Position in Shanghai

Changning is a district on the west side of Shanghai, largely residential but with attractions such as the Shanghai Zoo and several large shopping malls.

Get in

Coming from outside Shanghai, you will find that Changning is home to one of Shanghai's biggest transport interchanges, with 1 Hongqiao Airport (mostly handling domestic flights) and 2 Hongqiao Railway Station (offering high speed rail connections to other cities), connected to each other.

The district is well served by Metro from other parts of Shanghai. Lines  2  and  10  run east-west from downtown to the airport and railway station, while lines  3   4  and  15  run north-south across the eastern part of the district.

Get around

3 Zhongshan Park Metro station is a major hub where lines  2 ,  3  and  4  meet; it also gives access to the park and a large shopping mall. Line  10  also runs through the district, roughly parallel to line 2 but a bit south of it. Lines 2 and 10 go to Hongqiao railway station and airport.

See

Red Town

• 1 Red Town (红坊国际文化艺术社区), 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, 淮海西路570号 (Hongqiao Road Station (Metro lines  3 ,  4  and  10 ), exit 4. Near Kaixuan Lu. (近凯旋路, 地铁3号线虹桥路站)). A former steel factory that has been converted into an area of galleries, sculpture parks, media companies and cafes. Has a sizable grassy area full of sculptures that families come and picnic on. 
• 2 Zhongshan Park (Zhongshan Park metro station (lines  2   3  &  4 )). Established as 'Jessfield Park' in 1914 by a British property developer, it was renamed later in honour of Dr Sun Yat-sen.  
• 3 László Hudec Memorial Hall, 127-129 Panyu Road (Jiatong University Station, lines  10 ,  11 , then walk.). Monday closed, Tu-F 13:30-16:00, Sa Su 09-12:00 & 13:30-16:00. House built for his own family by Hungarian–Slovak architect active in Shanghai from 1918 to 1945, who created at least 37 of the city's most notable buildings. There are exhibits inside, a yard around the house, and a staircase to see the house from above. Free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 4 Happiness Alley, 381 Panyu Road. If you happen to be nearby, it's worth to see the cafés, the pond, the fountain and the funny statue on this alley-shortcut between Panyu Road and Xingfu Road. (updated Jun 2018)
• 5 New Town Central Park (Hongqiao New Town Central Park), 2238 Yan'an Xi Lu. 130,000-m² park, 115 plants species and a 52,000-m² grassland (updated Feb 2019)

Do

Pandas in Shanghai Zoo

• 1 Shanghai Zoo (Shanghai Zoo stop on metro line 10, or 45 minute bus ride from Renmin Sq #925). Summer 06:30-17:30; winter 06:30-16:30. See the giant panda and many more exotic animals at this spacious and modern zoo that's for the most part a far cry from the concrete animal prisons found elsewhere in the country (such as Beijing). Be prepared for some shocking behaviour by other visitors. Note that the good amount of space given to the animals means that a lot of walking is involved. There are some fairground rides for the children as well. ¥40; children less than 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) in height are free with paying adult.  

Buy

• Brilliance West Mall (corner of Xianxia lu and Jianhe lu, near Beixinjing Station on Line 2). There are many clothing shops and restaurants as well as a home furnishings store, Hola, below the mall. There are a Watsons pharmacy and a Decathlon sports equipment store on the western side facing Jianhe Lu. 
• 1 Cloud Nine shopping center (Zhongshan Park Station (Lines 2 and 3), Exit 1). 9 flours above ground (hence the name) and 2 below heading into metro line 2. Floors 1 to 5 are mainly clothing and fashion accessory Asian and western brands. Floors 6, 7 and 8 have an extensive selection of good restaurants. In the basement is a Carrefour supermarket, a small pharmacy and plenty of fast food restaurants. Worth a look. (updated Jun 2016)
• 2 APITA (Arch Shanghai), Maotai Road crossing Loushanguan Road (Loushanguan Road Station, Metro Line 2). 10:00-22:00. A complex with shopping mall and office building. Open to the public around late 2015. The shopping mall comprising a super market called APITA, lots of restaurants and stores. (updated Mar 2017)

Eat

Several restaurants are available at Brilliance West Mall. You can also do grocery and household shopping at Century Mart. There is a large selections of good restaurants in the Cloud Nine shopping center, concentrated on the upper floors, very popular with the locals, most have menus with pictures of dishes and basic English text.

• Chor Bazaar, 530 Jianhe Rd, Block 9 (next to Bailian Xijiao Mall), ☏ +86 21 6239-9919. An Indian restaurant. 
• Renaissance Hotel Zhongshan Park, Cloud Nine mall, 26F. All-you-can-eat dim sum with tea. Not a bad price, but avoid the other two buffets. ¥66. 

Sleep

Budget

• Jin Jiang Galaxy Hotel, 888 W Zhongshan Rd, ☏ +86 21-62755888. Offers air-conditionined guestrooms, all of which have broadband Internet access, mini-bar, and TV. 3 in-house restaurants. Rates start at ¥277. 

Mid-range

• Jin Jiang Cypress Hotel (龙柏饭店), 2419 Hongqiao Rd; 上海市长宁区虹桥路2419号, ☏ +86 21-62688868, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800 (reservations), fax: +86 21-62688007, +86 21-51901202 (reservations), tprsvns@hubs1.net. Check-in: 14:00 to 23:59, check-out: 10:00 to 12:00. 4-star hotel surrounded by 40 acres of lush gardens. Starting from ¥434. 
• Rainbow Hotel (上海虹桥宾馆), 2000 Yan'an Rd W; 上海市长宁区中山西路888号, ☏ +86 21-62753388, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800 (reservations), fax: +86 21-62751013, +86 21-61226683 (reservations), tprsvns@hubs1.net. A 4-star business hotel in the Hongqiao business district. ¥433. 
• 1 Mercure Shanghai Royalton, 789 Wuyi Rd; 上海市长宁区武夷路789号, ☏ +86 21-52068000, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800 (reservations), fax: +86 21-52060900, +86 21-51901202 (reservations), HA0A5@ACCOR.COM. A proper four-star hotel, whose low prices are explained by its out-of-the-way location amidst a sea of residential buildings. Starting from ¥360. 

Splurge

• Ambassador Hotel Shanghai, 818 Wanhangdu Rd. Five-star hotel in the heart of the Caojiadu Commercial Zone. Offers 308 rooms, complete with flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet access. It also has restaurants and meeting facilities. 
• La Casa Elegant Hotel Shanghai (上海宝京精品酒店), 3300 Yan'an W Rd; 上海市延安西路3300号, ☏ +86 21-54760066, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800 (reservations), fax: +86 21-54762069 (hotel), +86 21-51901202 (reservations), tprsvns@hubs1.net. A 4-star hotel along Yan'an West Road. From ¥553. 
• Grand Mercure Hongqiao Shanghai (上海虹桥美爵大酒店), 369 Xi'an Xia Rd; 上海市长宁区仙霞路369号, ☏ +86 21-51533300, info@grandmercure-hongqiao-shanghai.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. In the centre of the Hongqiao district, close to restaurants, exhibition centers, bars, shopping and local offices. 
• Hongqiao State Guest Hotel, Hongqiao Rd; 上海市长宁区虹桥路1591号, ☏ +86 21-62198855, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800 (reservations), fax: +86 21-62195231, +86 21-51901202 (reservations), tprsvns@hubs1.net. This 5-star has 218 guestrooms spread over sprawling gardens, which are suitable for wedding ceremonies. Restaurants with cuisines that include Japanese and Shanghai crab, among others. Various meeting rooms are also available. 
• Jinjiang Dahua Hotel, 918 Yan'an W Rd 上海市长宁区延安西路918号, ☏ +86 21-62512512, +86 21-61226688 ext 7800, fax: +86 21-62526200, +86 21-51901202 (reservations), tprsvns@hubs1.net. From ¥650. 
• Millennium Hongqiao Hotel Shanghai (上海千禧海鸥大酒店), 2588 Yan'an Xi Rd; 上海市长宁区延安西路2588号, ☏ +86 21-62085888, fax: +86 21-62951390, sales@millenniumhongqiao.com. A 5-star international hotel. 
• New World Shanghai Hotel (上海新世界酒店), 1555 Dingxi Road, ☏ +86 21 6240 8888, fax: +86 21 6240 7777, reservations.shanghai@newworldhotels.com. 
• 2 Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel, No. 1018 Changning Road, ☏ +86 21 6115 8888. Well-furnished and good-sized rooms on floors 27 to 57 of the building providing impressive views of the area. Reception on floor 25, restaurants on next level and a Marriott club members lounge at the top (58 and 59) providing a good breakfast selection. (updated Jun 2016)
• Radisson Blu Shanghai Pudong Jinqiao, No 2/2449 Jinhai Road, ☏ +86 21 2053 7666, general.jinqiao@radisson.com. Check-in: 00:00, check-out: 23:59. Five-star hotel. (updated Mar 2020)
• Radisson Blu Plaza Xing Guo Hotel Shanghai, 78 Xing Guo Road, ☏ +86 21 6212 9998, sales@radisson-xingguo.com. Check-in: 00:00, check-out: 23:59. A five-star retreat. (updated Mar 2020)