Chinatodo
Beyond the Bund and Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s quieter corners reveal nostalgic lanes, avant-garde art spaces, and untold urban legends.
Fuxing Park (复兴公园 fù xīng gōng yuán)
A Parisian-style garden built during the French Concession era (1909). Elderly locals dance tango under plane trees, play mahjong on stone tables, or practice water calligraphy on sunlit pavements.
Why Visit: Witness Shanghai’s jazz-age elegance—weekend tea dances revive 1930s glamour with live brass bands and vintage cheongsam dresses.
1933 Old Millfun (老场坊 lǎo chǎng fāng)
A labyrinth of Art Deco concrete ramps, spiral staircases, and stained glass, once a 1933 slaughterhouse transformed into galleries and indie theaters.
Why Visit: Photograph dramatic shadows cast by geometric windows or catch experimental plays staged in former cattle pens.
Chengdu Nanshi Lilong (成都南路里弄 chéng dū nán lù lǐ lòng)
A maze of 1920s shikumen (stone-gate) houses with laundry fluttering overhead and mahogany staircases creaking underfoot.
Why Visit: Few tourists venture here—observe residents mending bicycles, airing quilts, or playing traditional hulusi flutes in doorways.
M50 Art District (莫干山路50号 mò gān shān lù 50 hào)
Graffiti-covered factories along the Suzhou Creek now host avant-garde galleries, sculptor studios, and minimalist coffee shops.
Why Visit: Discover edgy installations and chat with artists in their workspaces—most spaces offer free entry.
Zhujiajiao Ancient Town (朱家角古镇 zhū jiā jiǎo gǔ zhèn)
Skip the crowded main river of this ancient water town and hire a boatman to navigate narrow, flower-lined canals where locals wash vegetables.
Why Visit: Glide past Ming Dynasty courtyards untouched by commercialization, where elderly fishermen still mend nets on mossy steps.
Longhua Temple Pagoda (龙华塔 lóng huá tǎ)
Shanghai’s oldest surviving pagoda (977 AD), hidden behind a bustling shopping mall. Climb its wooden stairs for skyline views blending ancient and modern.
Why Visit: Join monks ringing the 1,000-year-old bronze bell at dawn—a meditative ritual drowned out by the city’s daytime chaos.
Hidden Experiences
- Midnight Book Bazaar at Xiangyang Market (襄阳夜市 xiāng yáng yè shì): Hunt for vintage Mao-era posters, pirated literature, and Soviet-era cameras in this clandestine market (11pm–3am).
- Jing’an Temple Rooftop (静安寺屋顶 jìng ān sì wū dǐng): Few know you can ascend to the temple’s golden rooftop for surreal vistas of skyscrapers encircling sacred architecture.
- Qianyang Road’s Ghost Mansion (千阳路鬼宅 qiān yáng lù guǐ zhái): A derelict 1930s mansion rumored to be haunted, its overgrown garden a favorite backdrop for Gothic photoshoots.
