DISTANCE: 5km (3 miles)
START: Hongkou Stadium metro station
END: Zhoushan Road market
POINTS TO NOTE: Take the subway to Hongkou Stadium stop or catch a taxi to Lu Xun Park to reach the starting point. The first half of this route is good for literary types, while the second half is ideal for those interested in history. There is a real dearth of decent restaurants and cafés on this route; convenience stores and street food are your best options while you’re out and about.
Just across the Suzhou Creek from the Bund, 1930s Hongkou was central enough for the International Settlement to establish its support systems here – prisons, post offices, waterworks and warehouses – but far enough away for the Japanese to establish a Jewish refugee zone and for a literary revolution to ferment. This route offers a fascinating walk through fast-disappearing neighbourhoods that are laden with history.
League of Left Wing Writers Museum
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
In Lu Xun Memorial Hall
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
A sketch of Lu Xun
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Lu Xun Memorials
Lu Xun is regarded as the father of modern Chinese literature, whose insistence on using the language of the common man in literature and railing against social injustice earned him wide respect. He lived in Hongkou from 1926 until his death in 1936 and is buried in Lu Xun Park 1 [map] (Luxun Gongyuan; 146 Jiangwen Road; daily 6am–6pm; free), a bustling urban park that is the centrepiece of Lu Xun territory.
Follow the signs to the tomb, where a bronze seated figure of Lu Xun welcomes visitors. His importance is signified by the inscription on his grave – penned by Mao Zedong. The trees on either side were planted by Zhou Enlai and the author’s widow.
Lu Xun Memorial Hall 2 [map] (Lu Xun Jinianguan; daily 9am–4pm; free) is a large modern hall at the eastern end of the park whose exhibitions include a replica of his study, newspaper articles and photos from the period, and translations of works by and about him.
In Lu Xun Park
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Historic entrance gate on Duolun Road
Dreamstime
Playing Chinese chess outside a calligraphy store
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
On Duolun Road
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Literary leanings
From Lu Xun Park, it’s a short walk south to the Duolun Road Cultural Celebrities Street 3 [map] (Duolun Lu Wenhua Jie), a 550m (1,804ft) L-shaped pedestrian street where Lu Xun and other literary figures lived and socialised at the teahouses and bookstores. Designated a ‘cultural street’ by the government, the street is dotted with significant structures, interspersed with galleries, cafes, antique stores and bronze statues of famous former residents. Look out for the Great Virtue Christian Church (Hong De Tang), built in 1928 with upturned Chinese eaves and red columns; the Xi Shi Zhong Lou bell tower; and a lavish Moorish-style house at the end of Duolun Road built by Spanish architect Lafuente, which was the home of financier HH Kung.
Also on Duolun Road is the League of Left Wing Writers Museum 4 [map] (Zhongguo Zuolian Jinianguan; No. 2 Lane 201 Duolun Road; daily 9.30am–4pm; free). Founded in 1930 by a group of writers, including Lu Xun, its goal was ‘struggling for proletarian liberation’ through writing. Located in the former Chinese Arts University where it was founded, the museum showcases the league’s works and an exhibition on the lives of the martyred writers who were executed by the Kuomintang during the Communist witch hunts in 1927.
From Duolun Road, it’s a short walk northeast to Lu Xun’s Former Residence 5 [map] (Lu Xun Guju; No. 9, Lane 132 Shanyin Road), a plain red-brick house where he lived from 1933 until his death from tuberculosis in 1936. The small, simply furnished house is in keeping with Lu Xun’s character, left as it was when he lived here. A clock displays the exact time Lu Xun died: 5.25am, 19 October 1936.
Little Vienna
Now take a taxi to Huoshan Park (Huoshan Gongyuan; 118 Huoshan Road; daily 6am–6pm; free) to begin an exploration of the area where some 20,000 Jewish refugees were sequestered by order of the Japanese Army during World War II. Shanghai’s Jewish presence dates back to the 19th century, when Sephardic Jewish families made the city their home, followed by Ashkenazi Jews from Russia in the early 20th century. They arrived via the trans-Siberian rail line and formed a sizeable community. The last group of Jewish immigrants to arrive were German, Austrian and Polish refugees, fleeing persecution in Europe. Unfortunately, their arrival coincided with that of the Japanese. In Huoshan Park, a plaque commemorates the district as the ‘designated area for stateless refugees between 1937 and 1941’. Just opposite on Huoshan Road, at No. 119 and No. 121, are the former offices of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which raised money to help relocate Jewish refugees, including the Shanghai Jews. The ‘Joint’ still operates today (www.jdc.org).
Much of this historic district within the Hongkou Redevelopment Zone has been destroyed, but a few throwbacks remain. One block west at 57 Huoshan Road you’ll find the Art Deco Broadway Theatre, where not only movies but also Yiddish plays were presented and Jewish musicians would play at the rooftop garden. Turn back and take a left on Zhoushan Road to soak up the bustling street life in this overcrowded neighbourhood – conditions are not too different from when the Jews were crammed in with the Chinese residents so that the Japanese could keep an eye on them. This was the area dubbed ‘Little Vienna’, where European refugees established meagre cafés, delicatessens and grocery stores during the war.
A left on Changyang Road brings you to the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue, now the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum 6 [map] (Youtairen Zai Shanghai Jinianguan; 62 Changyang Road; daily 9am–5pm; charge). Founded in 1927 by mostly Russian Ashkenazi Jews, the former synagogue was renovated in 2007. The museum tells the story of the Jewish people who fled Europe to escape Nazi persecution and ended up in Shanghai. On the second floor, former residents share their Shanghai stories on video, and two exhibition halls document the story. There’s also a digital database of former Jewish residents for those tracing their roots.
Tilanqiao Prison and Xiahai Temple
Continuing east along Changyang Road, it’s just a few steps to the entrance of Tilanqiao Prison, on the north side of the street, first built in 1903 by the Shanghai Municipal Government and still in use today (for more information, click here). Do not, under any circumstances, take photos – the guards will at the very least stop you, and possibly detain you.
On the south side of Changyang Road, directly opposite the prison at No. 138, is the former Ward Road Heim, a shelter set up for Jewish refugees after 1939. It’s now an apartment complex, but it’s possible to go in and imagine the conditions of the 2,500 refugees who lived here by 1939.
From Zhoushan Road one block north, turn left (west) on Kunming Road. About halfway down the block you’ll find the vibrant yellow walls and Chinese roof of Xiahai Temple 7 [map] (Xiahai Si; 73 Kunming Road; daily 7am–4pm, charge). Xiahai (‘beneath the sea’) is dedicated to the sea goddess, and was traditionally where fishermen would come to pray for safe returns and good catches. Enter to see the beautiful wooden carving and statuary and experience this very local temple.
Exit the temple on Kunming Road, turn right on to Tangshan Road and at the intersection with Zhoushan Road, go north on Zhoushan until you reach the lively street market. This is one of the city’s last surviving street markets, with mountains of fruit, vegetables, poultry, fish and street food – a real adventure. It’s crowded, so watch your belongings and keep travel companions close.
From here, retrace your steps to Huoshan Road, from where it’s a short walk to the Ocean Hotel for the Revolving 28 restaurant, see 1.
Tilanqiao Prison was constructed in 1903 by the Shanghai Municipal Government as the Ward Road Jail. With 3,000 cells, it was the largest prison in the Far East, earning the nickname ‘Alcatraz of the Orient’. Today, it is said to be China’s largest prison. Tilanqiao has six prison blocks, including one for juveniles, a hospital, workshops, an administration block, a kitchen and laundry block, and an execution chamber. First administered by and for foreigners under the Shanghai Municipal Council, it was used by the Japanese when they occupied China, Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government after that, and, since 1949, the People’s Republic of China. Tilanqiao has housed prisoners of war, American Navy personnel, priests, Chinese dissidents and European civilians. Despite the urban renewal all around it, Tilanqiao remains a solid presence in the area, which suggests that it will remain Shanghai’s main lock-up for some time to come.
1933
Built in 1933, the former Shanghai Abattoir, now simply called 1933 (10 Shajing Road; www.1933shanghai.com) became Asia’s most prolific slaughterhouse – not to mention an era-defining example of industrial design. Behind a palatial stone façade punctured with geometrical art deco lines, squares and portholes, the impressive conical interiors feature criss-crossing sloped concrete bridges brilliantly designed for the mass transportation of cattle, capped by a central dome. After ceasing slaughter operations, it was converted into a medicine factory in 1970, then restored and reopened in 2007 as a ‘creative lifestyle hub’. Although the shops and restaurants that occupy its varied spaces are a mixed bag, it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area to witness this fine piece of historic industrial art.
A short ride away, towards the riverfront, luxury cruise ships now dock at the Shanghai Port International Terminal in Hongkou’s historic dock area, which is being transformed into a high-end enclave of hotels, shops, restaurants and offices. A pretty landscaped park traces the waterfront affording lovely views and tranquil rest stops.
If hunger calls, you’re within strolling distance of Hyatt on the Bund’s excellent Chinese restaurant Xindalu, see 2, or dazzling rooftop bar, Vue, with a glamorous outdoor Jacuzzi and sweeping views down the river encompassing Pudong and the Bund.
Food and Drink
1 Revolving 28
Ocean Hotel, 1171 Dong Da Ming Road, 27/F; tel: 6545 8888; daily 11am–11pm; $$
Shanghai’s first revolving restaurant is perfectly poised over the old Jewish ghetto for a great view. The Chinese menu includes specialities such as bird’s nest and abalone, as well as a range of Shanghainese dishes and dim sum.
2 Xindalu
Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Road; tel: 6393 1234 ext 6318; www.shanghai.bund.hyatt.com; daily 11.30am–2:30pm, 5.30pm–10.30pm; $$$
One of Shanghai’s finest Chinese restaurants, Xindalu serves regional favourites from four bustling open kitchens. Be sure to try the Peking duck and beggar’s chicken, plus the excellent dim sum selection.