The recently opened Expo 2010 Shanghai is one more reason to visit China's largest and most dynamic city. Straddling both sides of the Huangpu River, Shanghai is the quintessential example of the new China, the economic powerhouse that has maxed out this ancient nation's three-decades-old opening to the West.

Expo is expected to welcome 70 million visitors, most of whom will be Chinese. Wherever they're from, they'll be able to sample wares and presentations from more than 240 national and corporate participants.

Pavilions include those from the United States, Canada and Germany as well as structures representing each of China's provinces. North Korea, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Burundi and Kyrgyzstan will also offer presentations.

But long after Expo's Oct. 31 closing, Shanghai will still be an amazing lure. For an instant preview of what modern Shanghai is all about, take the world's fastest train from Pudong Airport, where most international flights land, into Pudong itself, Shanghai's fastest growing area. The eight-minute ride covers the 19 miles at speeds reaching 267 miles per hour.

During the amazingly smooth ride, the only indication of the velocity is the blur of apartment towers whizzing by. It's all even more impressive when you realize that fewer than 20 years ago, almost all of Pudong was rice paddies and fields.

Monks lead prayers in a temple near Shanghai's medieval walls. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

While businesses and residences dominate Pudong, this is not the center of Shanghai tourism. Especially on rare clear days, visitors enjoy ascending to the top of the Oriental Pearl television tower. At the tower's base a fascinating museum that details, through documents, displays, dioramas and cleverly re-created historic settings, Shanghai's lineage.

The real heart of the action is in Puxi, the western and much more historic side of the Huangpu River. Must-sees include the Bund, newly restored prior to Expo. The mile-long Bund promenade, Shanghai's favorite strolling site, fronts stately, Western-style palaces of finance. Among the most impressive is the elegant, neoclassical former headquarters of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Visitors who go in during banking hours can examine the extraordinary dome mosaics and murals.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai's most famous thoroughfare, starts at the Bund and extends westward for nearly four miles. The eastern section — from the Bund to People's Square — is largely malled, festively neoned, and packed with shoppers and strollers day and night. West of the square, Nanjing Road ultimately evolves into an upscale avenue packed with top-tier shops, akin to New York City's Madison Avenue.

People's Square, Shanghai's most popular park, is home to its Grand Theater and the extraordinary Shanghai Museum. Allow several hours for this treasure-trove that is widely regarded as China's best museum.

The Shanghai Museum is widely regarded as China's finest. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

On hand are 3,000-year-old bronze cooking utensils and lifelike, even humorous, statues, amazing ceramics — particularly multicolored horses from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) — ancient paintings and scrolls, calligraphy and works in jade. Everything here underlies the fact that the skills of China's artists have been constant monthroughout nearly four millenniums.

While Shanghai revels in its modernity, there are still remnants of older times to be explored. Most popular is the 16th century Yu Yuan gardens, a beautifully maintained oasis of relative peace in a raucous southern sector of the city. Though often crowded, its zigzagging pathways, fascinating rock sculptures and elegant pavilions give a real feel for what Chinese gardens are all about. While better examples thrive in nearby Souzhou, Yu Yuan is certainly worth an hour's exploration.

Pavilions and rock gardens dominate the Yu Yuan Gardens in Shanghai, China. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

After navigating countless shops, a long westward walk to Renin Street can take the curious to the last remnants of Shanghai's city walls from circa 1100.

Another must-see is the French Concession. For most of the period between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, this large area was Shanghai's most elegant neighborhood. The Concession — one of several in which foreign countries maintained virtually total control of their slice of Shanghai — is replete with stately homes, parks and dining choices.

Historic homes one can visit here include the last residence of Sun Yat Sen, founder of the Chinese Republic who, in 1911, ended centuries of dynastic rule. Another is that of Chou en Lai, whose much more Spartan dwelling was a focal point for participants in the successful 1949 Chinese Communist takeover.

Nearby is the Xintiandi district, full of tourist-friendly shops and restaurants, as well as several historic sites. These include the former girls' school where, in 1921, Chinese Communists gathered for their first national party congress; and a restored house that shows how a prosperous Shanghai merchant and his family might have lived during the 1920s and 1930s.

Also fascinating is the Tianzifang Road district, essentially Shanghai's Greenwich Village, a partially converted maze of streets and alleyways that's home to trendy shops, restaurants and artists galleries and workshops.

Shanghai visitors should also be aware of several travel basics. While there's an excellent, multiline subway system (with signs in Chinese and English), stations tend to be far apart and not always in the most convenient locations. Also, while taxis are incredibly cheap, they are also often impossible to find, particularly at night. That means hotel location and choice of evening restaurant are critical, since having to walk back is always a possibility.

Non-Chinese speakers should definitely book a Western-flagged hotel. In this sprawling and complex city, having access to a savvy concierge is absolutely essential. Bargain digs can that are perfectly adequate may be staffed by people who can't help English-speaking visitors.

IF YOU GO

Expo 2010 Shanghai: www.expo2010.cn/expo/expoenglish.

Four Seasons Hotel: Lovely rooms, a knowledgeable and helpful concierge staff, and a sophisticated spa: www.fourseasons.com/shanghai.

Langham Hotel: A great location just steps from a metro stop, People's Square and Nanjing Road as well as home to the superior T'ang Court Cantonese restaurant: www.yangtzeboutique.langhamhotels.com.

Shanghai Ghetto tour: Dvir Bar-Gal offers daily four-hour tours of the Hongkew district where thousands of European Jews found refuge during World War II: www.shanghaijews.com.

Robert Selwitz is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.