Photos taken by Paul Douglass (Yale University), Student Correspondent for CET Beijing, Spring 2025
This past week CET Beijing took a trip to Shanghai. Shanghai is known as the “Magic City” in part because of its weather. Its location in between the coast and the Yangtze River Delta creates a temperate and humid climate, leading to foggy views like this one above.
Shanghai is one of China’s most economically advanced cities. As a financial and trade hub, Shanghai attracts business and tourists from all over the world. CET students came across this building, the Ping An Financial tower, while walking around the historic Bund region of Shanghai.
During our education tour of Shanghai, CET Beijing students learned about Shanghai’s deep history and connections to European powers. This region on the eastern Pudong shore of the Huangpu River is known as the Bund. Its architecture is European and was constructed by Western powers during the semi-colonization of Shanghai. CET students took a river cruise to learn more about the Bund and this part of China’s history.
On our trip to Shanghai, CET students visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which at construction was once the tallest tower in China. Today the building is an iconic part of the Shanghai landscape and one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.
Shanghai is also filled with cultural and religious landmarks such as this Buddhist temple. CET Beijing students explored and learned more about China’s rich religious history.
Just an hour outside of Shanghai, Suzhou is known as the “Venice of China”. Its many winding canals are reminiscent of the Italian city, just with traditional Chinese architecture. CET students took a day after our educational trip to tour Suzhou.
As a global metropolis, Shanghai is a center for art and culture. This photo was taken from within the Pudong Modern Art Museum, one of Shanghai’s most popular art centers. CET students were able to spend a morning at the museum exploring Shanghai’s global modern art scene.
This is a garden in Shanghai. CET students went on one of our free afternoons and experienced the beauty of Chinese gardening.
The photo on the left was taken in a street market in Shanghai. With traditional Chinese architecture, CET students got fully immersed in Shanghai’s bustling consumer culture
The photo on the right is of CET Students taking a river cruise on the Huangpu river through Shanghai! We were met with local Shanghai University students who agreed to host and guide us throughout the week.