12 reasons to love Pudong

Puxi-side folk may love to hate on 'Pu Jersey', but there are plenty of reasons to go east...

1 The green space

The west side may have the characterful Fuxing Park and a couple of fairly remote forest parks, but when it comes to big green expanses in the city, Century Park (pictured) is hard to beat. The riverside Houtan Park on the former Expo site is also a pleasant spot, while up in the northern tip of Gaoqiao Pudong has a fairly remote forest park of its own - and this one comes with the bonus of being beside the Yangtze.

2 The beaches

Where Pudong meets the sea isn't exactly the Cote d'Azur, but even if you can't be bothered to schlep all the way out to Sanjia Gang for some real seaside action, Pudong is still home to one of the best beaches in the city - at the Shimao Riviera (pictured), one of the best outdoor swimming pools in Shanghai.

3 The Maglev

Sure, there could be a better place for it to run to than Longyang Lu, but the world's fastest train (at an operational speed of 431km/h) is still a pretty cool mode of transport and easily the best way to get to Pudong Airport.

4 There's plenty of culture

Don't snigger Puxi-ers, Pudong is home to the original Long Museum (with an incredible collection of Chinese art), plus a newer Minsheng Art Museum and the China Art Museum on the former Expo site (pictured).

Meanwhile over at Century Park there's the Zendai Himalayas Art Museum in the same complex that hosts the Daguan Theatre, which together with the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre (SHOAC) sees to it that Pudong gets a steady flow of world-class classical music, drama and dance.

Plus, as of 2020, Pudong will be home to a new branch of the Shanghai Museum focusing on calligraphy and art. That'll be on 80,000 square metre site near the SHOAC and next door to the Science and Technology Museum. Which brings us neatly to...

5 The museums

Pudong is home to a number of the best museums in Shanghai, including the Science and Technology Museum, the Animation and Comics Museum and the China Maritime Museum (pictured above).

And if they sound a bit straight-laced, there's also a couple of quirky museums worth checking out too: the Shanghai Gallery of Antique Music Boxes inside the SHOAC (seriously, it's actually fascinating) and the Shanghai Municipal History Museum in the basement of the Pearl Tower. Speaking of which...

6 The Pearl Tower

It's a ridiculous-looking building, but the Lujiazui skyline just wouldn't be the same without it. Let's be honest, we all love it really. There's the aforementioned history museum, plus a glass floored observatory inside one of the baubles, but the real highlight - and one that still remains something of a secret here - is the rollercoaster. No joke, there's a rollercoaster inside the Pearl Tower. You basically rattle around in the darkness as lots of fluorescent lights whizz by. Was it the inspiration for Disney's Tron ride? No, almost certainly not, but it's pretty fun.

7 Disneyland

Enough said.

Head to our website to buy tickets and for an essential guide to Disneyland Shanghai.

8 You can get high easily

We mean that literally of course, chortle chortle. But yeah, Lujiazui has got the whole skyscraper thing sewn up. Want to take the world's fastest lifts up to the world's highest observatory? No problem. Want to take a walk on the world's highest outdoor viewing platform without a railing? Pudong's got that.

9 It's home to the Mercedes-Benz Arena

Easily the best large-scale music venue in the city and regular host to the stars - Taylor Swift, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Justin Bieber and Jay Chou have all danced/rocked their way across its stage at some point, while Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice and the NBA have all hosted major events here.

Plus, they have one of the city's best ice rinks down in the basement and a nice open air viewing platform up the top.

10 You can play bubble football

Yup, Pudong is home to one of the few places in China that you can play bubble football. What's bubble football you ask? It's a lot of fun, that's what. It's at the Allianz Jinqiao Arena at 29, Lane 2622, Jinqiao Lu, near Jinxiu Dong Lu. More details on our website.

11 There's Xinchang

If you thought Pudong was all monolithic skyscrapers and impersonal wide avenues, think again. Alright, a lot of it is that, but there are a few bits of history attempting to cling on amid the inevitable march of modernity. One of the best is Xinchang Ancient Town, a watertown that's not as susceptible to crowds as the likes of Zhujiajiao and which makes for a pleasant day out.

12 It's family friendly

There's a reason why there are so many international schools located in Pudong and so many residential compounds in east side areas such as Jinqiao - it's a nice place to raise a family far away from Yongkang Lu, or wherever 'the new Yongkang Lu' may end up being. A lot of the reasons listed above help with this, but there's also some top class kids facilities east of the Huangpu, including perhaps the city's best indoor play area - the Kerry's Adventure Zone.

How to get there

'Pudong sounds lovely, but how on earth does one get to this magical land?', we hear you ask. The city's infrastructure authorities put their heads together and came up with the ultimate answer: the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.

Ok, there might be a couple of other ways to get over there, but can line 2 offer you views like this?

What do you love (or hate) about Pudong? Let us know in the comments.