Photo Gallery: Shanghai Shopping

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

The Taikang Road neighborhood, recently gentrified with cafés and boutiques, is the hot locale in Shanghai for expats and cosmopolitan locals. "Its lifeblood has shifted from small factories to café culture," says photographer Guariglia.

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

"Revolutionary chic" products recalling the Mao era are ubiquitous in stalls along Shanghai's Dongtai Road. This is the market where author Gary Krist, accompanied by a relative of his Chinese wife, honed his bargaining technique while working on "Buy, Buy Shanghai" for Traveler's March 2009 issue. "We started small, negotiating for one of the watches depicting a waving Mao Zedong," Krist recalls. "Yes, the chairman's little hand moves, at least for the first few hours you own the watch. The first merchant we approached proposed a price of 150 yuan [roughly $22]. We counteroffered 20Y [$3], which the vendor regarded as a joke."

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

"Revolutionary chic" products recalling the Mao era are ubiquitous in stalls along Shanghai's Dongtai Road.

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

Along Dongtai Road, shopkeeper Wang Xue Feng offers an array of knickknacks that includes Buddha statuettes and newly made "antique" clocks.

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

The Shanghai South Railway Station, built of polycarbonate, aluminum, and steel and able to accommodate 10,000 waiting passengers, looks like "a UFO ready to take off," says photographer Guariglia. "It's indicative of the futuristic style of architecture you see throughout the city."

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

A tai chi master warms up in his studio at the Park Hyatt Hotel, occupying part of the lofty Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai's Pudong district. "This is hands-down the most well appointed and beautiful hotel I've ever stayed at or even seen," says photographer Justin Guariglia. He and writer Gary Krist plumbed the markets, malls, and boutique districts of Shanghai, a world shopping capital, for Traveler's March 2009 feature "Buy, Buy Shanghai."

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

Offering old culture in the midst of shimmering modernity, the Buddhist Jing'an Temple has stood on West Nanjing Road since the 13th century. Still relevant to locals and fascinating to visitors, the temple draws a lively mix of devotees and tourists to its expansive courtyard. To find a quiet place to meditate during his Shanghai shopping tour, however, author Gary Krist had to retire to Jing'an park across the street from the temple. There he sat for an hour beside a pond, watching an old woman run serenely through her tai chi exercises. This helped restore his own sense of balance after a hectic day of bargain hunting.

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Justin Guariglia

A barge captain's wife accompanies her husband on trips up and down the Huangpu River delivering goods. "Traditionally, people from all over China have come here to shop," a local merchant says of this crowded city on the river. "Shanghai just makes tons of stuff to sell." After treaties were signed in the 19th century, reports author Gary Krist, great trading houses from Europe and the United States jumped in, too. They left behind a legacy of post-Victorian and art deco architecture (and a reputation for decadence) that still plays a large part in the city's identity.

Read more about "Buy, Buy Shanghai" in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.