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Since it’s on the solar calendar, the date of the Qingming Festival on the Gregorian calendar changes each year. In 2011, the holiday is on April 5th and the whole festival runs from April 3-5. If you’re planning to be in Shanghai or elsewhere in China this April, you might be wondering whether this holiday will get in the way of your travel plans. The Qingming Festival is when families visit and clean the graves of their ancestors, spending the day essentially picnicking at their ancestors’ graves to honor their memories. Another popular activity is kite flying, and generally being outside to enjoy what is usually nice weather after a long winter.

While Qingming is a public holiday in China, then, the festivities are largely personal and family-oriented. You may see people walking to visit their ancestors’ tombs, or in public places flying kites, but this isn’t the kind of festival that involves big parades or concerts or fireworks.

Interestingly, it’s only recently that Qingming is back on the calendar as an official public holiday at all. It has long been a traditional Chinese holiday, but from 1949 until 2008 people weren’t really allowed to celebrate it. Since it’s back on the calendar, you may find some businesses closed for part of the day on April 5th while people visit their ancestors’ tombs, but it may also be a good excuse to get out of the city for a long weekend. There are several side trips from Shanghai that are excellent options for a 3-4 day weekend, including the beautiful canal cities of Hangzhou or Wuzhen.

- by Jessica of BootsnAll

photo by Eddie Awad

Here are five of the best shopping destinations with wow factor…

Posh frocks

If you’re looking for international brands and designer fashion labels, simply make your way to the thoroughly modern malls and boutiques crammed into the main shopping streets of Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road. You’ll find finery by Armani, Prada, Calvin Klein, Dior, and Chanel in the shiny malls of Nanjing West Road and plenty of cafes and restaurants for a fuel stop. Bustling Huaihai Road is awash with more western fashions and the Bund, one of Shanghai’s most popular tourist destinations, situated on the banks of the Huangpu River, is another hotspot where luxury brands, including Cartier and Dolce & Gabbana have flagship stores.

Indie chic

For retail therapy of an alternative kind, Taikang Road is the place to forage for funky silver jewelry and arty treasures. Here, you’ll discover a vibrant hub of art studios and independent and quirky boutiques. Then wander down Tianzifang, a lane that runs off Taikang Road, where abandoned factories and warehouses have been turned into a hip art precinct. It’s a fun place to view the work of Shanghai’s young artists and hang out in the coffee bars, buy hot pancakes from street vendors and get a taste of local Shanghai life.

Electronic heaven

Gadget fiend? Go to Huaihai Road, home to Shanghai’s Cyber Market, the biggest and best market for all things hi-tech, including digital cameras and camcorders, iPods, laptops, DVD players, and pretty much every gizmo and piece of software you can think of. However, if you want to get a good price, you must be prepared to haggle hard.

Curiosity shops

‘Window shopping’ doesn’t get much more fun than at Curio Street on Dongtai Road where you can browse your way around an eclectic huddle of more than 125 small shops selling many things weird and very wonderful. Goodies include Chairman Mao memorabilia, ancient inks and paper, and curious ‘antiques’ – just don’t expect them to be genuine! You’ll also find traditional Chinese products such as porcelain, bronze wares and jade.

Tailor-made

Nifty with a sewing machine or fancy a custom-made dress or suit by some of China’s best tailors? Make your way to Lujiabang Road where you’ll find the vast, fabulous (and thankfully air-conditioned) South Bund Fabric Market. Pick from mountains of quality fabrics for your own creations or get clothing or home accessories custom-made by the resident tailors – they’ve got reams of samples for you to choose from but make sure you strike a hard bargain to get a fair price. Shanghai silk is also among the world’s finest. To buy the best quality silks, head to the Shanghai Silk Building on Huaihai Road.

Cheap Eats

Throw your Western table manners to the winds and indulge in Xiao Yang’s dumplings . These dumplings are fried to perfection, with crispy, golden-brown crust on the bottom and thin mantou skin. The proper way to eat them translates into pure messiness: you have to bite a small hole in the top and slurp out the soup before indulging in the pork filling. They may be the caloric equivalent of a Big Mac but Yang’s friend dumplings are worth every delicious bite – trust us on this one!

Address: 54号 Wujiang Road, Jing’an, Shanghai

Opening Hours: 7am – 21pm

Gourmet Specialties

Hunting down the best gourmet experience in the city? Hunt no further. Howard’s Kitchen opened quietly a few months ago, offering an exclusive spot for fresh fish aficionados.

Prepared to exacting standards, Howard’s Kitchen offers no room for disappointment; proprietor, Howard puts major care into his deceptively simple dishes and the chef’s are trained to cook with a minimalist approach and the finest ingredients on hand.

Address: House 2, Lane 1829 Hongqiao Lu, near Shuichen Lu 虹桥路1829弄2号楼, 近水城

Opening Hours: 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Download mTrip’s Shanghai Travel Guide

Photo attribution: Gary soup at http://www.flickr.com/photos/garysoup/

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