DISTANCE: 2km (1.2 miles)
TIME: A half-day
START: Yu Yuan metro station
END: Confucius Temple
POINTS TO NOTE: Take the metro (line 10) to Yu Yuan station and leave by Exit 1, or take a taxi to Fuyou Road/Henan Road. Go on a weekday morning to avoid the worst of the crowds – particularly at Yu Garden. It’s a good route for children, but keep an eye on them among the crowds.
When the British arrived in Shanghai in 1842 they found a thriving walled city of perhaps 200,000 people, which had evolved from a small fishing settlement that had been established here for some 800 years. Earlier parts of today’s ‘Old City’ may be a theme-park version of Ming China, but there’s still some of the traditional town in the packed lanes, crowded markets and classical garden, making it a fascinating contrast to the ultra-modern glass-and-steel metropolis that surrounds it. Vast swathes of these old neighbourhoods are currently disappearing to make way for new developments – so get in quick!
Fuyou Road and around
Enter Fuyou Road from Henan Road. Your first hint that you’re in the Old City is a ramshackle row of 19th-century shops at 384–392 Fuyou Road – look up to see the original wooden window hinges on the second floor. Just ahead is the Fuyou Road Mosque 1 [map] (Fuyou Lu Qingzhensi; 378 Fuyou Road; daily 6am–7pm; free), established in 1853 by Muslim traders whose ancestors had been active in Chinese commerce for a millennium. The mosque has three main halls: the original core; the main prayer hall, built in 1897; and the Art Deco-influenced entrance building, erected in 1936. Shanghai’s first Islamic school was once located within the complex, and the Muslim Business Society, established in 1911, met here as well.
Back on Fuyou Road, head south on to Houjia Road and east on to Chen Xiangge Alley, where you’ll soon spot the bright mustard walls of the Chenxiangge Nunnery 2 [map] (Chenxiangge; 29 Chenxiangge Alley; daily 7am–5pm, 1st and 15th days of the lunar calendar 5.30am–4pm; charge). Filial son Pan Yunduan established this temple in 1600 in honour of his mother, some 30 years after creating Yu Garden for his father. Briefly a factory during the Cultural Revolution, the temple was restored in 1994. A new gilded Buddha and its 384 exquisitely sculpted luohan (Buddhist saints) are highlights, but the real stars are the nuns, whose chanting can be heard throughout the day.
Continue down Chenxiangge Alley, turn left and then re-enter Fuyou Road, heading east (to the right). Soon you’ll see the Fuyou Road Merchandise Mart (Fuyou Lu Shichang; daily 8am–5pm) and Fumin Street Smallware Market (Fumin Shang Sha; daily 8am–5pm). China is the world’s factory, and pretty much everything can be found here at discounted prices.
In the Temple of the City God
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Burning incense and praying
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publicaitons
Temple of the City God
Exit the shops and head south on Anren Street. It’s not uncommon to see Shanghainese out walking in these older neighbourhoods dressed in pyjamas. The lanes, and therefore the local neighbourhood, are considered to be an extension of their personal living space. At the Fangbang Road intersection, turn right and head for the Temple of the City God 3 [map] (Chenghuang Miao; 249 Central Fangbang Road; daily 8.30am–4.30pm; charge). Dedicated to the gods that protect Shanghai, this was historically the town hub. This is a post-Cultural Revolution restoration of the 1726 building, constructed in honour of the legendary general Huo Guang. Look out for the Taoist deities wearing what look like bowler hats.
Dragon Gate Mall
Exit the temple the way you entered, and head east (left) on Fangbang Road. Dragon Gate Mall on your right (168 Central Fangbang Road; daily 10am–9pm) is a sprawling vision of the ‘new Old City’, with H&M, Marks & Spencer and air-conditioned cafés. But we’re heading for the old Old City. Follow Fangbang Road for about a block, where it turns into a pedestrian lane lined with 19th-century buildings. Here you’ll find everything from lucky underwear shops to apothecaries, pickle specialists, rice wine purveyors, vendors with carts on the sidewalk shouting out bargains, loud music and lots of renao – Shanghai buzz.
For some authentic street food, turn right on to Sipailou Road, see 1, marked by a pailou (traditional Chinese archway) and lined with the city’s most delicious street food.
Ming-style bazaar
Head back to Fangbang Road and retrace your steps past the City God Temple to enter the atmospheric Yu Garden Bazaar 4 [map] (Yu Yuan Shangcheng; Central Fangbang Road, Entrance No. 6; daily 7am–late) on your right.
This bold, brash bazaar with new Ming-style buildings is a cacophony of shops, street performers, sedan-chair rides and people everywhere. Follow the signs to the Huxinting Teahouse 5 [map] (Huxinting Chashe; daily 7am–7pm), see 2, set on a lake and accessed by the zigzag Bridge of Nine Turnings (because evil spirits can’t turn corners). The teahouse is popularly believed to be the model for Willow Pattern plates, first created by Josiah Spode in 1790 during the heyday of the China trade and based on an original pattern called the Mandarin. The five-sided teahouse is surprisingly quiet: most people prefer to gaze from the outside. It’s a rare experience to sip delicate Chinese tea from a traditional Yixing teacup on the second floor, with views of the willow trees.
The Lantern Festival at Yu Garden
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Yu Garden
Complete your journey across the Bridge of Nine Turnings and buy a ticket for Yu Garden 6 [map] (Yu Yuan; opposite Huxinting Teahouse; daily 8.30am–5.30pm; charge). This lovely Jiangnan-style classical garden was built in 1577 by Ming official Pan Yunduan for his father in his old age (‘yu’ means peace and comfort).
The 2-hectare (5-acre) walled garden creates a microcosm of the universe and offers ingenious views, with its 30 pavilions connected by bridges and walkways crossing fishponds and rockeries. Highlights of the garden include the Grand Rockery (Dajiashan), a 2,000-tonne, 14m (46ft) sculpture of pale yellow rocks; and the Exquisite Jade Rock (Yu Ling Long).
The gardens’ exit brings you back to the main plaza. Near the Bridge of Nine Turnings, find the entrance to the legendary Nanxiang Dumplings (Nanxiang Xiaolongbao) (see page page 250).
Shanghai Old Street
Leave the bazaar the way you came and continue west on Central Fangbang Road, also known as Shanghai Old Street. The shops here sell Chinese-themed souvenirs: purple clay Yixing teapots, Chinese crafts, tea blends and Shanghai ‘calendar girl’ posters. Admire the collection of Old Shanghai memorabilia over an atmospheric cup of tea at the Old Shanghai Teahouse (Lao Shanghai Chaguan), see 3.
Continue west along Shanghai Old Street and then left (south) on Henan Road. Cross over busy Fuxing East Road to reach the Peach Orchard Mosque (Xiaotaoyuan Qingzhensi; 52 Xiaotaoyuan Road; daily 8am–7pm; free). This working mosque, with its distinctive green domes, was built in 1917 and renovated in 1925, but its mix of Middle Eastern, Chinese and Western architecture has a surprisingly contemporary feel.
Prayers for good exam results outside the Confucius Temple
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Statue at the Confucius Temple
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Huxinting Teahouse
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Confucius Temple
Continue south on Henan Road, then right on to bustling Wen Miao Road to the Confucius Temple 7 [map] (Wen Miao; 215 Wen Miao Road; daily 9am–4.30pm; charge), where anxious students and their parents pray for good exam results by inscribing their entreaties on red paper and hanging them near the temple entrance. First established in the 18th century, the current temple dates from 1855. Of note are the God of Literature Pavilion (Kui Xing) with its Chinese arched roof, and the Respecting Classics Tower (Zunjing Ta), a collection of Chinese classics that once served as the Kuomintang state library – and the headquarters for the Shanghai branch of the Small Swords Society during the Taiping Rebellion. A book market is held here on Sundays.
Food and Drink
1 Sipailou Road
Off Central Fangbang East Road, between Gangu Street and Zhonghua Road; daily 8am–9pm; $
Outdoor stalls and simple cafés line this street offering everything from hand-pulled noodles and dumplings to quail-egg omelettes, kebabs, tandoor bread and fruit. Come hungry so you can try a few things.
2 Huxinting Teahouse
Yuyuan Bazaar, opposite Yu Garden; tel: 6373 6950; daily 7am–7pm; $
A classic ‘Old China’ teahouse offering a variety of teas as well as snacks. Tables upstairs offer beautiful views of the treetops within Yu Garden. The tea is more expensive than elsewhere – but then again, few teahouses have this much history or atmosphere.
3 Old Shanghai Teahouse
385 Central Fangbang Road; tel: 5382 1202; daily 9am–6pm; $$
This is a nostalgic slice of old Shanghai. The owner’s Shanghai memorabilia is on display, and his qipao (cheongsam) collection is especially notable. The menu includes a wide range of teas and coffees.