Art critic reveals the hidden gems of Pudong

Julie Chun, a Korean-American art historian and critic from Los Angeles, moved to Shanghai in 2011, the longest she has been away from home.

Could you introduce the neighborhood you live in.

My family has moved several times because we wanted to experience the broad scope of Shanghai and the diverse areas of interest. We have resided in the tree-lined downtown, Gubei area in Changning District, and now we are in the Pudong New Area. Although we live in the financial district, overlooking the three tallest towers, we have discovered numerous delightful local neighborhoods in Lujiazui, which are just as charming and approachable as those in Puxi. There are fabulous parks, from the massive Century Park to the well-kept Lujiazui Central Green to the charming Meiyuan Park, which is a newly restored Chinese-style park that most people from Puxi are not even aware of. Not far from Meiyuan Park, we also have the beautiful Taiqing Palace (also known as Qinci Yangdian), which I discovered while biking in the area when I first moved there. The building is supposedly one of the sites of the earliest Daoist temples in Shanghai and is dedicated to the emperor Dongyue (a Daoist deity of the sacred Mountain Tai or Tai Shan).

What's the best thing about living in this neighborhood?

My family and I love Shanghai for its friendly internationalism and dynamic energy. I love the area I am now in for its broad cosmopolitan food culture from the simplest dumplings and noodles at tiny hole-in-the-wall shops to the more upscale restaurants at the J Hotel in the Shanghai Tower.

An unexpected feature that I enjoy about living in Lujiazui is that I take the ferry boat to Puxi quite frequently. I love the ferry so much that I once tried to apply for a part-time job as a ferry driver so that I could cruise the Huangpu and get my readings done on the water. But they said they only hire full-time employees.

What attraction here should not be missed?

I am a sports fanatic. I frequently use the riverfront for jogging and cycling, as well as the public basketball courts, where I enjoy shooting hoops with Shanghai uncles or high school kids on weekends. I'm not good enough to play when the game gets competitive, but the local guys often include me when they are short of players.

The Dongchang Greenland Basketball Court (1 Zhangyang Rd 张扬路1号) has to be one of the world's most scenic public basketball courts with an incredible view of the shimmering waters and the best vista of the Puxi skyline of the Bund.

What's your favorite cafe spot near your home?

I am not a big coffee drinker and have only one cup first thing in the morning at home. But there is one cafe I frequent almost daily, and that's Manner Coffee (2755 Binjiang Avenue 滨江大道2755号). The chains are easily located all over Pudong and throughout Shanghai.

My favorite is the matcha coconut water. It's not only healthy, but visually gorgeous to watch as the matcha flows like lava down into the coconut water. As an art historian, I really appreciate the aesthetics that go into the presentation of food and drinks — from the very simple to the exceedingly complex.

Where should someone eat around here?

My go-to when I am working at home and need a quick healthy lunch is Hao Pengyou (B2-6C, Shanghai Tower, Huayuan Shiqiao Rd 花园石桥路陆家嘴上海中心负二层B2-6C) at the basement of the Shanghai Tower, where I can get my favorite kimchi gimbap. I usually take two orders because the taste comes so close to the gimbap I used to eat in Seoul while going to graduate school.

On special occasions or when taking his clients out to eat, my husband and I love Mess. Chef Eliran Gavriel is a culinary artist, and the menus he creates are truly unique in combining not only different ingredients but also different cultures. His selection of cocktails and wine is also excellent.

From high fashion to emerging designers, from flowers to fresh produce, where do you shop in your neighborhood?

Tucked away in the residential areas of Lujiazui is a vibrant market on Rushan Road between Century Avenue and Laoshan Road. It is teeming with fresh fish, meat, fruit and vegetable stalls, and chock full of little mom & pop commodities markets. These rows of markets provide a visually intriguing contrast with the tall commercial buildings of Alipay and Porsche that loom directly behind in the background.

I can get fresh jianbing throughout the day on this street. On Rushan Road, there is a small shop called Esiyu where I buy my winter hats and berets. From flowers to fresh produce, this is such an extraordinarily busy and endlessly fascinating place to get my daily foodstuff while I do some people-watching as I wait in line for my jianbing.

Is there a neighborhood place you recommend for a night out or simply a drink after work?

With the spectacular heights in Lujiazui, the two places my husband and I occasionally like to go to grab a drink and catch up with each other are the Flair rooftop bar (58F, 8 Century Avenue, 世纪大道8号58楼) at the Ritz-Carlton Pudong. When the weather is warm and we are seated outside, it feels as if we are floating on top of Shanghai — an absolutely surreal experience.

The other place is the bar at the Park Hyatt (100 Century Avenue 世纪大道100号) on top of the Shanghai World Financial Center. The view from above is truly breathtaking. On clear days, the scenery that stretches out is mesmerizing, and it is interesting to see Shanghai from this side of the Huangpu, rather than from the Bund side, to get a different perspective.

Have you made any new discoveries in your neighborhood lately?

It has to be the little Meiyuan Park (180 Rushan Rd 乳山路180号) and the Taiqing Palace (476 Yuanshen Rd 源深路476号) I mentioned earlier. The park and the palace temple are reminiscent of what one would find in Beijing for their traditional-style architecture. It can be a jolting surprise to come across these two traditionally constructed places not far from the sky-touching financial center building due to their intensely historical ambiance.

Both places are not as big or grand as the older parks and palaces in Beijing, but I enjoy going to both places frequently because I feel they are uniquely embedded in Shanghai as part of Lujiazui history, thus providing a connection of China's cultural past to the present to residents such as myself who live nearby.