China Guide
Shanghai
The former French Concession
Shanghai might be changing furiously but one thing always stay the same: the nineteenth-century French Concession is its most charming area. More than anywhere else in the city, it has retained its historic feel; when people call Shanghai the Paris of the East, this is the area they're thinking of. The former French Concession is predominantly low-rise, and lined with glorious old mansions, many of which have become restaurants, boutiques, embassies and galleries. The district invites leisurely strolling: certain French characteristics have lingered, in the local chic and in a taste for bread and sweet cakes, and in the many old plane trees providing shade.
Upmarket Huaihai Zhong Lu is the main street running through the heart of the area. The most interesting streets are the quieter ones leading off it. To the south you'll find the Xintiandi development, a zone of rebuilt traditional houses (shikumen, housing that even critics of its yuppie ambience admit has great architectural charm. Heading west from here, there are plenty of former residences and boutiques to poke around.