Take a leisurely stroll down memory lane
Print Edition
Shanghai is blessed with some beautiful streets boasting everything from magnificent buildings, cozy cafes, and low-key bookstores. Take a stroll with Shanghai Daily. Wang Wenjun reports.
Xinhua Road
Running from Yan’an Road W. to Huaihai Road W., Xinhua Road in Changning District is known as Shanghai’s No. 1 garden road. It is home to 101 Western-style villas.
The two-story French-style house at 336 Xinhua Road was built in the 1930s. Many famous people have lived here including American lieutenant general Claire Lee Chennault, who commanded the China-based first American Volunteer Group, better known as the “Flying Tigers,” during World War II, and the entrepreneur Dong Zhujun.
The Swedish-style house at No. 32, Lane 329, Xinhua Road is one of the few authentic northern European buildings in Shanghai. It was for a time the site of the Sweden Legation.
The circular villa at No. 36, Lane 329, Xinhua Road, was designed by Hungarian architect Ladislav Hudec, who designed many well-known buildings in Shanghai including the Grand Theater and Park Hotel. This two-story villa was best known for its fairytale-like appearance.
Houses located at Lane 211, Lane 329 and 321, Xinhua Road form a U-shape and are collectively named The Lane of Nations (“Wan Guo Long Tang”). It was a neighborhood where many expatriates lived 70 years ago.
Dongping Road
A short peaceful road between Yueyang Road and Wulumuqi Road, offers a look at the former residences of people who shaped modern-day China.
Located at 9 Dongping Road is the former residence of Chiang Kai-shek, former leader of the Republic of China. The property was bought by Charlie Soong and given to Chiang as a dowry when he married Soong’s second daughter Soong May-ling in 1927. Chiang named the villa “Ai Lu” (love cottage) and it was one of his three favorite residences.
The villa at 11 Dongping Road is the former residence of Charlie Soong and it was one of his two favorite homes. It was built in 1921 and features an ornate Mansard roof with cornices and dormer windows. In front of the house is a big garden featuring many different kinds of flowers and plants.
Xi’s garden at 1 Dongping Road is a European-style villa and was built in 1913. It used to be the private house of Xi Deyi, head of the Central Bank under the Kuomintang government, and is now a restaurant serving Shanghai cuisine.
Dongping Road is also identified as one of the shooting locations for the movie “Leaving Me Loving You,” starring Faye Wong and Leon Lai.
Shaoxing Road
A lovely street in the former French concession, Shaoxing Road is only about two blocks long, but lined with many publishing houses, great cafes and independent book stores. The Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau is also on Shaoxing Road.
Hanyuan Bookstore is at 27 Shaoxing Road and is owned by photographer Er Dongqiang. From the old organ at the door to the chocolate brown furniture and crimson carpet inside, every bit of its decor reminds you of 1930s Shanghai. The shelves are filled with antique Chinese and English books.
The old villa at 27 Shaoxing Road was once the house of one of Du Yuesheng’s wives. Du was known as one of the most powerful gangsters in Shanghai in the 1930s. The house is now Victorian Home Garden Restaurant.
Adbay cafe is at 23 Shaoxing Road. The 300-square-meter cafe features a black and white interior and has a small library of books and magazines about advertising.
You can also walk around one of the best-preserved shikumen (stone-gate houses) lanes at Lane 97. Many movie and TV scenes set in old Shanghai are filmed here.
Yuqing Road
Running from Middle Huaihai Road to Hengshan Road, Yuqing Road was once named Route Edan after the Consulate General of France in Shanghai in the 1920s. It got its current name in 1943 when the area was handed over to the Wang Jingwei government.
Here you have the chance to devour traditional Shanghai noodles at Shanghai Morning restaurant at 80 Yuqing Road. The restaurant serves Shanghai cuisine and its elegant decor is nothing like the noodle joints you come across at street corners.
Design Republic, a furniture store at 88 Yuqing Road, is run by architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. It offers a collection of great designs by Frank Gehry, Akari, Carl Hansen, and other leading designers.
The Soong Ching Ling Memorial Residence is within walking distance at 1843 Huaihai Road M. Soong Ching Ling married Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China. It is worth a visit and has many well-preserved artifacts.
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