Bienvenido a Shanghai: Spanish guide to the city released

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Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes Shanghai, a branch of the Cervantes Institute, launched the second edition of a guide to the city in Spanish on Thursday. The first edition was launched for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

The "Guia de Shanghai" includes history, tourist attractions, dining, nightlife and transportation, with travel route recommendations and useful phrases in Chinese.

"Many Spanish-speaking people visit China every year, but many of the older ones are not good at English, so we're helping them address the language barrier and smooth their experience," said Inma Gonzalez Puy, director of the Cervantes Institute in Beijing.

The guide also introduces car-hailing apps and mobile payment methods. It has a directory of art and cultural destinations.

Cervantes Institute in Diplomatic Area /VCG Photo

"People may be very familiar with the Bund and some of its historic areas, but the city has many great museums and galleries that are worth a visit too," Puy said.

Rosalia Ramos Guerra, a Spanish expat who has lived here for six years, updated venues. "I asked myself what I would recommend to my friends if I want them to see beyond the skyscrapers," she said.

To photographer Joan Llabata, Shanghai is a mixture of everything from economic miracles to regular people living their daily lives. But with many small places slowly disappearing, "I want to document those places before they're gone," he said.

The guide can be downloaded for free from the institute's website and is available at the institute at 208 Anfu Road.

An exhibition of photos about life in Shanghai taken by three photographers who took pictures for the guide is open at the institute until March 23.

(Cover: Cervantes Institute, former headquarters of the Hispano Central Bank, Madrid, Spain. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Shanghai Daily