Editor's Note

This year is the 21st anniversary of the opening of the Shanghai metro. The subway has facilitated more than 13 billion journeys during its 21 years, and half of Shanghai citizens cite the metro as their favored mode of transport. To commemorate the anniversary, each week the Global Times will take an in-depth look at one metro station and its surroundings. In the case of downtown stations, we will focus on points of interest within walking distance; while for suburban areas, we will cast our net a little wider.

Whilst the landmark South Bund in Shanghai Huangpu district bustles with tourism, leisure and shopping facilities, the North Bund area in Hongkou district remains relatively serene, despite a number of ongoing development projects. The Shanghai International Cruise Terminal Station on metro Line 12 takes one right to the heart of this oft-overlooked part of the city.

North Bund green land

The riverside is naturally a must-see for anyone visiting the North Bund, and the 26,000-square-meter plot of green land at 358 Dongdaming Road (near Gaoyang Road) right on the Huangpu River offers some of the best views of the water.

A spacious, sloped lawn offers a panorama of the breathtaking skyline of Pudong Lujiazui area. It is complemented by the river glittering under the sun and the yachts resting by the decks below. It's ideal for picnics, with its postcard-pretty view, lush trees and blooming flowers.

Another bonus is that the place is quiet, seemingly unknown to the many people living and working in the vicinity - you may see a few office workers walking to the riverside and several elderly people exercising, but everyone enjoys an amount of personal space rarely seen in the city.

Alongside the lawn is a long boulevard with beautiful plantations. A few spots along the boulevard are linked to the buildings by the green land. Some of them offer open areas with tables and seats where visitors can have a rest and appreciate the scenery.

Tea education

Tea famously plays a central role in Chinese culture, and the Qiuping Tea Dining Hall on the second floor of the 1929 Art Office (687 Dongdaming Road, 6072-9613) celebrates that heritage.

The founder, Liu Qiuping, developed an interest in tea as a child due to the influence of her tea-loving father, and has worked in the field for more than two decades.

She gives classes in tea appreciation, with a number of programs specializing in different types of teas, covering green tea, white tea, and black tea.

"We do not focus on the cultural aspect of tea, which can be very profound and hard to understand, especially for our large number of foreign students," Liu told the Global Times. "Instead, we try to be as practical as possible, and teach the real stuff like how to make sure the water temperature is right at 80 C and thus ideal for brewing."

She says the amount of tea leaves, the water temperature and the brewing time all have a huge impact on tea. In her class, she demonstrates the whole tea-making process and makes comparisons between different tea products.

Usually a student masters making one type of tea in under 2.5 hours, according to Liu. Each program, which consists of six to eight sessions, costs between 2,800 yuan ($457.70) and 3,800 yuan per person.

The hall also features dishes that use tea leaves as ingredients. For example, thick chicken breast soup that uses Biluochun; braised pork that uses black tea in the recipe; and a duck recipe that uses Zhang tea.

The dishes were all invented by Liu, and named after their respective inspirations, such as beautiful ancient Chinese poems. A set lunch costs 300 yuan per person, and dinner starts from 500 yuan.

A sight from Qiuping Tea Dining Hall Photos: Liao Fangzhou/GT

Café Monsieur

Dining opportunities in the area are few, but Café Monsieur (Room 109-110, 687 Dongdaming Road, 6072-0539) is an ideal place to relax and enjoy some hearty food, as well as chat with the friendly, charming staff.

The main chef here, an Italian, is responsible for making the pastas, sandwiches and salads. The bestsellers include Bolognese pasta, with a fresh and genuine version of the Italian ragu sauce; and a rich, creamy Parisian-style chicken pasta.

Also popular is the tomato and tuna panini, which is delightfully crispy, with refreshing tomato and salty but not-at-all overpowering tuna making for a great combination.

The café offers several choices of desserts, the most beloved of which is the tiramisu. "It is very different from most of the tiramisu you get in Shanghai - the flavor is a lot richer, with double coffee," one customer told the Global Times.