Did you know? · Shanghai
Shanghai fun facts
Things you might not know about Shanghai. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
Up high
At 632 metres, Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China, and the first in the country to pass 600 metres. The Top of Shanghai Observatory is on its 118th floor, where the lift reaches 546 metres (Shanghai Municipal Government).
On the Bund
The Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria is 34 metres long and restores the bar of the old Shanghai Club (the hotel’s website). At the Fairmont Peace Hotel, the Sassoon Presidential Suite occupies Sir Victor Sassoon’s former 10th-floor penthouse, and The Cathay Room was his private banquet hall (the hotel’s website).
At the table
Taian Table holds three MICHELIN stars in 2026 for the fifth year running, the only Shanghai restaurant with three. The 2026 guide was the first to cover Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang together.
Getting around
Shanghai’s Metro reached 898 km in December 2025 (Shanghai Municipal Government). The Maglev gives 20% off a single ticket to passengers with a same-day air ticket (smtdc.com).
World Heritage nearby
Suzhou’s nine classical gardens, dating from the 11th to the 19th century, became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, and Hangzhou’s West Lake Cultural Landscape followed in 2011 (UNESCO).
Questions and answers
How tall is Shanghai Tower?
632 metres, the tallest building in China (Shanghai Municipal Government).
Which is Shanghai’s three-star restaurant?
Taian Table, in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.