MANILA, Philippines - China can seem as impenetrable as it is imposing. Consider the numbers: It’s the world’s most populous nation (1.3 billion), where more than 100 cities have populations over a million. Fifty-six ethnic groups are spread across 22 wildly distinct provinces and five autonomous regions, in a landmass slightly larger than the US.

Its history seems limitless and its traditions, just as deep. But here and now, change is the only real constant—and it is accelerating at a dizzying pace.

How do you begin to fathom a country of such extremes? The futuristic cities glittering above timeworn villages; the great rivers and vast empty deserts; the radical new architecture juxtaposed against millennia-old monuments; the ceaseless push-and-pull between Confucianism, Communism and commerce. Where do you even begin?

Cebu Pacific and Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. recently showed a group of media where to go and what to see.

Vibrant Shanghai

First stop: The riverfront promenade known as the Bund (an Anglo-Indian word meaning embankment), with its Art Deco, Neoclassical, and Beaux-Arts façades, bars and shops, and views of the space-age towers of Pudong.

“The 1920s-era art deco style flourished, and for a time, it was possible to say that Shanghai was New York, London and Paris all in one,” said Winni Zhang, the group’s Chinese tour guide.

A great way to get across the Huangpu River if you are on any side of the river and want to go to the other is the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. It has colorful lights on the walls of the tunnel but there are no transparent glasses through which you can see the water of the river.

On the bank of Huangpu River stands the 468-meter high Oriental Pearl Tower. Located in the center of Lujiazui, Zhang said it is the highest TV tower in Asia and the third highest in the world. The sight-seeing floor in the upper sphere is 263 meters high. It is the best place to get a bird’s eye view of Shanghai.

Cosmopolitan city

Because Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city and has seen more foreigners—both invaders and friendly visitors— than any other Chinese city, it is a polyglot place. “The sense of life is strong here,” Zhang said.

And it is evident in the Shanghai Urban History and Development Museum, which covers an area of approximately 10,000 sq. m. The museum gives visitors a vivid and impressive representation on Shanghai’s evolution history, starting from when the city became a commercial port linking up China and the world.

A cruise of the Huangpu River, which originates in Dianshan Lake and empties into the Yangtze River at Wusongkou (mouth of Wusong River), gives visitors a spectacular sight of two suspension bridges, Nanpu and Yangpu, which appear to arch over the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, resembling “two dragons playing with a ball.”

The west bank (Puxi) of Huangpu is the cultural, residential and entertainment center of Shanghai. This is where The Bund, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Waibaidu Bridge and the oldest park in Shanghai, Huangpu Park, are located. The east bank of the river (Pudong) is Shanghai’s financial and commercial hub. Steel and glass structures are abundant here. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower, skyscraper hotels, offices and malls of the Lujiazui Financial Zone are on this side of the river.

Shopping paradise

If you come to Shanghai, hailed as the “Shopping Paradise” and “Oriental Paris,” shopping should not be missed.

One of the shopping areas worth going to is Nanjing Road, which enjoys the reputation of No. 1 commercial street in China. Developed from the beginning of the 20th century, Nanjing Road has clusters of centuries-old shops and modern malls.

Fenshine Plaza, at the junction of Chengdu Road and Nanjing west road, sells clothes and accessories for men, women and children; sports wear; ski wear; shoes and golf stuff, too. For fake branded bags and watches, ask around because the vendors don’t sell them openly.

Huaihai Road, no less famous than Nanjing Road, features designer brands from all over the world.

Suzhou: Venice of the East

Famous for its Ming and Qing-dynasty gardens (don’t miss the Garden of the Master of the Nets and the Humble Administrator’s Garden), Suzhou was once called the Venice of the East for its canals.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction of China.

Located in Jiangsu, Suzhou is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, architect I.M. Pei’s Suzhou Museum, Zhong Wang Mansion and Grand Canal.

Industrial Wuhu

Located in Anhui province, Wuhu is hemmed in at all sides by heavy industry.

Wuhu is home to Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., which was founded in 1997.
In 2007, Chery sold a total of 381,000 passenger cars in the global market which represented an increase of 24.8-percent over the previous year, among which the overseas sales volume had doubled again with a sharp increase of 132-percent, reaching 119,800 units, according to Zhou Biren, vice president. This made Chery the fourth largest passenger vehicle manufacturer in China. “This tremendous growth in domestic sales demonstrated that Chery could successfully compete in the domestic market which had been monopolized historically by manufacturers that were joint ventures between Chinese and foreign manufacturers. Chery is now the leader among independently owned, domestic automotive companies,” Biren said.

Chery began exporting completed vehicles into the retail international market in 2001 with its first exports going to Syria. It has now become China’s first automotive manufacturer, manufacturing and selling cars, automotive parts and its own unique technology to foreign countries. Since 2001, Chery has exported products to over 60 countries and regions throughout the world. For the last five consecutive years, it has ranked number one as the leading Chinese exporter of passenger cars.

Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to Shanghai Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Departs at 8:20 p.m. and arrives 11:45 p.m. The Shanghai to Manila flight departs at 12:30 a.m., Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and arrives at 4 a.m. Call 702-0888 or visit www.cebupacificair.com.