SH101 is an ongoing column on SmartShanghai, in which our writers actually visit tourist destinations in Shanghai we've all heard about, ignored, driven by, or thought about going to but never did. Until right now.
You start seeing the signs as soon as you step off of Line 2 at Lujiazui Station: Shanghai Ocean Aquarium! The longest underwater tunnel in the world! Follow them to exit 2, and it's a short walk to the aquarium itself, which is unobtrusively seated a stone's throw away from the Pearl Tower. Look for the building with little stick figure fishes on the outside.
Once you're in, the way through the aquarium is pretty intuitive. There are signs directing you from one exhibit to the next, and everyone follows the same path through an assortment of marine habitats. Of course the tour starts with the Middle Kingdom, us being the center of the world and everything. There's a whole room dedicated to the endangered fish of the Yangtze River, although the featured creatures look suspiciously similar to the dinner selections you find frequenting the tanks of local seafood restaurants... coincidence? Hmm.
No, that alligator actually isn't real. I know, I was disappointed too.
Dinner?
From there, you move quickly through South America, Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Antarctica. Each area boasts appropriate geographically themed decor (like, there are big fake ice cubes and pictures of glaciers in Antarctic Zone, and figurines of dark-skinned tribal peoples in the African area... heh). But okay, whatever, we came for the fish, not for the interior design. We wanted to run around from tank to tank, pressing our noses to the glass exclaiming ooh, ahh, OHMYGOD WHAT IS THAT!? WHY IS THE OCEAN SO WEIRD?? And on that front, the Shanghai Aquarium delivers.
Abundant geometric variety.
"I haven't yet died, but have already begun to decompose."
Sawfish - lips like Angelina Jolie's.
"We're watching you. Heheehehhe.."
- Creepy little Worms of the Deep.
It's kind of fun to walk around listening to everyone else's comments, especially when you start noticing how many of them are related to food. A tank full of groupers triggered chains of comments about how fat and tender they looked. Two other visitors stood in front of an eel, debating about which was better: unagi, or Shanghai-style chaoshanhu? And a spiky collection of sea urchins prompted immediate sighs, "Wah, this costs so much at that Japanese place..."
Horseshoe crab: Can be grilled and served with chili sauce. Usually consumed for the roe (which is green), mostly around Southeast Asia.
Overheard:
- Come look at this spider crab! Mm I LOVE spider crab..
- You mean in spider rolls? That's soft-shell crab. Not this thing.
- Oh. What. Ok then let's go.
"PLEASE DON'T EAT MY BRETHREN"
Otherwise, it's hard to get much information about what you're looking at. Most of the explanatory signs are in Chinese only, except for the sea creatures' English names and some perplexing titles:
Changing Metagenesis... Clairaudience...Rejuvenescent Immortals!
But that's okay. Just enjoying the view is already plenty entertaining, and oh! We haven't even gotten to the underwater tunnel!
Much ado about 155m.
This is pretty cool. After making your way around the world, your aquarium visit ends with a descent to the B2 floor and a 155m long moving walkway that is, as they will make sure you don't forget, the longest aquarium tunnel in the world. There are flashing lights at the entrance and everything, although it's kind of anticlimactic because the walkway moves a speed of like, 10 meters per hour. So most people end up just getting off and walking, and it doesn't feel that impressively long after all. Still. You're surrounded by sharks, turtles and giant sting rays swimming all around you, which is awesome. 
Requisite shark shot. Still cool, though. Jaws!
Like you're living in Finding Nemo.
And there are some fascinatingly informative English signs in this section, like:
Another reason to watch your weight: you might inadvertently change genders if you don't...
And then you're done! You emerge from the tunnel walkway and into a typical gift shop, selling stuffed penguins and seals, and a sprawling (empty) fast food restaurant. The whole aquarium takes about two hours to go through, assuming you take a little time to admire each tank, skim through the signs, and struggle with getting the right camera setting for jellyfish in motion (for animals without a central nervous system, they swim a lot faster than you'd expect). 
Squishy.
So is an aquarium trip worth it? Sure – it's conveniently located and not too crowded, there's plenty of quirky marine life, and it's a peaceful way to spend an afternoon. Although if you're looking for more of a flashy performance type thing, there isn't much to see. For that, you might want to try Ocean World over at Changfeng Park, where we hear they have a beluga whale that's been putting on special shows all summer long.
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium opens daily 9am-9pm (9am-6pm after Sep 1). Prices: 135 for adults, 90rmb for children, free for babies. Full listing and Taxi-Printout here. Website of the Ocean Aquarium here.
