Old Shanghai, 8 Amazing Historic Places in China’s Megacity

The modern city skyline, luxury shopping malls, and high-rise apartment buildings might have you believe that Shanghai is lacking in history. The city has amazing modern structures and architecture, and continues to develop at a rapid pace. Regardless of its development many of Shanghai’s historic sights, landmarks, and old towns are still very much intact. Some of these aspects of old Shanghai have been restored and others remain the same as they were long ago. These are parts of history that still stand in the metropolis. These 10 amazing historic places will help discover where the old Shanghai still exists.

Zhujiajiao

Zhujiajiao is a picturesque ancient town situated upon canals south of the Yangtze River. The town is said to be hundreds of years old, and although many of the buildings are restored, it still keeps its historic charm. Zhujiajiao is often described as a water town with canals and traditional historic bridges. The most significant of these is the Fangsheng Bridge which offer scenic river views. Zhujijiao has many restaurants and shops which sell traditional Chinese foods, arts and crafts, and souvenirs.

A boat trip through the ancient town’s canal is worth the visit In itself, this is truly a special experience. The trip is fairly cheap if you share the journey with others, and it offers spectacular riverside views from a traditional-style boat in an ancient town. Views of traditional Chinese architecture like this are unmatched throughout Shanghai.

*Zhujiajiao ancient town riverside restaurants at night*

The night scenes of lit-up restaurants along the river are beautiful and it is surely worth sticking around until the evening for this. The town’s endless winding streets, traditional Chinese houses, great shops, and boat trips make it one of the best places in Shanghai to experience traditional Chinese culture and history.

Laoximen

Laoximen is a historic district within close proximity to the city center. This has made it a prime target for modern housing developments and shopping malls. Nonetheless, Laoximen still manages to hang onto many of its traditional houses and buildings. The streets in this area are an excellent example of old Shanghai. In Laoximen You will see many older Shanghai residents on bikes and small local restaurants with cheap food.

Laoximen is not known for an particular sight or museum, but instead, it offers you an actual insight into traditional Shanghai lifestyles and gives you a chance to see how the city used to be. Make sure you visit Laoximen before its transformation into the Shanghai megacity is complete.

The Bund

The Bund is a special area along the Huangpu River in Shanghai. It is the city’s most famous site. The historic riverside stretches over 1.5km along the Huangpu river. Look out from the riverside and the bund will offer you a view like no other, the Shanghai skyline of the Pudong Financial District. This is possibly the most incredible skyline on earth.

Remember don’t let the bright lights of the Pudong Skyline distract you as The Bund’s main feature is actually the British Colonial and Western architecture which still remains intact from Shanghai’s Colonial past. The colonial architecture is particularly beautiful at night when the buildings are lit up and glow a golden yellowish colour against the blue of the night sky.

The Old Shanghai Post Office along The Bund Riverside area — *View of the Old Shanghai Post Office, a colonial building along The Bund riverside area*

There are many significant historic buildings along The Bund. One of my favorites of these buildings is the Old Shanghai Post Office. It’s easy to be dazzled by the bright lights of the Pudong Skyline but don’t forget to take a good look at the beautiful old buildings along this riverside area. Be sure to walk up and down The Bund as the Colonial Architecture is spread out in the area and it is just as much a sight to behold as Shanghai’s modern architecture.

The Former French Concession

The Former French concession also displays Shanghais’ colonial past. It has been synonymous with foreigners in Shanghai for many years. The French colonization dates back to 1849 and ended in 1943. The history of this area has made it immensely popular for all foreigners living in Shanghai and for many who have visited. Foreign ex-pats living in Shanghai mostly still choose to live in this area amongst all other districts.

The French Concession is an unmissable place, the traditional buildings range from houses to cool new bars or trendy restaurants. This area is fairly large and consists of Xuhui, Huahai Road, Luwan, and even the famous Xintiandi and Tianzi Fang areas. So exploring the French Concession to completion make take you a while, but it is definitely worth the time it takes to visit all these historic areas.

Xintiandi

Xintiandi is a popular luxury shopping area in the French Concession district. The area is famed for its Shikumen architecture. The Shikumen style of architecture first came about in the 1860s and it blends elements of Western and Chinese architecture together. The streets of Xintiandi are full of luxury shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Xintiandi is known by locals and tourists as a luxury shopping area, and it certainly caters to that crowd. You’ll find all the top brands here and the cafes and restaurants are quite pricey compared to other areas in Shanghai. That shouldn’t put you off though as there are plenty of other aspects of the area to appreciate like the traditional architecture and its narrow alleys.

Although Xintiandi is known for its nightlife and shopping, I found it to be just as awesome for its cultural and historic charm. Xintiandi is one of the best places to see old Shanghai utilized in a modern-day environment.

Tianzifang

Tianzifang is a cool arts and crafts area that represents old Shanghai, or at least how tourists like to see it. This area is also part of the French Concession and is likewise located in the Luwan District. Tianzifang consists of mostly renovated old buildings, with arts and crafts shops, market stalls, food vendors, and bars all within its crowded small streets.

Tianzifang does have a certain charm to it beyond its obvious touristic elements. It is like a modern bustling version of old Shanghai with lots of tourists. Nonetheless this is a really cool place to shop for souvenirs, eat some tasty street food and see old-style buildings while doing so. I really enjoy Tianzifang, but it does have a time and place as it is very busy you shouldn’t go there expecting a well-preserved and quiet historic area. It is more of a blend of traditional buildings shops and generally cool stuff.

Yuyuan Garden

Originally built in the Ming Dynasty around 1559 the Yuyuan Garden is an amazing example of old Shanghai in the city centre area. Yu Garden was renovated in 1784 and It seems like parts of the Yuyuan Garden continue to be restored even today. Although you can notice that Yuyuan Garden has been renovated, the restorations are very well done and the beautiful garden maintains its traditional Chinese atmosphere.

The Huxinting Teahouse is a traditional Chinese teahouse overlooking the pond of Yuyuan Garden. The architecture of this teahouse is truly amazing and many tourists come to photograph the Huxinting teahouse. The teahouse is a beautiful place to experience Chinese tea culture and it is one of the most famous attractions of the Yuyuan Garden area.

*A traditional Chinese style street in the Yuyuan Garden area of Shanghai*

Shopping at Yuyuan Garden fits the theme of the area and the shops here sell many traditional Chinese arts and crafts. Even the food is traditional here, with all kinds of Chinese street food being sold. The Yuyuan Garden area is a nice place to shop, get some tasty street food, and pick up some memories of old Shanghai.

Jing An Temple

Jing An Temple can be traced all the way back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and is one the most iconic pieces of history when we consider old Shanghai. Although much of the temple has undergone restoration, the Buddhist temple atmosphere remains well preserved.

Shanghai’s most famous temple is situated on the Nanjing West Road. The Tickets for Jing An Temple are fairly cheap, I paid 50 RMB and it was well worth the price of admission. From the outside, the temple looks like a shiny new temple with very little to offer in terms of interest. However, when you enter Jing An the tranquil interior will quickly change your mind. The incense burning and the quiet serene interior along with the beautiful traditional Chinese architecture made this one of my favourite Buddhist temples second only to Fo Guang Shan in Kaohsiung.

The area outside the temple has a small market selling traditional Chinese arts and crafts, and the surrounding streets have a load of nice restaurants. The Jing An Temple area is filled with culture and it’s definitely a great place to stay if you’re visiting Shanghai. Much of this bustling nearby environment is owed to this iconic temple as it is the most significant landmark and attraction within the area.

The old historic side of Shanghai is still thriving in some areas but it’s all about knowing where to look. This guide to old Shanghai will help you find some of these sights and areas, just remember don’t stop looking for cool historic places as you can easily find fragments of old Shanghai in many other spots around the city. Although Shanghai’s traditional areas aren’t as obvious as Taipei’s old streets it is still just as much a historic place as it is modern and futuristic and seeing these spots can really be an amazing trip to the past.