycle to China, but we have been through the experience where we’ve seen that if you have too many cars in the city, you can’t move; so all-in-all we believe that for close transport, the bicycle is a good thing.

CNR: What is the ratio of people and bicycles in Denmark?

Christopher: Well, I saw the number here in the pavilion. It is something like 86%. And it’s much higher than China.

CNR: Oh! Really?!

Christopher: Yes, I can show you the numbers. We can check. *laughs* [CNR: The actual figure is 0.83 number of bicycles per capita. China is 0.32. Christopher gave a close estimate.]

But the fact is everyday, people ride the bicycle. And I go to work in a bicycle. You should see the traffic in my country. Of course if you want to go long distance, people live outside, they can take the train, they can take the car too of course but we’re talking about in a city, inner traffic.

CNR: Another thing–I’m curious about The Little Mermaid. My friend was telling me–it’s sort of a negative comment. How come you had to bring The Little Mermaid over here, and like is there nothing you can show besides The Little Mermaid? Because The Little Mermaid is an attraction in Denmark, and you take that away from Denmark. And so, there’s none over there right now.

Christopher: Well, first of all, we wanted to show China our friendship by bringing over the real thing. It would be a wrong move to send a copy to China. That’s for sure. And yes some people are saying, why should she go to China? She belongs here. But an interesting concept was developed. If you look at The Little Mermaid from out here. Straight on you will see there’s a video camera. And if you went to Copenhagen and look at the place where she normally seats, there’s a big screen. You can see her.

CNR: So it’s like she’s still there!

Christopher: She’s still there in a way. You can actually see the show. We can go down and wave to our friends in Copenhagen–live. So you could say that’s a cultural concept of our exchange. So all-in-all, I think it’s a good solution. And I don’t think one should be too critical, because we’ve seen so many people who are so happy to see the real thing. But there will always be somebody who has an opinion

CNR: Yeah, I’m also thinking–some people don’t have the chance to go to Denmark.

Christopher: That’s right. And she’s going to be there for a while. This is a unique experience. She has been sitting there [in Denmark] for 97 years. And now she comes out. It’s really her first time to leave the place–ever.

CNR: I’m sure some Danes were against it.

Christopher: Yes. There was a vote in Copenhagen. 32 in favor. 12 against. 2 abstained. *laughs* So there you have it. And of course some people would say why send off the best that we have? But others of course say, she’s a good ambassador for Denmark, why not? And interestingly enough, she is more known in China than in many other countries. Because the Chinese somehow adopted the story in schools and so on. And that’s quite a unique situation that China knows so much about Hans Christian Anderson.

The design of the pavilion was decided in a a contest among 8 architectural companies. It was up to the architect to decide on the design, but it was important that the values of the people can be seen in the pavilion.

Denmark is into energy conservation. And the energy consumption in the pavilion is relatively low. They have air conditioning in the office, but that’s about it. Their walls even have holes in it for natural air conditioning!

What can we learn from the Danish Pavilion? Modern cities and modern life doesn’t have to be complicated.

CNR: What’s the experience like? First, you ride the bicycle to the top…

Christopher: Or you could also ride it down.

CNR: Then…I don’t know, could you swim in the water?

Christopher: The idea was that it should be open for swimming. You can, but we have not allowed it; because we don’t want any accidents. And with 30,000 people walking through, there’s always a risk if we start opening up. So we have been reluctant there.

And then he shared a “secret”. Actually, it’s not really a secret; but it’s not yet official. However, he gave CNReviews the permission to spread the word about it.

Christopher: I have a special idea to celebrate her [The Little Mermaid] birthday. Because normally her birthday is celebrated in Copenhagen. People jump into the water. And they form a 96 [figure-shape, in the water], because she was 96 last summer; and she’ll be 97 this summer.

CNR: When is this?

Christopher: On the 23rd of August. We want to make a picture of this. And I’m sure we’ll see people swimming that day. So if you want to come…*laughs*

A part of the pool is very deep. And that faces a big VIP room. From there, it’s like you’re looking at a big aquarium. We’ll make it a big day for the children.

CNR: One last question, let’s say it’s my first time to come to the Danish Pavilion. What’s your advice?

Christopher: Well, you should go around. Feel the atmosphere, happiness. And on the way, you can see some pictures. It’s very informal. You won’t be stuck looking at the wall for 30 minutes. Denmark is a small country. Only 5 million people. But we’ve been a country for 1000 years. Very homogenic. Happy country. Fun place to be in.

Received autographed copy of book written by Christopher Bo Bramsen. He can speak Chinese.

Some pictures of happiness at the Danish Pavilion–

Let's go biking!

Jump in the fountain and make the water go up. Ironically, this is not allowed by the management. Saw a poster mentioning that first time I was there.

Wee!!!

What can we do for you?

Loved the shirt!

Puxi is divided into 2 major areas–the Urban Best Practices Area and the combined Zones D and E.

Again, just a recap, for each restaurant, I included–

• Their real names (If it is in Chinese characters, I used the pinyin. If English name is given or at least is known in the dining circles using its Latin spelling, I used that.);
• The index mark in the official map (go to our super Expo transportation guide to download these);
• What kind of food they serve (Islamic-Halal, Vegetarian, etc.);
• What pavilions are near them;
• Dishes to try out (includes pricing);
• And for some–my general comments (offshoot, related otherwise) and stuff I found interesting in the place.

Zone D and E

Zone D and E has a total of 25 restaurants. The pavilions in Zone D and E are the following:

• Corporate Pavilion
• Theme Pavilion
• World Exposition Museum

91. Pizza Hut, KFC (g2)

Pizza Hut, KFC

Did you notice that Pizza Hut and KFC together are a lot at the Expo? Near Cisco Pavilion.

92. Hong Chang Xing (f2)

Hong Chang Xing

Second branch at the Expo. Islamic. Xinjiang. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Other branch is at Pudong.

From Expo guide Pudong–Try their curry meals for RMB 15 per lunch box. They also have chicken snacks on sticks for RMB 8 three sticks.

In the Chinese Provinces Pavilion, large grapes are displayed in the Xinjiang exhibit. A similar motif can be seen in Hong Chang Xing’s dining area.

Check out the ceiling.

93. Baoshan Hotel Restaurant (f2)

Baoshan Hotel Restaurant

Chinese and Western. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their Excellent Roast Chicken Meal (that’s really the name). You can change that to curry chicken, pork, beef, pasta, or pizza (RMB 28).

94. He Feng Cun (f2)

He Feng Cun

Japanese fast food. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their curry udon, rice bowls, sushi packages, and steamed egg custard.  Recommended are the Spare Ribs Hand-Pulled Noodles. RMB 40 per person.

In the official Expo map, its name is written down as Wafumura.

95. Shen Da Cheng (f2)

Shen Da Cheng

Chinese fast food. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their Beef Rice (RMB 35) and their Beef Noodles (RMB 25).

96. Wu Mi Zhou Hotpot (f2)

Wu Mi Zhou Hotpot

Chinese. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their Sliced Beef Curry Rice, Fried Pork Curry Rice, Chicken Rice, Pork Noodles (RMB 35).

97. South Beauty (f2)

South Beauty

Sichuan, Cantonese steamed dishes, health drinks, herbal teas. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their Fried Beef with Scallion and Black Pepper Sauce; Steamed Codfish with Tangy Pickled Turnip; Fried Spare Ribs with Pickled Turnip; Steamed Chicken with Lime, Taro, and Coconut. RMB 100 to 150 per person.

98. Zagara (f2)

Zagara

Italian. Near Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their assorted Italian-style appetizers; traditional meat sauce lasagna; bacon pasta; shrimp pasta; Mediterranean sea bass baked with olives, potatoes, and tomatoes; Italian-style salmon with mashed potatoes; fried vegetables; roast rack of lamb baked with broccoli, spinach; Zagara pizza; traditional Italian tiramisu. RMB 100 to 150 per person.

99. Jardin De Jade (f2)

Jardin De Jade

Shanghainese. Try their tea-smoked duck, wine-preserved green crab, and mizhi huofang (pork and taro in candied sauce). These are all house specialties. The noodles with scallions and small shrimp are recommended and also qicai dongsun (fresh winter shoots with local greens). RMB 120 to 200 each.

In the official Expo map, the name’s translated to English–Jade Garden.

100. Ding Lian Fang (f2)

Ding Lian Fang

Chinese. Near the Republic of Korea Business Pavilion. Try their wonton soup (RMB 15). Chicken set for RMB 39. Includes coke, veggies, and yogurt.

101. Yonho (f2)

Yonho

Chinese fast food. Chinese-style, taste of Taiwan. Near China National Petroleum Corporate Pavilion. Try their mushroom beef rice, garlic spare ribs, braised beef brisket with rice, braised pork on rice, seasonal vegetables, meat dumplings, steamed bun. RMB 50 per person.

102. Hanamaru (f2)

Hanamaru

Japanese. Near Theme Pavilion (Pavilion of Urban Footprint). Try their set menus for RMB 50–chicken bowl, light and sticky bowl (actually it’s natto, yam, soft-boiled egg, and okra for beating the summer heat), curry bowl. You could also choose your own dishes–cafeteria-line style.

103. Wu Fang Zhai (g2)

Wu Fang Zhai

Chinese fast food. Near Coca-Cola Pavilion. Try their wrapped sticky rice dumplings with accompanying beverages. RMB 10 to 15 per person.

104. Lao Feng Ge (g2)

Lao Feng Ge

Chinese. Near Coca-Cola Pavilion. Try their fried cod, shrimp balls, eggplants, sea cucumber, roast goose. RMB 120 to 260 per person.

105. Pu Fast Food (f2)

Pu Fast Food

Japanese. Near World Exposition Museum. Try their sushi, beef rolls, omelettes. RMB 10 to 50 per person. In the official Expo map, their name is Osaka Sakai’s Pu.

Neat-looking Japanese mini structures surrounding the dining area

106. Oriental Charm Tea & Food Restaurant (f2)

Oriental Charm Tea & Food Restaurant

From their brochure–”The Soul of China Pavilion is featuring great Chinese tea, wine and food, and presenting the culture of oriental health maintenance. Introducing our special Chinese Tea-cuisine, come and experience the magnificent culture of Chinese Tea in delectable dishes.”

So obviously, the emphasis here is the pairing of their tea with a selection of Chinese food. In the official map, its name is written as Ming Hong-Tangyang Congou Black Tea. Place looks really pricey.

107. Zhen Gong Fu (g2)

Zhen Gong Fu

Chinese fast food. Near PICC Pavilion. The characteristics of Kung Fu Dining – all products are steamed “to retain the essence of food.” Try their rice toppings and some Taiwanese cuisine. RMB 30 per person.

108. Yi Nuo Coffee (g2)

Yi Nuo Coffee

Coffee, tea, cakes, wine. Near Aurora Pavilion. Try their Italian mocha, latte, tiramisu, mousse cup, strawberry cake. Pay around RMB 15 to 50.

109. Li Hua Fast Food (g2)

Li Hua Fast Food

Chinese fast food. Near PICC Pavilion. Try their roast chicken, beef fillet with black peppers, braised pork rice, spicy beef rice, shrimp fried rice, spicy Sichuan-Hunan beef noodles. RMB 15 to 45 per person.

110. Ji Ji Town (g3)

Ji Ji Town

Chinese fast food. Near Aurora Pavilion. Try their black pepper and golden chicken rice set, golden curry pork chop rice set, fragrant cups of chicken rice set, honey grilled chicken wings, curry beef rice bowl set, braised pork rice set. RMB 35 per person.

111. He Sheng Tea Banquet (g3)

He Sheng Tea Banquet

More of teas and less of food. Near Aurora Pavilion. Original business of owner is selling of teas. They have light dimsum snacks. Expect to pay RMB 58 to 350 per person. However, they also have a special tea-dimsum package for RMB 30.

One of the most beautiful private dining rooms I've seen at the Expo

112. Asahi Beer Garden (g3)

Asahi Beer Garden

Japanese. Near Aurora Pavilion. Enjoy authentic Asahi beer from Japan. Some dishes to go with your beer–curry rice set, roast beef burger set, Okinawa pork burger, Japanese hot dog set.

It's not just the Germans who love their beer.

113. Papa John’s (j3)

Papa John's

Just one of the many Papa John’s around the Expo. Get rice or pizza combos ranging from RMB 35 to 100. You can also order whole pizzas for around RMB 100.

114. Hong (j3)

Hong

Chinese, Western. Near China Aviation Pavilion. Try their Hong Kong-style pork chop rice, grilled fillet steak, spaghetti bolognese. Spend around RMB 50 per person.

115. South Beauty (j3)

South Beauty

Near China Aviation Pavilion. Restaurant area is divided into the dessert area, dining area, and the VIP platforms. Anyway, I’ll just repeat my previous description (remember number 97?)–Sichuan, Cantonese steamed dishes, health drinks, herbal teas. Try their Fried Beef with Scallion and Black Pepper Sauce; Steamed Codfish with Tangy Pickled Turnip; Fried Spare Ribs with Pickled Turnip; Steamed Chicken with Lime, Taro, and Coconut. RMB 100 to 150 per person.

Urban Best Practices Area

The UBPA has a total of 4 restaurant groups. The pavilions in UBPA are the following:

• UBPA
• Cases Joint Pavilon I
• Cases Joint Pavilion II
• Cases Joint Pavilion III
• Cases Joint Pavilion IV
• Other UBPA Cases

116. Yun’s Fusion Cuisine (k3)

Yun's Fuion Cuisine

Mixed. Fusion. Seventh and eight floor of Theme Pavilion (Future Pavilion). Try their business set meals priced from RMB 50 to 130. Rice in shark’s fin soup, barbecued pork, fried shrimps, curry chicken.

Pathway leading to Yun's. Very, very classy.

117. Dong Fang Ji Bai, KFC, Pizza Hut (k2)

East Dawning- our favorite (because there are lots of these!)

KFC, Pizza Hut

118. Xiao Nan Guo (k2)

Xiao Nan Guo

Chinese. Near Cases Joint Pavilion 1 or 2. Try their vegetable salad, Shanghai sauce duck,  seasonal vegetable, and shallot noodles. Pay RMB 100 to 500 each.

119. World Food Court (k3)

World Food Court

Mixed cuisine. Near Cases Joint Pavilion 4. Divided into 3 areas–Beach Court, Shell Court, and Coral Court. Like the Chinese Food Street located at Zone B (number 38 here), the food court only accepts food card spending.

In the official Expo map, their name is Innovative Grand Kitchen.

Load your card here.

For visitors, the Shanghai World Expo is a veritable food fair: In the Expo, visitors will enjoy delicious food from around China, and the flavors of food from five continents. The Expo has about 128 food and beverage establishments which can provide seating for 32,000 guests or more. There are also 9 convenience stores and 6 cakes and bread stores.

Those are the facts coming from the Expo organizers themselves. Now my personal advice is–it is a good idea to bring snacks of your own as well (and a water bottle too!). And if you’re hungry, don’t scrimp on food. It’s bad for your health and worst, you might faint in the heat of the Shanghai summer. Not good at all. Looking back at my experience before, I think this is the best advice I can give.

Lastly, I found this really cool Expo food map; but it is in Chinese. I don’t really draw, so I’m not sure if I can remake this in English. Probably not. But if you are learning Chinese, it’s actually a neat tool you can use. Heh. Totally not related to food. (Yet it’s in high-resolution nevertheless.)

Really cool Expo food map

Download the really cool Expo food map here.

If you have made it your mission to try out every restaurant in the Expo, then this guide is for you. Since the Expo Park is divided into the Pudong and Puxi areas, leyt us start with Pudong which comprises of Zones A, B, C, and the Expo Axis.

For each restaurant, I included–

• Their real names (If it is in Chinese characters, I used the pinyin. If English name is given or at least is known in the dining circles using its Latin spelling, I used that.);
• The index mark in the official map (go to our super Expo transportation guide to download these);
• What kind of food they serve (Islamic-Halal, Vegetarian, etc.);
• What pavilions are near them;
• Dishes to try out (includes pricing);
• And for some–my general comments (offshoot, related otherwise) and stuff I found interesting in the place.

Zone A

Zone A has a total of 13 restaurants. The pavilions in Zone A are the following:

• China Pavilion
• Asia Joint Pavilion I
• Asia Joint Pavilion II
• Asia Joint Pavilion III
• Chinese Provinces Pavilion
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Pavilion
• Hong Kong Pavilion
• India Pavilion
• Iran Pavilion
• Israel Pavilion
• Japan Pavilion
• Kasakhstan Pavilion
• Lebanon Pavilion
• Macao Pavilion
• Morocco Pavilion
• Nepal Pavilion
• Oman Pavilion
• Pakistan Pavilion
• Qatar Pavilion
• Republic of Korea Pavilion
• Saudi Arabia Pavilion
• Sri Lanka Pavilion
• Taiwan Pavilion
• Turkmenistan Pavilion
• United Arab Emirates Pavilion
• Uzbekistan Pavilion
• Vietnam Pavilion

1. Hong Chang Xing (g5)

Hong Chang Xing

Islamic. Xinjiang. Near Saudi Arabia Pavilion. Try their curry meals for RMB 15 per lunch box. They also have chicken snacks on sticks for RMB 8 three sticks.

2. Pakistan Restaurant (g5)

Pakistan Restaurant

Islamic. Near Saudi Arabia Pavilion. Try their Chicken Biryani and Beef Romali Rooti (RMB 35).

And your meals are wrapped in plastic–

Halal food wrapped in plastic

3. Bi An Ka (g5)

Bi An Ka

Japanese. Near Asian Joint Pavilion II. Try their Curry Rice and Chow Mien for RMB 30 each. They also have Pork Cutlet Bowl, Pork Cutlet Curry Rice, and Fried Chicken Set for RMB 35 each.

4. Yoshinoya (g5)

Yoshinoya

Japanese. Near Asian Joint Pavilion II. Yoshinoya has Chicken Rice, Double-Treasure Rice, Curry Rice, Hot Pot, and Pulled Noodles, but the most popular specialty here is the Beef Rice (RMB 35).

5. Ajisen Ramen (f5)

Ajisen Ramen

Japanese. Near Sri Lanka Pavilion. Ajisen Ramen is a very popular chain of Japanese noodle restaurants. I personally like their beef and vegetable noodles loaded with tons of cheese and chili (RMB 35). Amount of chili is customer’s preference.

6. Bi Feng Tang (f5)

Bi Feng Tang

Cantonese. Near Sri Lanka Pavilion. Try their Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork Rice for RMB 22. Dimsum Assortments which includes 2 Pork Dumplings, 3 Siu Mais, Barbecued Pork Buns for RMB 15.

7. Qing Hua Ci (f5)

Qing Hua Ci

Chinese. Near Sri Lanka Pavilion. Try their Spicy Diced Chicken with Peanuts or Kung Pao Chicken for RMB 35. Other meals are priced at RMB 35 also. Try their Taiwan Braised Pork, Sauteed Sliced Chicken with Black Pepper, Scented Fried Pork, Plum-Vegetable-Seasoned Steamed Pork, Curry Beef Flank, and Fried Sliced Pork Fillet with Salted Fish. In the English Expo map, their restaurant is noted as Blue and White Restaurant.

8. Gong De Lin (f5)

Gong De Lin

Chinese Vegetarian. Near Sri Lanka Pavilion. They have noodles, rice, and cold dishes ranging from RMB 15 to 28. If you want to try all their dishes, try their buffet for RMB 88. Their signboard says you do not need to line up. Just proceed upstairs. In the English Expo map, their name is translated as Godly.

9. Bamboo (g5)

Bamboo

Chinese. Near Republic of Korea Pavilion. Try their Special Chicken Leg (with Maggi seasoning–yes, that German seasoning we all love) for RMB 40. For something cheaper than that, try their Yangzhou Fried Rice and Udon with Meat Sauce for RMB 25.

10. KFC (g5)

KFC

Enough said.

11. Yuzu (g5)

Yuzu

Italian-Japanese. In between Uzbekistan Pavilion and Lebanon Pavilion. Try their Mushrooms Bubbling in Garlic Olive Oil, Blue Cheese Pizza, Charbroiled Rib Eye, and Grilled Seafood. Also, bento boxes from RMB 40 to 45 are available here.

12. Yue Sheng (g5)

Yue Sheng

Cantonese. In between Uzbekistan Pavilion and Lebanon Pavilion. They have noodle meal sets for RMB 30. Dimsum for RMB 10 each basket.

13. Ogawaya (g5)

Ogawaya

Japanese. In between Uzbekistan Pavilion and Lebanon Pavilion. Try their traditional Japanese street snacks. Recommended are Curry Rice, Beef Rice, Eel with Rice Sushi, Seaweed Rice Balls, Cold Udon, Ramen, Fried Noodles, Fried Sweet Potato. RMB 40 to 50 per person.

Zone B

Zone B has a total of 26 restaurants. The pavilions in Zone B are the following:

• Australia Pavilion
• Brunei Darussalam Pavilion
• Cambodia Pavilion
• DEVNET Pavilion
• Expo Center
• Expo Culture Center
• IFRC Pavilion
• Indonesia Pavilion
• International Organizations Pavilion
• Life Sunshine Pavilion
• Malaysia Pavilion
• MeteoWorld Pavilion
• New Zealand Pavilion
• Pacific Pavilion
• Pavilion of Public Participation
• Philippines Pavilion
• Singapore Pavilion
• Thailand Pavilion
• Theme Pavilion
• UN Pavilion
• WTCA Pavilion

In Zone B, there is a “Chinese Food Street” that covers all styles of Chinese cuisines.

Chinese Food Street

The “Chinese Food Street” also entertains the tourists at home and abroad with the feasts embodying the Chinese catering culture.

Chinese Cuisine

The eight styles of Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Anhui cuisine will let tourists experience the unique culture of Chinese delicious foods.

14. Colabo (d3)

Colabo

Italian. Near DEVNET Pavilion, UN Pavilion, and MeteoWorld Pavilion. Aside from the typical pizzas and pastas offered, Colabo has a deli just beside it which has Chinese rice bowls for RMB 35 to 45.

15. Zen (d4)

Zen

Cantonese. In between Malaysia Pavilion and WTCA Pavilion. Get your fill of spring rolls, turnip cakes, and barbequed pork buns here. RMB 150 to 500 per person.

16. CP Food Pavilion (d4)

CP Food Pavilion

Chinese and Western. Near Brunei Darussalam Pavilion and Philippine Pavilion. Try their Fragrant Braised Chicken Wings, Spicy Marinated Chicken Leg, Braised Pork Ribs with Preserved Vegetables, Sushi Braised Pork Belly, and Four Season Duck. They also have sausages and burgers. But their signature dish is the CP Signature Shrimps Wantons. Spend around RMB 50 to 100 here.

17. Xian Er Cun (d4)

 

Xian Er Cun

Chinese. Near Brunei Darussalam Pavilion and Philippine Pavilion. They have a Chinese set menu for RMB 38. You get a main course, vegetable side dish, rice, and soup. If you want an additional main course, the price is RMB 15.

18. Cheerway (d4)

Cheerway

Chinese. Near Brunei Darussalam Pavilion and Philippine Pavilion. Try their RMB 35 set meals like Braised Chicken with Mushroom and Sauteed Beef Fillet with Black Pepper Sauce.

19. World Restaurant (e4)

World Restaurant

Southeast Asian, Oceania, European, Indian, Japanese. Near Expo Center. Try various intercontinental dishes here. Meals range from RMB 30 to 50. Food court style.

20. Yuzu (e4)

Yuzu

This is their second branch inside the Expo Garden. But this branch is near Expo Center. Description taken from Zone A–

Italian-Japanese. Try their Mushrooms Bubbling in Garlic Olive Oil, Blue Cheese Pizza, Charbroiled Rib Eye, and Grilled Seafood. Also, bento boxes from RMB 40 to 45 are available here.

21. Latino Restaurant (e4)

Latino

Chinese and Western cuisine. Near Expo Center. Meals are from RMB 38 to 40. Try their rice toppings–Pork Chop, Mixed Seafood, Chicken Breast, Barbecued Pork, Fish-flavored Pork, Chicken Leg. They also have Penne and Fussili.

22. Le Provencal (e4)

Le Provencal

Mediterranean cuisine. Near Expo Center. Try their set menu complete with starters and main course for RMB 150 and above.

23. That’s Amore (e4)

That's Amore

Italian. Near Expo Center. Pizzas range from RMB 80 to 100. Salads, pastas, and desserts are also available.

24. Relax Turkish Restaurant (e4)

Relax Turkish Restaurant

Turkish. Near Expo Center. Get your fill of Turkish meals like kebabs and casseroles (RMB 78).

25. Shanghai Local Flavors Area (e4)

26. Xiao Nan Guo (e4)

Xiao Nan Guo

Chinese. Near Expo Center. Xiao Nan Guo focuses on using organic vegetables. Try their Vegetable Salad, Salt and Pepper Fish, Fried Shrimp, Tofu, Abalone, Shallot Noodles. Spend around RMB 100 to 500 per person.

27. Xing Hua Lou (e4)

Xing Hua Lou

Shanghainese.

28. Heji Restaurant (e4)

Heji

Shanghainese. Near Expo Center. Try their Fried Shrimp, Honey-smoked Fish, Beef Ribs. Price is around RMB 160 per person.

29. Lao Zheng Xing (e4)

Lao Zheng Xing

Shanghainese. Near Expo Center. Try their seafoods like shrimp and crab. Lao Zheng Xing’s shrimp dishes are famous in Shanghai. Expect to pay around RMB 100 per person.

30. De Yue Lou (d4)

De Yue Lou

Suzhou cuisine. Near Pacific Pavilion. Try their duck, eel, fish dishes. Other specialty dishes are Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, Braised Disassembled Big Fish Head, Steamed Reeves Shad, Mallard Vegetable Rice, Shredded Chicken with Bean Sprouts, Chicken Soup Boiled Bean Curd Noodles, Stewed Pork Balls with Crab Sauce. Price is around RMB 100 per person. Classic Jiangsu cuisines are Stewed Pork Balls with Crab Sauce, White Sauce Stewed Turtle, Yellow Mud Roasted Chicken, Boiled Salted Duck (Steamed Nanjing Duck), Chicken Soup Boiled Bean Curd Noodles, Phoenix-tailed Prawns.

31. Zhi Wei Guan (d4)

Zhi Wei Guan

Hangzhou cuisine. Near Pacific Pavilion. Try their West Lake Sour-Sweet Fish, Braised Dongpo Pork, Longjing Stir-fried Shrimp, Fenghua Yam, Braised Ham with Honey, Orchid Bamboo Shoots, Song Sao Fish Chowder, Snow Cabbages Yellow Fish, Ningbo-style Shredded Eel, Baked Chicken.

32. Tong Qing Lou (d4)

Tong Qing Lou

Anhui cuisine. Near Pacific Pavilion. Must-try’s are Fuliji Roast Chicken, Smoked Reeves Shad with Maofeng, Steamed Turtle with Ham, Huangshan-Presented Leopard Cat, Braised Civet Cat, Fengyang Hongwu Tofu, Huizhou Hairy Tofu, Salted Fresh Mandarin Fish, Huangshan Stewed Pigeon, Braised Pheasant with Potherb Mustard and Winter Bamboo Shoots, Fat Yellow Fish with Milk. Price per person is around RMB 150. Classic Anhui cuisines are  Steamed Turtle with Ham, Braised Civet Cat, Salted Fresh Mandarin Fish, Huangshan Stewed Pigeon, Tiger Skin Hairy Tofu, Mushrooms & Chestnut.

33. Majesty Plaza (d4)

Majesty Plaza

Fujian and other Chinese cuisine. In the English Expo map, the name written is Nam San Ya Hotel. Lunch and dinner buffet is RMB 120 including free flow of tea.

34. Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Pudong (e4)

Courtyard by Marriott

Shandong cuisine. Near Expo Center. The following are the signature dishes: Braised Whelks, Braised Oysters, Grilled Prawns, Braised Intestines in Brown Sauce, Stir-fried Pork Tripe with Chicken Gizzard, Braised Sea Cucumber with Crab Cream, Simmered Turtle Rim in Broth and Deep-fried Small Fish. Classic Lu-style cuisine includes Braised Intestines in Brown Sauce, Sour-Sweet Carp, Quick-fried Pork Tripe and Chicken Gizzard, Braised Tofu in Pottery Pot, Braised Abalone in Shells, Stewed Shark’s Fin with Crab Cream, and Steamed Scallops with Egg White.

35. Huatian Restaurant (e4)

Huatian

Hunan cuisine. Near Expo Center. Chef’s specialties–Lotus Seeds with Rock Sugar Soup, Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Pepper, Braised Dong’an Chicken in Vinegar and Simmered Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce. The following are classic Hunan dishes: Braised Mushroom in Brown Sauce, Braised Chestnuts with Shanghai Greens, Western Hunan-style Sautéed Preserved Pork with Red Pepper, Sautéed Duck with Sticky Rice Cakes, Steamed Sliced Pork with Fermented Soy Beans, and Sautéed Chicken with Chinese Prickly Ash and Pepper.

36. Chao Food Restaurant (e4)

Chao Food

Cantonese. Near Expo Center. Try their foie gras, fish, red crabs, beef balls, oysters. Special dishes are Roast Suckling Pig, Assorted Meat Soup in White Gourd, Braised Pork with Taro, Roasted Pigeon, Steamed Fish, Scalded Shrimps, Chinese Double-stewed Soup, Soup of Sharks’ Fin, and Roast Duck. Price per person is around RMB 300.

37. Ba Guo Bu Yi (e4)

Ba Guo Bu Yi

Sichuan. Near Expo Center. Chef’s specialtes are the following:  Kung Pao Chicken (Diced Chicken Fried with Chili and Peanuts), Sautéed Spicy Pork, Braised Shredded Chicken with Dried Tofu, Braised Eels, Spiced Chicken Nuggets, Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chili Oil, Fish-flavor Shredded Pork (Sautéed with Spicy Garlic Sauce), and Sautéed Diced Chicken with Chili and Pepper.

38. Chinese Food Street (e4)

Chinese Food Street

Chinese. This food court only accepts food card spending. The par value of the card is categorized into RMB 100, 200, 900.

Zone C

Zone C has a total of 32 restaurants. The pavilions in Zone C are the following:

• Africa Pavilion
• Algeria Pavilion
• Angola Pavilion
• Argentina Pavilion
• Austria Pavilion
• Belarus Pavilion
• Belgium-EU Pavilion
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavilion
• Brazil Pavilion
• Canada Pavilion
• Caribbean Community Pavilion
• Chile Pavilion
• Colombia Pavilion
• Croatia Pavilion
• Cuba Pavilion
• Czech Pavilion
• Denmark Pavilion
• Egypt Pavilion
• Estonia Pavilion
• Europe Joint Pavilion I
• Europe Joint Pavilion II
• Finland Pavilion
• France Pavilion
• Germany Pavilion
• Greece Pavilion
• Hungary Pavilion
• Iceland Pavilion
• Ireland Pavilion
• Italy Pavilion
• Joint Pavilion for Central and South American Countries
• Latvia Pavilion
• Libya Pavilion
• Lithuania Pavilion
• Luxembourg Pavilion
• Mexico Pavilion
• Monaco Pavilion
• Netherlands Pavilion
• Nigeria Pavilion
• Norway Pavilion
• Peru Pavilion
• Poland Pavilion
• Portugal Pavilion
• Romania Pavilion
• Russia Pavilion
• Serbia Pavilion
• Slovakia Pavilion
• Slovenia Pavilion
• South Africa Pavilion
• Spain Pavilion
• Sweden Pavilion
• Switzerland Pavilion
• Tunisia Pavilion
• Turkey Pavilion
• UK Pavilion
• Ukraine Pavilion
• USA Pavilion
• Venezuela Pavilion

39. Hakuna Matata (c2)

Hakuna Matata

African-themed restaurant. Near Africa Joint Pavilion and Italy Pavilion. The first floor serves Western-style fast food, while the second floor is a buffet which can accommodate 200 people. Around RMB 50 per person. Authentic African and European chefs cook the meals. Try the African Ostrich Risotto and the North African Mutton.

40-41. Burger King, Papa John’s (b3)

Burger King, Papa John's

As you noticed, there are a lot of BK’s and Papa John’s.

42. Pizza Hut, KFC (b3)

Pizza Hut and KFC are more and less partnered together.

43. Zhen Gong Fu (b3)

Zhen Gong Fu

Chinese fast food. Near Peru Pavilion. It is currently China’s largest fast food chain. All dishes are steamed. Try their rice set meals. Spend around RMB 30 per person.

44. Da Niang Dumpling

Da Niang Dumpling

Chinese fast food. Near Peru Pavilion. Try their different kinds of dumplings like pork, shrimp, mushroom. Spend around RMB 25 to 50 per person.

45. Bricco Cafe (c3)

Bricco Cafe

Italian. Near Luxembourg Pavilion. Try their crisp pizzas, fresh salads, Italian pastas. Recommended dishes are Panino Amalfi (Amalfi Sandwich), Insalatona Oi Pollo (Smoked Chicken Salad), Insalatona Norvegse (Smoked Salmon Salad), Minestrone Di Vepdura (Italian Vegetable Soup), Pizza Prosciutto E Funghi (Ham and Mushroom  Pizza). Spend around RMB 75 per person.

46. Haiku (c3)

Haiku

Japanese-Californian fusion. Near Luxembourg Pavilion. Try their bento sets like Tonkatsu or Chicken Teriyaki for RMB 72 each. The Unagi is RMB 76. They also have sushi rolls and yakitori and the always-present shrimp tempura for RMB 18 each piece.

47. MX Hong Kong (c3)

MX Hong Kong

Chinese fast food, Western-style fast food, Hong Kong-style roasted flavor, Southeast Asian food, casual bakery. Near Russia Pavilion. Try their American-style barbecued pork, roasted duck, sweet and sour pork, chicken-shrimp stew. Fast food will cost around RMB 30 to 50. Fine-dining Chinese dinner is around RMB 75 to 90 per person.

MX even has a dining guide posted on their doors–

1. Choose food/drink items from the menu board.
2. Place order and settle payment at the cashier.
3. Pick up your food/drink item from the designated counter with the ticket.
4. For orders that takes time to prepare, please take a number and wait.

48. Yuyuan Restaurant (c3)

Yuyuan Restaurant

Chinese snacks. Near Russia Pavilion. Yuyuan get their supplies from the tourist spot Yuyuan itself.

49. Starbucks (c3)

Starbucks

50. Manabe (c3)

Manabe

Chinese meals and coffee drinks. Near Russia Pavilion. Try their signature coffee and beef rice and noodles. Spend RMB 40 to 50 per person.

51. Harvest Festival (c3)

Harvest Festival

Zhejiang and Shanghainese cuisine. Zhejiang meals are reflected from 3 places namely Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Shaoxing. Near Russia Pavilion. Try their Vegetable Salad, Jellyfish, Seafood Noodle Soup. Around RMB 80 per person.

52. South Beauty (c3)

South Beauty

High-end Chinese cuisine. Near Europe Pavilions. Place large enough to hold meetings and banquets. Try their a la carte dishes like Beef Sauteed with Black Pepper, Sichuan Noodles, and seafoods such as abalone. They also have brunches and lauriats and afternoon tea and snacks. Expect to spend around RMB 150 per person.

53. Wishdoing (b3)

Wishdoing

Chinese fast food. Near Caribbean Community Pavilion. Try their Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Shanghai-style Rice Cakes, Eel Fried Rice, Fragrant Beef Noodles. Price is around RMB 25 to 30 per person.

54. Duck King (b3)

Duck King

Chinese fast food. Near Caribbean Community Pavilion. Try their meal sets. Mongolian-style Lamb Sticks, Duck Burgers, Duck Rolls, Duck Noodles. Around RMB 38 per person.

They really are the Duck King–

Roasting the duck

55. Shishman-Cafe Turkish Foods (b3)

Shishman-Cafe Turkish Food

Not only do they serve Turkish meals but Shishman-Cafe also has Western dishes. Near Caribbean Community Pavilion. Expect to spend around RMB 50 to 60 per person.

The people are very friendly–

Smile at the camera

56. KFC, East Dawning (d3)

KFC

57. Porterhouse (d3)

Porterhouse

Authentic Western Ireland cuisine. Near Monaco and Serbia Pavilion. Try their Irish Fish and Chips, Irish Stew, Irish Braised Beef. Around RMB 100 per person.

58. Old Uncle (d3)

Old Uncle

Chinese Fast Food. Near Monaco and Serbia Pavilion. Try their Curry Beef or Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce meal for RMB 24. Their Stewed Duck with Tea Tree Mushroom or Braised Pork in Preserved Bean Sauce is RMB 26.

59. Cang Lang Ting (d3)

Cang Lang Ting

Chinese. Near Monaco and Serbia Pavilion. Try their Shallot Pork Noodles, Curry Chicken with Rice, Spicy Chicken Noodles. Around RMB 25 to 30 per person.

60. Bulgarian Rose (d3)

Bulgarian Rose

Bulgarian. Near Finland Pavilion and Estonia Pavilion. Try their Bulgarian-style Pizza for RMB 35. They also have Pork Sausages and Beans, Beef Curry Soup and Rice for around RMB 5o to 60. Must-try is the Yoghurt and Rose Ice Cream for RMB 30.

61.  Tenya Family Restaurant (d3)

Tenya Family Restaurant

Japanese fast food. Near Finland Pavilion and Estonia Pavilion. Try their different bento boxes. Price is around RMB 50 per person.

62. Huyu, Feng Tang Ji (c4)

Huyu

Feng Tang Ji

Japanese fast food. Near Europe Joint Pavilion II. Price ranges from RMB 25 to 45.

63. Uruguay Restaurant (c4)

Uruguay Restaurant

Uruguay cuisine. Near Bosnia and Herzogovina Pavilion. Try their meat dishes ranging from RMB 60 to 69.

64. Jade Cuisine (c4)

Jade Cuisine

Chinese. Near Belarus Pavilion. Their set meals cost RMB 60 each. Includes Special Braised Meat, Mushroom with Oyster Oil, Vegetables, Half-Spiced Egg, Drinks. Other combinations are also available.

65. Jardin de Jade (c4)

Jardin de Jade

Zhejiang, Shanghainese cuisine. Near Belarus Pavilion. This restaurant is the first  from Mainland China which was recognized by the world’s food bible “Michelin”. The price per person is around RMB 200 to 300. Try their abalone, shrimp, and beef dishes.

66. KFC, Pizza Hut (c4)

KFC, Pizza Hut

67. Food Plaza of Xing Hua Lou Group (c4)

Food Plaza of Xing Hua Lou Group

Chinese snacks. Near Belarus Pavilion. The food plaza adopts the shikumen architectural style. Try the Peking duck, pork cakes, vegetarian dumplings, fried meats. Around RMB 30 to 50 per person.

68. Red Chicken (c4)

Red Chicken

Cantonese. Near Belarus Pavilion. Try their Golden Red Chicken, assorted cold dishes, shrimp, sweet and sour pork, Guangdong-style beef brisket, sea cucumber, bird’s nest. Price is about RMB 80 to 150 per person.

69. Newcomb Tea Theme Restaurant (c4)

Newcomb Tea Theme Restaurant

Chinese fast food. Near Belarus Pavilion. Try their Baked Prawns, Black Pepper Beef Ribs, Mushroom Stew. Price per person is around RMB 50.

70. C-Straits Cafe (c4)

C-Straits Cafe

Western food. Near Belarus Pavilion. Try their Cream of Mushroom Soup, Filet Mignon, Fruit Salads. Around RMB 60 per person.

The prized cow–

Holy Cow!

Expo Axis

The Expo Axis has 21 restaurants.

71. TMSK (f5/01 F)

TMSK

Taiwanese. Try their Stewed Pork Minced Meat and Shiitake Mushroom with Steamed Rice (RMB 58). Includes special side dish and iced black tea. Other dishes for the same price are Braised Beef Shank with Steamed Rice, Taiwan Rice Tube Pudding, Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, Farmer’s Bowl Braised Pork and Seasonal Vegetables with Steamed Rice.

72. De Da (e4/01 F)

De Da

Western. They have RMB 35 set meals. Choices of braised beef or fried chicken. Includes soup, rice, vegetables, and fruit.

73. RBT Tea Cafe (e4/01 F)

RBT Tea Cafe

Chinese casual dining. They serve snacks for only RMB 10 per person.

74. Mister Donut, Starbucks, Afternoon Tea (e5/01 F)

Mister Donut, Starbucks, Afternoon Tea

Get 6 donuts for RMB 40 a box.

75. South Beauty (e5/01 F)

South Beauty

Try their Taiwanese beef noodles for RMB 45.

76. Manabe (d5/01F)

Manabe

Zone C has a Manabe already. From the description over there–

Chinese meals and coffee drinks. Try their signature coffee and beef rice and noodles. Spend RMB 40 to 50 per person.

77. Master Kong Chef (d5/01 F)

Master Kong Chef

Try their RMB 45 classical set. Beef noodle sets with jade green cucumber on the side and iced tea.

78. Dain Ti Hill (f5/B1)

Dain Ti Hill

Try their Rice with Vienna Roasted Chicken or Plum and Ribs for RMB 70.

79. Burger King (e5/B1)

Burger King

BK meals are more expensive at the Expo Garden. Bundle meals are RMB 40. Couple meals are RMB 70, while family meals are RMB 100.

80. Papa John’s (e4/B1)

Papa John's

Get rice or pizza combos ranging from RMB 35 to 100. You can also order whole pizzas for around RMB 100.

81. Chamate (e4/B1)

Yi Cha Yi Zuo

Taiwanese. Try their Braised Tofu and Crab Roe Casserole and Braised Chicken with Steamed Oil.

82. Route 66 (d5/B1)

Route 66

Classic American food. Diner set up. Try their chicken wings and fries (RMB 40) and their steak set (RMB 55).

83. KFC, East Dawning (e5/B1)

East Dawning is the sister company of KFC. They serve Chinese food KFC-style.

84. Christine (f4/B1)

Christine

Well-known bakeshop in Shanghai. If you are thinking of having breakfast at the Expo Garden, try their Nutrition Package Series for RMB 19. Includes specialty bread and drink.

85. Wang Bao He (f4/B1)

Wang Bao He

Try their Chinese dumpling with crab meat and minced pork in soup for RMB 20 per bowl. The steamed dumpling with crab meat and minced pork is RMB 40 per steamer of 6 pieces. They also have set meals for 3 to 10 persons. For 3 persons, 4 dishes and 1 soup is RMB 360. For 5 persons, 5 dishes with 1 soup is RMB 600. For 10 persons, 8 dishes with 1 soup and 2 dimsum is RMB 1500.

86. Cai Yun Jian (f4/B2)

Cai Yun Jian

Chinese. Get rice set meals with drinks for RMB 25.

87. Mu Creative Restaurant (f4/B2)

Mu Creative Restaurant

Their Curry Chicken Meal is RMB 36. Spaghetti Bolognese has the same price too. The Beef Stew and Grilled Chicken is RMB 38.

Mu really is one creative restaurant. Saw these and fell in love with them immediately–

I love Mu.

88. Croissants de France (f4/B2)

Croissants de France

Get your typical bread-pasta-drink combination for RMB 15 to 30. You can have Kimchi Beef Ciabatta or something less weird like your boring ham and cheese sandwiches (but I still like them anyway).

89. 85-degrees (f4/B2)

85-degrees

If I should choose only one thing I like about food in China, it is that their cakes and desserts are really pretty. 85-degrees has chocolate mousse cups for RMB 11 each. The cheesecakes are cheaper at RMB 8 each.

90. Dico’s (f4/B2)

Dico's

If suddenly you are craving for big burgers and fries, Dico’s has them for RMB 35 a meal. This includes drinks and fries. Their bucket meal which is good for 3 to 4 persons costs RMB 93.

Watch out for the Puxi guide coming up!

The Shanghai World Expo will last 6 months from May 1 to October 31, 2010. During this duration, there will be 2 week-long holidays in China (early May and early October). And take note–this is very important information–these 2 weeks will bring more people to the Expo.

The summer holiday starts in July, and the heat will go on until August. This is another important information. If you are dreading the snaking lines and infamous crowds, then avoid those dates.

But if you think like the other half of the world’s population and apply reverse psychology, then you might want to go in those dates (because everyone is thinking of the opposite). [Ok, I'm confusing you.]

Anyway, besides those 2 week-long holidays, many other memorial days and local and international festivals and folk activities will take place.

Here is a list of those holidays to serve as your guide when you should go to the Expo.

Expo Holidays

International Labor Day – May 1, 2010

Chinese Youth Day – May 4, 2010

World Red Cross Day – May 8, 2010

World Family Day – May 15, 2010

National Day of Disabled Persons – May 16, 2010

World Telecommunications Day – May 17, 2010

International Museum Day – May 18, 2010

World No Tobacco Day – May 31, 2010

International Children’s Day – June 1, 2010

World Environment Day – June 5, 2010

World Relics Day – June 10, 2010

Chinese Population Day  - June 11, 2010

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival  - June 16, 2010 (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month)

Chinese Children’s Day for Charitable Activities – June 22, 2010

International Olympic Day – June 23, 2010

International Charter Day – June 26, 2010 (UN Charter Day)

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – June 26, 2010

International Cooperative Day – July 3, 2010

World Population Day – July 11, 2010

International Youth Day – August 12, 2010

Chinese Valentine’s Day – August 16, 2010 (the 7th day of the 7th lunar month)

World Clean-Up Day – September 14, 2010

International Peace Day – September 21, 2010

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival – September 22, 2010 (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month)

World Tourism Day – September 27, 2010

Confucius’ Birthday – September 28, 2010 (the 21st day of the 8th lunar month)

Chinese National Day – October 1, 2010

World Habitat Day – October 4, 2010

World Animal Day – October 4, 2010

World Post Day – October 9, 2010

World Mental Health Day – October 10, 2010

World Standards Day – October 14, 2010

UN Day – October 24, 2010

Shanghai Local Annual Or Bi-annual Festivals

June

Shanghai International Film Festival – June 12 to 20, 2010

August

Shanghai Fitness Festival – August 8, 2010

September to October

Shanghai Tourism Festival – September 1 to October 31, 2010

Shanghai Art Fair – September 8 to September 12, 2010

Shanghai Osmanthus Festival  - September 8 to September 17, 2010

China Day in Shanghai Yu Garden – September 29 to October 13, 2010

Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival – September 30 to October 6, 2010

Pavilion Days

May

Beijing Pavilion – May 4 to 8

Albania Pavilion – May 5

Israel Pavilion – May 6

Sierra Leone Pavilion – May 7

Coca-Cola Pavilion – May 8

Brunei Darussalam Pavilion – May 8

International Red Cross & Red Crescent Pavilion – May 8

Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavilion – May 9

MeteoWorld Pavilion – May 9

Life & Sunshine Pavilion – May 10 to 16

Tianjin Pavilion – May 9 to May 13

Malta Pavilion – May 14

Hebei Pavilion – May 14 to 18

Croatia Pavilion – May 15

Netherlands Pavilion – May 18

Pavilion of International Council of Museums – May 18

Germany Pavilion – May 19

Shanxi Pavilion – May 19 to 23

Pavilion of International Network for Bamboo and Rattan – May 20

Austria Pavilion – May 21

Poland Pavilion – May 22

Sweden Pavilion – May 23

Montenegro Pavilion – May 24

Inner Mongolia Pavilion – May 24 to 28

Eritrea Pavilion – May 25

Republic of Korea Pavilion – May 26

Finland Pavilion – May 27

Norway Pavilion – May 28

Mauritius Pavilion – May 29

Madagascar Pavilion – May 30

Mali Pavilion – May 31

Liaoning Pavilion – May 29 to June 2

June

Myanmar Pavilion – June 1

Italy Pavilion – June 2

China State Shipbuilding Corporation Pavilion – June 3

African Union Pavilion – June 3

San Marino Pavilion – June 4

Broad Pavilion – June 5

Kazakhstan Pavilion – June 5

Pavilion of World Wide Fund for Nature – June 5

Portugal Pavilion – June 6

Jilin Pavilion – June 3 to June 7

Australia Pavilion – June 8

Heilongjiang Pavilion – June 8 to 12

The World Trade Center Association (WTCA) Pavilion – June 9

Philippines Pavilion – June 9

Argentina Pavilion – June 10

Iran Pavilion – June 11

Japan Pavilion – June 12

Belgium-EU Pavilion – June 13

Jiangsu Pavilion – June 13 to 17

Bulgaria Pavilion – June 14

Maldives Pavilion – June 15

Gambia Pavilion – June 15

Pavilion of Shanghai Cooperation Organization – June 15

Republic of the Congo Pavilion – June 16

Ireland Pavilion – June 17

Pavilion of Forum Francophone des Affaires – June 18

Seychelles Pavilion – June 18

Zhejiang Pavilion – June 18 to 22

Greece Pavilion – June 19

Turkey Pavilion – June 20

France Pavilion – June 21

Lebanon Pavilion – June 22

Democratic Republic of the Congo Pavilion – June 23

Anhui Pavilion – June 23 to 27

Slovenia Pavilion – June 24

Mozambique Pavilion – June 25

Pavilion of World Water Council – June 26

Somalia Pavilion – June 26

Serbia Pavilion – June 27

Cambodia Pavilion – June 28

Denmark Pavilion – June 29

Djibouti Pavilion – June 30

Fujian Pavilion – June 28 to July 2

July

Canada Pavilion – July 1

USA Pavilion – July 2

Jiangxi Pavilion – July 3 to 7

Burundi Pavilion – July 3

Rwanda Pavilion – July 4

Venezuela Pavilion – July 5

Comoros Pavilion – July 6

Tanzania Pavilion – July 7

Shandong Pavilion – July 8 to 12

Ghana Pavilion – July 8

New Zealand Pavilion – July 9

Cape Verde Pavilion – July 10

Sudan Pavilion – July 11

Timor-Leste Pavilion – July 13

Henan Pavilion – July 13 to 17

Malawi Pavilion – July 14

Lithuania Pavilion – July 15

Colombia Pavilion – July 16

Trinidad and Tobago Pavilion – July 17

Antigua and Barbuda Pavilion – July 17

Bahamas Pavilion – July 17

Barbados Pavilion – July 17

Belize Pavilion – July 17

Caribbean Community Pavilion – July 17

Caribbean Development Bank Pavilion – July 17

Dominica Pavilion – July 17

Grenada Pavilion – July 17

Guyana Pavilion – July 17

Haiti Pavilion – July 17

Jamaica Pavilion – July 17

Saint Kitts and Nevis Pavilion – July 17

Saint Lucia Pavilion – July 17

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Pavilion – July 17

Suriname Pavilion – July 17

Hubei Pavilion – July 18 to 22

Sri Lanka Pavilion – July 18

Mauritania Pavilion – July 19

El Salvador Pavilion – July 20

Pavilion of Global Environment Facility – July 20

Botswana Pavilion – July 21

Oman Pavilion – July 22

Hunan Pavilion – July 23 to 27

Egypt Pavilion – July 23

Senegal Pavilion – July 24

Jordan Pavilion – July 25

State Grid Pavilion – July 26

Cuba Pavilion – July 26

Peru Pavilion – July 28

Romania Pavilion – July 29

Oil Pavilion – July 30

Gabon Pavilion – July 30

Algeria Pavilion – July 31

Guangdong Pavilion – July 28 to August 1

August

Guangxi Pavilion – August 2 to 6

Niger Pavilion – August 3

Kyrgyzstan Pavilion – August 4

Hainan Pavilion – August 7 to 11

Singapore Pavilion – August 7

Cote d’lvoire Pavilion – August 8

South Africa Pavilion – August 9

Zimbabwe Pavilion – August 10

Chad Pavilion – August 11

Chongqing Pavilion – August 12 to 16

Switzerland Pavilion – August 12

Bolivia Pavilion – August 13

Pakistan Pavilion – August 14

Ecuador Pavilion – August 14

Equatorial Guinea Pavilion – August 15

Panama Pavilion – August 16

Sichuan Pavilion – August 17 to 21

Indonesia Pavilion – August 17

India Pavilion – August 18

Afghanistan Pavilion – August 19

Togo Pavilion – August 20

Nigeria Pavilion – August 21

Guizhou Pavilion – August 22 to 26

Hungary Pavilion – August 22

Liberia Pavilion – August 23

Ukraine Pavilion – August 24

Uruguay Pavilion – August 25

Namibia Pavilion – August 26

Yunnan Pavilion – August 27 to 31

Moldova Pavilion – August 27

Cyprus Pavilion – August 28

Spain Pavilion – August 30

Uzbekistan Pavilion – August 31

September

Angola Pavilion – September 26

Armenia Pavilion – September 21

Bangladesh Pavilion – September 20

Central African Republic – September 25

Chile Pavilion – September 18

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Pavilion – September 6

Ethiopia Pavilion – Sepember10

Gansu Pavilion – September 11 to 15

Guatemala Pavilion – September 15

Guinea-Bissau Pavilion – September 24

International Development Information Network Association (DEVNET) Pavilion – September 8

Kenya Pavilion – September 9

Libya Pavilion – September 29

Liechtenstein Pavilion – September 1

Malaysia Pavilion – September 12

Mexico Pavilion – September 16

Mongolia Pavilion – September 13

Morocco Pavilion – September 30

Nepal Pavilion – September 3

Nicaragua Pavilion – September 14

Ningxia Pavilion – September 21 to 25

Pavilion of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – September 7

Qinghai Pavilion – September 16 to 20

Russia Pavilion – September 28

Saudi Arabia Pavilion – September 23

Shaanxi Pavilion – September 6 to 10

Slovakia Pavilion – September 4

Tajikistan Pavilion – September 22

Thailand Pavilion – September 5

Tibet Pavilion – September 1 to 5

Tunisia Pavilion – September 19

UAE Pavilion – September 27

United Kingdom Pavilion – September 8

Vietnam Pavilion – September 2

Xinjiang Pavilion – September 26 to 30

October

China Pavilion – October 1

China Railway Pavilion – October 2

Guinea Pavilion – October 2

Cameroon Pavilion – October 3

Lesotho Pavilion – October 4

Dominican Republic Pavilion – October 5

Benin Pavilion – October 6

Monaco Pavilion – October 7

Shanghai Pavilion – October 8 to 12

Uganda Pavilion – October 9

Luxembourg Pavilion – October 10

Belarus Pavilion – October 11

Laos Pavilion – October 12

Yemen Pavilion – October 14

Azerbaijan Pavilion – October 15

Palestine Pavilion – October 16

Syria Pavilion – October 17

Estonia Pavilion – October 18

Qatar Pavilion – October 20

Latvia Pavilion – October 21

Bahrain Pavilion – October 22

Zambia Pavilion – October 24

United Nations Pavilion – October 24

Honduras Pavilion – October 27

Georgia Pavilion – October 28

Costa Rica Pavilion – October 29

Reservations are needed to get inside some of the pavilions in the Expo. These pavilions are–

• China Pavilion
• Finland Pavilion
• Germany Pavilion
• National Grid Pavilion
• Saudi Arabia Pavilion
• Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. General Motors (SAIC-GM) Pavilion
• Shanghai Corporate Joint Pavilion
• Spain Pavilion
• Theme Pavilions
  • Urban Footprints Pavilion
  • Urban Planet Pavilion
  • Urban Dwellers Pavilion
  • Urban Beings Pavilion
  • Urban Dreams Pavilion
• Taiwan Pavilion
• World Expo Culture Center

But first–the most important of them all–how could you get inside the  China Pavilion?

China Pavilion

In a day, approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people enter the Chinese Pavilion. The reservation tickets are released at all the entrances of the Expo. The number of tickets released per day depends on the day-to-day situation. 30% of the day’s tickets are allotted to tour groups. So if you bought your Expo ticket from a travel agency, more or less they come with the China Pavilion reservation ticket. 70% of the tickets are given out individually at the entrances.

The reservation tickets are only given out come 9am which is the opening time of the Expo Garden. But people start lining up as early as 7am or even earlier. So better arrive at the Expo really early to be able to get a China Pavilion ticket.

The tickets have time slots on them which tells of the designated time you could go inside the China Pavilion. Take note that they are given out randomly as people enter the Expo Garden. Meaning, you and your companion/s may get different time slots. Another advice–be ready to swap China Pavilion reservation tickets with complete strangers. Just approach any random stranger and explain your situation. Do not be afraid to insist.

Finland Pavilion

To get a reservation to the Finland Pavilion, the first thing to check is if your have a mobile phone. If not, forget about making a reservation and just endure the long line-up.

Use your China Mobile phone and text 85401 + time slot you want to get and send to 106666662008. If you are using China Unicom, send it to 1066666620.

For example, if you want to try 1.15pm and your number is registered with China Unicom, text 85401 1315 and send to 1066666620.

You’ll get a message back, telling you whether you can indeed reserve a spot at that time.

If the reservation is still available, you should send a second message with the numbers 01 plus the time you want. For example, if you want 9:30am, the message will be: 01 0930.

A reservation code will be sent back allowing you to enter from 9:30am to 10:30am.

The service costs 1 yuan (14 US cents) per message, apart from common communication charges.

Germany Pavilion

Get an Expo Germany Card or a chip card (which is free but limited) at the Urban Best Practices Area and collect stamps at the locations of at least four of the following German participants: Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Freiburg, the German-Chinese House, and — outside of the EXPO — the German Centre and the AHK (Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

Once you complete your chip card, you get priority access to the Germany Pavilion without need of lining up.

National Grid Pavilion

Online reservations are available here.

Saudi Arabia Pavilion

The reservation system for the Saudi Arabia Pavilion is the most complicated, in my opinion.

First, get a City Name Card (free-of-charge) in Puxi’s Urban Best Practices Area. Collect 16 stamps from the cities there. It must include the city of Makkah which is part of a pilgrimage route in Saudi Arabia.

After completing the 16 stamps, you can claim your VIP card which will give you instant access to the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. But you could only use the VIP card after 6.30pm. The VIP card is first-come-first-serve.

There are only 60 reservation tickets available each day from Mondays to Fridays. Whereas 100 reservation tickets are available each during during Saturdays and Sundays. This makes for a total of 500 reservation tickets given out weekly.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. General Motors (SAIC-GM) Pavilion

Online reservations are available here as well.

Shanghai Corporate Joint Pavilion

Online reservations are available here. You could also call 55356688 from 9am to 5pm.

Spain Pavilion

Buy an Expo passport. Turn to the 37th page, and collect 3 stamps from Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao.

Theme Pavilions

Urban Footprints Pavilion; Urban Planet Pavilion; Urban Dwellers Pavilion; Urban Beings Pavilion; Urban Dreams Pavilion.

You can get reservations using the reservation machines throughout the Expo Garden.

Taiwan Pavilion

Every 9.30am and 6pm, they give out reservation tickets with time ranges outside the Taiwan Pavilion. These tickets are also limited.

World Expo Culture Center

The 7-story World Expo Culture Center serves as the main venue for ceremonies, conventions, and conferences. Performances also take place inside the Expo Center.

Visitor can get one free ticket for performances at the Culture Center and the Expo Center by showing their entrance ticket.

Staff will hand out the free tickets at the western ticket office at the Expo Culture Center and the western square of the Expo Center from 9:30am.

Tickets are given out depending on the availability of the scheduled performance.