Yangpu District

Yangpu is a district in northeastern Shanghai that is bordered by the Huangpu River in the east and south and the Hongkou district in the west. The district is largely a residential and educational area.

Yangpu is home to three top Chinese universities: Fudan University (left), Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Tongji University. Tongji University is known for its strong foreign languages department, and Fudan is part of the C9 League of elite universities in China. The district boasts 12 science and technology parks including five parks attached to universities in the district and three high-tech entrepreneurial parks. Among the universities are many residential buildings which can be pretty affordable.

However, the district does not have only schools and homes; it also has a decent amount of restaurants, shopping and parks. The Wujiaochang Urban Sub-center (right) is an area that brings together a number of businesses, stores, and restaurants. The Orient Shopping Center is a mall that has a variety of stores and restaurants, and the area around the mall has some Western stores and restaurants. Here you can ease your homesickness with a dose of Pizza Hut or KFC.

To the north of the Wujiaochang Urban Sub-center, you can catch a football game at Jiangwan Stadium. Around the Stadium are a number of fitness facilities including a yoga studio and Western style gym. If you prefer to exercise outside of a gym or studio, you can join the crowd of people running laps around the stadium or buy equipment for sports in the Decathlon Sports Store. Similar to American universities, one can also find a number of restaurants around the college campuses. Near Tongji University, which hosts a large number of international students, one can find a large range of food options including Western-style and Halal meals.

For leisurely activities, Yangpu has many parks. One of these parks is Gongqing Forest Park, the second largest park in Shanghai. Gongqing Forest Park has beautiful tree-lined paths and ponds to provide an escape from the city. Yangpu also has KTV karaoke lounge where you and your friends can sing your heart out to Chinese or international songs.

Yangpu may not have as many options for shopping or food as some other districts, but those looking for a slower-paced district to reside in may find Yangpu suits them well.