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Huangpu River in Shanghai VS River Thames in London

Monday, August 16th, 2021

Last May we cruised on River Thames in London. Just like Shanghai Huangpu River cutting through Shanghai, River Thames divides London roughly into north and south parts.

River Thames River enters the North Sea at the Thames Estuary while Huangpu river flows into East Sea of China. The River Thames cruise passes some famous attractins like Houses of Parliament, Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The boats on Huangpu River in Shanghai sail pass Shanghai Bund, the skyline of skyscrapers, Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, etc.

The enriched history of London is unveiled in front of us cruising on River Thames. The cruise on Huangpu River in Shanghai offers a good opportunity of immersing yourself in the combined sharp contrast of the old and new, the historical Bund and fast developed Pudong area rife with high-rises.

No London tour is complete without an amazing cruise on River Thames. No Shanghai Tour is perfect without cruising on Huangpu River.

I really recommend you visit River Thames and Huangpu River when visiting the two great metropolises. They have been both cultivated by great rivers like other international metropolises. River Thames seen from a landing plane

Half hour Cruising on River Thames from the pier of the Eye of London to the Tower of London

The Eye of London stands brilliantly by River Thames

Oriental Pear TV Tower stands elegantly on the slyline of Pudong.

St. Paul’s Cathedral on the northern bank of River Thames

The buildings by the Bund left over from the colonial period of Shanghai 100 years ago

The 421 m (1,381 ft) Jinmao Tower, the 494.4 m (1,622.0 ft) Shanghai World Financial Center east bank of Huangpu River

At nighfall, the two banks of Huangpu River look more brilliantly (1)!

At nighfall, the two banks of Huangpu River look more brilliantly (2)!

Add-On

How to Visit the Bund in Shanghai
Evening View of the Bund and Pudong Skyline Shanghai
Huangpu River Cruise Ticket Booking
How to Visit Lujiazui in Pudong

Hassle-free Shanghai Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself bus route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Shanghai:

Shanghai Tour
Shanghai Day Tour
Shanghai Multi-Day Tour
Shanghai Evening Tour
Shanghai Cruise Port ( Transfer& Excursions )
Shanghai Beijing Tour
Shanghai Xian Tour
Shanghai Car Rental with Driver

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Great Wall Tour
Beijing City Tour
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing

Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites

Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping

Wangfujing Walking Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Gui Jie ( Ghost Street) Food Street

Any questions, just drop a line.

Posted in Beijing Transport, Beijing Travel, London Beijing Travel | Comments Off on Train tickets booking experience in Beijing and London

Rickshaws in Beijing VS Rickshaws in London

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Taking a pedicab traveling around the old residential area in Beijing ( Beijing Hutong Tour ) is one of the highlights for the many first time foreign tourists visiting Beijing. The old Beijing residential areas are mostly composed of Beijing Hutongs which form and contain the traditional living houses locally called “Siheyuan”, a kind of vernacular courtyards.

Foreign travelers normally prefer to take a walk or a rickshaw around the Shichahai area north of Beihai Park, where the old hutongs and courtyards have well been kept.

Hutong tours are greatly promoted and incorporated into a complete Beijing sightseeing picture. There are several rickshaw tour tour companies providing pedicab service both in the Shichahai area north of Forbidden City and Qianmen area south of Forbidden City. Most of the rickshaw rides are restricted to the these hutong and courtyard areas.

Through years’ hectic competition, the hutong rickshaw market has been controlled and operated by several huong tour companies which have a clear code of conduct for their pedicab drivers to follow. The code of conduct include the follow:

1) Their pedicabs are painted with their company’s name

2) Their rickshaw drivers wear the uniforms with their company’s brand

3) Their rickshaws are in good shape

4) The rickshaw fares are fairly transparent

Tips for taking a rickshaw in Beijing

1) It is better to book a rickshaw tour through a hutong tour company or a local travel agency

2) Avoid directly negotiating the prices with individual pedicab drivers

3) Keep from using independent rickshaw drivers. There do exist a few illegal pedicab drivers without any company background.

Rickshaw has filled up a hole in the transport market in the hutong areas where normal cabs are found clumsy and useless. The hundreds-year old rickshaw ride in Beijing has become a popular and nostalgic mode of moving around in the fast developing metropolitan Beijing. Rickshaw rides are greatly favored by foreign visitors in Beijing and has also won the full support from the local government.

Beijing Rickshaw 1

Beijing rickshaw 2

Beijing Rickshaw 3

The rickshaws in London don’t have the same luck and privilege as the rickshaws in Beijing have enjoy. The rickshaws in London first appeared around later 1990s with the intention of creating environmentally friendly work for unemployed youngsters.

The pedicab drivers are mostly young foreign students who are going to make some money to help fund their studies. Many of them are independent rickshaw drivers though there are some registered rickshaw operators in London.

From the very beginning, the pedicabs in London have faced the question of existence due to the strong opposition from the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association which has vowed to fight them off the streets.

The pedicab fare is a matter of negotiation between the driver and the passengers. How much you pay is largely dependent on your negotiating skills and how far you are going. It’s daunting physical work.

Pedicabs in London are generally used by visitors for short journeys. Most of the rickshaw drivers look for their business in the West End Londdon, the most commercial and sightseeing area, posing a safety problem.

A few day stay in London gives me an impression that the richshaws in London are not well organized with little management and support from the local government.