ONCE upon a time, the old streets of Minhang were commercial and cultural hubs. Shopkeepers rubbed elbows with scholars along the narrow, winding footpaths. Outside influences permeated, creating a melting pot of ideas, but the traditional charm of the streets remained until the bulldozer and urban redevelopment appeared on the scene.

Minhang was the center of the cotton textile industry in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Area towns such as Beiqiao, Wuhui, Qibao and Zhudi sprung up as early as the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), clustered around old streets and temples.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), towns like Qibao, Zhudi, Beiqiao and Chenhang began emerging as trade centers, their goods plied along rivers and canals.

That commercial progress was disrupted in the 1860s, when wars broke out between the Taiping army, the Qing government and foreign troops. Temples and buildings in Qibao, Huacao and Hongqiao lay in ruins. Today, only 10 old streets remain, some in ragged condition.

Tucked away among skyscrapers and modern buildings, one can still find old cobblestone paths, carved stone bridges and old quaint houses with black tiles.

Unlike the famed Qibao street, where cultural renovation has constructed a new lease on life, many of the old streets have a shabby look to them. Doors on some buildings bear the character áù (lin), which signifies their "temporary" lease on life. Some are destined for the bulldozer.

One can't help feeling a sense of forlorn wandering along some of these streets. The sense of a last gasp of a bygone era can make a heart heavy, especially among older people who grew up along the streets. Today, those people almost seem like ghosts - silent witnesses to the vicissitudes of time.

Let's walk in their footsteps and poke around in the corners of the past.


Zhudi Street: hidden treasures

Zhudi Street is a composite name honoring the surnames of the two biggest clans who originally settled there - the Zhu and Di families.

It is not an easy street to locate because only its west section remains.

Zhudi is a narrow street where some buildings have been renovated. Along the street are middle-aged women selling fruit, old men selling vegetables and old women wearing their kitchen aprons.

There is a dog at the entrance of address No. 53. Inside, the one-room home is divided into a kitchen, sitting room and bathroom. The resident, who says he's from Anhui Province and works as a truck driver, rents the home.

Further along the street, at No.75, is Jingbiaofang. It used to be a memorial stone arch or pai fang, honoring a patriotic woman surnamed Hu in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The arch has been covered over with cement and turned into a residence.

A bit further along is Helong Bridge, which has undergone renovation. The stone slate is covered with cement but still can be recognized. Standing on the bridge, you are greeted with the sweeping vista of a tranquil countryside.

The street boasts a restaurant serving food from Anhui. It is popular with locals. A snack such as fried peanuts costs 5 yuan (76 US cents) a packet.

The most famous landmark on Zhudi Street is the Guandi Temple, named after Guan Yu, a famous military general during the late Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).

The story goes that Hou Tingyong, who lived in the area, worshiped Guan. After Hou's son did very well in the imperial civil service exams, his father built the temple to thank Guan for blessing the family with good fortune.

During China's war against Japanese aggression, the temple was devastated. In 1948, local people raised funds to restore it. The temple has served multiple functions over the years, opening its doors as a youth center, a school and later a cultural venue.

In 1998, it was renovated a second time and its original function as a temple restored.

Duhang Street: narrow passages

Duhang is one of the more intact of the old areas on our walking tour. Old tile-roofed buildings there are interspersed with newly built houses. There are supermarkets here that give the area an upbeat, modern look. The streets are narrow though, allowing only one person at a time to navigate the tightest passages.

In courtyards, you see vegetables and flowers, dogs playing and senior citizens sitting outside to soak up the sun. The nearby river reflects the shadows of old houses, and yellow leaves float along its current. The scene is picturesque.

Cured chicken, duck, pork and fish hang outside shops, lending a tantalizing aroma sure to stir appetites.

There is a barbershop, the only one in the area. It opened about seven years ago. It's a drab sort of place, littered with a hodgepodge of scissors, hair driers, towels and thermoses. There is only one seat in the shop, and seniors and children sit on a ramshackle bench awaiting their turn.

Duhang Street was known as Dujiahang when it came into existence during the Ming Dynasty. Du was the surname of the biggest family in the area.


Hexiangqiao Street: water well

Located in Tongxin Village of Maqiao Town, Hexiangqiao Street features a row of old houses. At dusk, the street is filled with villagers scurrying home after work.

A large clan surnamed Jin once settled here. The old family house features a high porch, an old osmanthus tree and an old well still filled with water. The family moved to Taiwan after the house was confiscated during China's "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Gu Wenhong, 40, said Hexiangqiao was named for its surroundings. The he refers to lotus, the qiao refers to an old stone arch and xiang means alleyway. Gu said she has lived on the street since her birth.

Hexiangqiao's development over 300 years was based largely on good water transport. Gu recalled the boats going past her house when she was a child.


Jiwang Street: ancient gingko

The old Jiwang Street was once filled with the shops of laohangdang - old trades and craftsmen like blacksmiths, carpenters, umbrella makers, and dye workers.

Linggongquan rice shop, Shenahui farm-tool shop and Chengguikang butchery were named after the original owners who businesses in the 1950s. The shops are gone but their legacy lives on.

Qian Kaorong, one of the street's residents, points to the Yancangpu river flowing through the area and harks back to its history as a main traffic artery transporting salt.

Standing on a bridge above the sun-flecked waters, you are struck by a sense of both solitude and regret.

Most of the houses along the wide back alleys are dilapidated, with gray tiled roofs and worn black doors. Mottled white lime chips fall to the ground, exposing blue bricks.

Jiwang's history dates back to the Song and Yuan dynasties. The Jiwang temple is one of a few remaining cultural icons.

Stepping into the courtyard of the temple, one's attention is immediately riveted on a huge ginkgo tree said to be more than 400 years old. It is so big that it would take the linked arms of three people to gird its trunk. The archives tell us there were once three grand old ginkgo trees here, but war and age have left only one. The tree's gold leaves litter the ground, and a woman stoops there picking them up. Pillows made with the leaves are good for the health, she explained.


Maqiao: temple icons

Walking across an old cement bridge brings us to Maqiao old street in Maqiao Town. The bridge divides the street into old and new. Only about 150 meters of the old street remain.

The Wanshou'an temple has been renovated, its yellow walls and red door projecting solemnity. A nun inside the temple said its history dates back 700 years.

The temple, which is not large, contains two treasures - an inscribed stele and a gingko tree. The stele was inscribed during the Kangxi reign (1661-1722) of the Qing Dynasty, recounting one of the temple's renovations. It says many people burned incense and prayed for good luck at the temple on the first and 15th days of each lunar month.

The gingko tree sits in a 10-square-meter courtyard. It's said to be 350 years old. The ground around it is strewn with gingko fruit, and the site is a popular place for meditation.

Lin Wenjie, 90, who was born on the street, recalled a time when the area bustled.

"The east side of the street was filled with teahouses, meat shops, tofu stalls and barber shops," Lin said. "The west side was home to a number of pharmacies. The central part of the street was the jolliest and most prosperous because of all the temple fairs."