Shanghai's 7 Most Beautiful Street: Locals' Guide

What if you don't want to visit the major attractions? Spend a leisurely afternoon on Shanghai's most beautiful street.

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Wukang Road is formerly known as "Route Ferguson". The phrase "go to Fukaisen Road" in the movie, “Lust, Caution” refers to Wukang Road.This road celebrates nearly a century of history in Shanghai, with 14 stunning historical buildings along its path. Behind almost every foreign building, is a story of a famous person.Those who have not visited Wukang Road would probably find it hard to experience the serenity and elegance of Shanghai's old streets.Pick a sunny day to go to Wukang Road to munch on a croissant and buy a bouquet of flowers at a flower shop around the corner. Walk along the streets and experience the historical charm of the former residences of the famous.

Anfu Road, formerly known as “Route Dupleix”, is located in the middle of Changshu Road and Wukang Road, the heart of Shanghai's French Concession.Literary and artistic establishments, cafés and trendy shops line Anfu Road today, creating an enchanting atmosphere, with the antique houses exuding historical significance.From the cute bakery on the street corner to the low-key designer shop in the alley, it is fun to walk into a café or a nice restaurant, or even watch a play.Anfu Road contains a rich Shanghai sentiment, inviting you to take a leisurely stroll and to examine the sights.

Sinan Road, formerly known as Massenet Rue, is a well-known French-style road.A clean, romantic, one-way street, where the mansions on both sides of the street are almost all Old Shanghai-style ones. Whether they are styled after the English, French or Spanish mansions, they depict a living tale of urban history.Today's Sinan Road not only preserves “Zhougongguan” to commemorate Zhou Enlai, it also maintains the former residences of Sun Yat-sen and his wife Song Qingling, and the "Mei Mansion” of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. It has also preserved the Sinangongguan, which has been converted into a hotel and café restaurant, describing the history and years of old Shanghai.

Tian’ai Road, a 526-meter small road, is known as “Shanghai's most romantic road”.From the name of the road, which means sweet love in Chinese, to the love mailbox and the love declarations of countless lovers on the wall, the road exudes a sweet and loving atmosphere.There is also a legend that says if you walk hand-in-hand with your loved one here, your love would last forever.There are 28 famous Chinese and foreign love poems written on both sides of Tian’ai Road, commonly known as the “Wall of Love”.At the intersection of Tian’ai Road, there is a special love mailbox, from which every letter sent is stamped with a “LOVE” stamp, allowing lovers to convey love in a different manner.

Named after the famous garden, Yu Garden (Yuyuan) at Changde Road, Yuyuan Road is an old street lined with private bungalows that emerged in Shanghai in the 1920s.In the decade after the end of the First World War, many garden mansions and new style residential houses were built along Yuyuan Road.Besides the many outstanding historical buildings, Yuyuan Road is also home to a large number of small shops that are characteristic of different shops in the world.You might just pass by a Taiwanese ice dessert shop on Yuyuan Road, and the next shop is likely to be a Western dessert shop, and a step further will lead you to a residence of a famous historical person.

Duolun Road is a 500-meter-long "L" street next to Lu Xun Park.The streets are filled with little vintage buildings and sculptures of characters made with red or green bricks, creating an ideal location for walks and photo shoots.Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo and many other literary and artistic magnates once resided here, and you can feel strong cultural vibes with the many art galleries along the streets.There are also many quiet cafes and small private collection galleries on Duolun Road, such as the Chopstick Museum (191 Duolun Road), the Nanjing Bell Museum (193 Duolun Road) and the Wenfengqi Stone Collection Gallery (189 Duolun Road). There are also other collection houses including bookplate galleries, newspaper collection galleries, ancient ceramics collection gallery and Yuanbao Building.

Shaoxing Road, formerly known as “Route Victor Emmanuel III”, is somewhat mysterious compared with the bustling Huaihai Road and Shaanxi South Road nearby.For nearly a century, the small Shaoxing Road has been home to several famous publishers in Shanghai, and it exudes a rich literary atmosphere.Shaoxing Road has its own unique charm, and it is home to many leading publishers, magazines, and famous bookstores.Old China Hand Reading Room is also a signature spot of Shaoxing Road. The famous Hong Kong celebrity, Leslie Cheung, once spent an afternoon here on the eve of his concert.

Xinhua Road, formerly known as “Avenue Amherest”, is one of Shanghai's most quiet roads. It has towering trees on both sides of the road, which scatter sunlight through their sparse leaves.Xinhua Road is very serene and almost entirely residential, with many exotic gardens and bungalows.Xinhua Road is also known as the "Myriad Nations Lane" because it is full of exotic foreign architectural structures.Lane 211 and 329 are 70-year-old residential areas for foreigners. There are more than a dozen garden mansions here, all of entirely different styles.At number 36, Lane 329, the “Cake House” was designed by Master Wudak. It has a blue roof, making the house look like it was lifted straight out from a fairy tale.