
Photo by Algridas Bakas
Residents and retailers find a home in Jing'an, a business district in central Shanghai.
By Nell McShane Wulfhart
Mar 29, 2019
From the May/June 2019 issue
Photo by Algridas Bakas
In Shanghai’s Old City, find a vibrant mix of modern and ancient.
Beneath the cutting-edge surface of Shanghai lies a trove of fascinating history. As the city turns to that past to inform its future, a local weighs in on the hotspots across his hometown.
In Shanghai, a restaurant open for 10 years is considered old, and a house that’s been standing for 30 is practically a landmark. “Everything here is fast,” says Wayne Zheng, director of guest experience at the Middle House, a sleek boutique hotel that opened in April 2018. Zheng was born in Shanghai and has seen changes come fast and furious. But as the city hustles forward, the latest change is about looking back.
For years, the trend in hospitality was toward large, glitzy restaurants, bars, and brands from abroad. Along the lively, neon-lit strip of Huangpu River waterfront known as the Bund, you could partake in an English-style afternoon tea and dance all night at North American–inspired nightclubs. The opening of a hotel such as the Middle House, in the central Jing’an district, signifies a shift to a more focused, locally sourced kind of creativity. “People are looking for small places, newly open, that have unique features, or some specialty,” Zheng explains. “They are looking for relaxation after work, gathering for something more intimate and also more engaging. It’s not about fancy foods or a fancy environment anymore; they’re seeking a place for small talk and more privacy.”
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That trend is showing up in the structure of the city itself. “Ten years ago, the city kept building up stuff—higher buildings, wider roads,” Zheng says. “Now that’s changing. In neighborhoods like Longhua, they’re not tearing up every single thing that’s old and replacing it. They keep the old essence as a part of the new, so some of the history and culture is still there.”
Here are Zheng’s favorite neighborhoods for discovering Shanghai’s marvelous mix.
Yongkang Road/Jing’an DistrictGriffin Coffee
“If you don’t know where to look, you’ll miss this café. It’s a small place tucked between bigger buildings. I love the coffee and the industrial design—there are huge mountain bikes and tool kits hanging on the wall. My favorite is the Americano. I go on my day off, and if it’s a sunny day, I sit by the window drinking my coffee.”
Ferguson Lane
“Walking in is like visiting someone’s old-timey villa, which is what it used to be: Diplomats and governors stayed here [in the 1920s]. Later, the villa was divided into apartments, so you might have ten people living there at the same time, sharing one kitchen and one toilet. Now it’s full of fancy restaurants and bars like Franck Bistro, a French restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining areas. The owners kept the old Shanghai style—red brick walls, the tile roof on the top of the building, the old-fashioned wooden door in the entrance. I love the environment, the history of the building. It’s something special.”
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Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre
“When I was a child, we still really admired Chairman Mao. There were a lot of paintings saying that Chairman Mao is the greatest person in history. Those are the kind of old propaganda posters they show here. The center also has old advertisements, and content about old, harsher times in China, about our dark history and the Cultural Revolution. I think it’s something unique.”
This formerly walled-in part of the city is where Shanghai commerce began. The first bank, teahouse, and jewelry store opened here nearly 700 years ago. It’s also where Zheng lived when he was a child, back when the neighborhood was known as Nanshi. “I can still remember how all the neighbors used to light up the coal stoves to cook their dinner in the alley at the same time,” Zheng says. The city has preserved most of the original architecture—even the pagoda-style tile and intricate stonework of the entrance gates—and outdoor spaces, including the Yu Garden built during the Ming dynasty.
Deda Coffee
“This is a really famous Chinese brand that serves Western food like borscht and fried pork chops. Years ago, for a local to go to this restaurant meant either that they were rich or had really good taste. People went there to show off. Now it’s full of old Shanghainese guys. They wear suits and watches from famous Chinese brands, and they typically go to these kinds of restaurants with their families for coffee. It’s nostalgic.”
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Yu Garden
“There are a lot of gardens in Shanghai. Yu Garden is one of the most famous old gardens. Built in the Ming dynasty, it’s more than the size of three football fields. We have a tradition that, during the Chinese New Year, we pay a visit to Yu Garden and walk across the Zigzag Bridge. The bridge has nine turns that you have to follow, because it means fortune, luck, and health for all the family members.”
Despite the modern look, the neighborhood has retained evidence of its past as a port. From the riverfront path, you can see the remnants of an old shipbuilding factory. “Everything is mixed here: new museums, old factories, and a temple that’s even older,” Zheng says.
Yuz Museum
“This used to be a hangar where airplanes were stored during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The museum shows contemporary art by local and international artists like Qin Yifeng and Joshua Nathanson. It’s owned by a Chinese Indonesian collector who wants to show art in this unusual setting. I think he’s trying to build a culture, to help Chinese people to see more art. Part of the purpose of visiting this museum is to see how the building looked in the old days. It’s a contradiction, with the modern art inside.”
Longhua Temple
“With giant halls and a pagoda, the Longhua Temple is a well-preserved example of imperial Chinese architecture. Some people believe that climbing the tower means their career is going to advance very quickly. It’s one of the local cultural traditions. If you climb the tower, you’re going to get a better salary, you’re going to get promoted.”
>>Next: Vanguard 2017: Glen Fu and Zoey Zuo, Founders of 54Traveler
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