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Shanghai Exploration: Budget Travel & Local Secrets

How to Experience Shanghai for CHEAP (Local Secrets!) 🇨🇳

Destination:ChinaCity:ShanghaiPopulation: 24.9 million
How to Experience Shanghai for CHEAP (Local Secrets!) 🇨🇳
Zarif Choudhury21 min

How to Experience Shanghai for CHEAP (Local. This was filmed by Zarif Choudhury. Watch the full journey and explore the filming details and destinations on this page.

I spent 24 hours exploring Shanghai with just $10 - and what I discovered completely changed how I see modern China. From riding through the streets on shared bikes to eating handmade dumplings, experiencing their incredible subway system, and ending the night at a Christmas market and club - this is the side of Shanghai most people never see.

In just 20 years, Shanghai transformed from farmland into one of the world's most modern cities. But what's even more impressive isn't just what they built – it's how they made it accessible to everyone.

--- Zarif Choudhury
January 1, 2025, Winter in China

Travel Guides & Tips in this video

Zarif Choudhury sets out to see Shanghai for about $10 and shows that the city doesn't have to be expensive. He gets around on shared bikes and a subway he finds cheap and efficient, eats dumplings at very low prices, and spends the evening at a Christmas market and a club. Along the way he talks about how Shanghai grew from farmland into a global city in about 20 years, how easy it is for ordinary people to use, and how foreign influences show up in its food and nightlife.

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How to Experience Shanghai for CHEAP (Local Secrets!) 🇨🇳

Getting around Shanghai on $10

Zarif Choudhury gives himself 24 hours and about $10 to see Shanghai, and the point of the day is to show how much of the city is open to people without much money. Transport takes up very little of the budget. Shared bikes are parked all over the streets: you scan one, ride it and leave it where you finish. He uses them for short hops around the city and calls the system pretty simple.

For longer distances he takes the subway. He says a ride costs about 50 cents and can take you across the city, and he contrasts that with what public transport costs in many other global cities. The stations are clean, well kept and easy to find your way around, and they have public restrooms, a small thing that makes a long day of sightseeing easier.

Dumplings at local prices

Food is the other big part of the day. Zarif goes to local dumpling spots for Shanghainese soup dumplings, which he calls amazing, and later tries pan-fried dumplings in a mall that turn out better than he expected. The dumpling houses keep traditional recipes and low prices, and he treats them as part of the city's food culture rather than just a cheap meal. He also notices how people eat together: friends split the bill, and chili oil goes on a lot of the local food.

How fast Shanghai changed

Between meals he looks up at the skyline and talks about how quickly it was built. Shanghai went from farmland to one of the world's most modern cities in about two decades, he says, and what impresses him is less the buildings than how easy the city is for ordinary people to use. The old dumpling shops below the new towers make the contrast between old and new easy to see. A few things catch him off guard: a $1 haircut, and the fact that he didn't need a ticket to enter Zhu-long cave.

Christmas market and a night out

In the evening he visits a Christmas market, which he didn't expect to find in Shanghai, and then heads to a club. Inside, American hip-hop plays next to Chinese pop and nobody bats an eye. He reads both as signs of how easily the city takes in outside influences. His conclusion after the day is that modern Shanghai is cheaper and easier to get around than many visitors assume.

FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)

Q: How much did Zarif spend to see Shanghai?
A: He says he saw the whole city for just $10.
Q: What's the best way to get around Shanghai?
A: Shared bikes. They're everywhere, and people just scan one, ride it and leave it wherever they like. It's simple, and his ride cost 50 cents.
Q: What were the dumplings like?
A: The soup dumplings were excellent, and the pan-fried ones were better than he expected from a mall.
Q: What's Shanghai's nightlife like?
A: Interesting, Zarif says. At the club he visits, American hip-hop plays right next to Chinese pop and nobody bats an eye.
Q: What surprised Zarif most about Shanghai?
A: Probably the $1 haircut, and the fact that he didn't need a ticket to get into Zhu-long cave.
Q: How long did it take Shanghai to grow from farmland?
A: About 20 years, according to Zarif, who says the city went from farmland to one of the world's most modern cities in that time.

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Shanghai Exploration: Budget Travel & Local Secrets

Support my work by subscribing and checking out my Linktree! I spent 24 hours exploring Shanghai with just $10 - and what I discovered completely changed how I see modern China. From riding through the streets on shared bikes to eating handmade dumplings, experiencing their incredible subway system,...

Shanghai Exploration: Budget Travel & Local Secrets

Discover the magic of Shanghai on a budget! Witness its incredible transformation from farmland to a modern metropolis in just 20 years. Explore the city like a local, riding shared bikes, savoring handmade dumplings, and navigating the efficient subway system. Experience the vibrant nightlife at a Christmas market and club, uncovering a side of Shanghai most tourists miss. This budget-friendly adventure will redefine your perception of modern China.

Attractions in this video: Christmas Market, Shanghai Skyline