Shanghai Old Street

Shanghai Old Street

Shanghai Old Street is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

A guided tour through Shanghai Old Street takes you back to the bustling markets of 100 years ago. This uniquely styled commercial and tourism street within the Yu Garden business and tourism area combines sightseeing, shopping, leisure, entertainment, and cultural displays. Historically known as Miaoqian Street, it once gathered some of Shanghai’s earliest money shops, gold stores, silverware shops, taverns, teahouses, theaters, and merchant firms, serving as a key pedestrian corridor connecting Shiliupu (Little East Gate) with the City God Temple and Yu Garden areas. Its prime location and the humanistic landscape along the street have endowed it with rich commercial and cultural heritage. Originally named Fangbang Middle Road, Shanghai Old Street stretches 825 meters from Henan South Road in the west to Renmin Road in the east. The architectural styles and business layouts from west to east showcase the historical and cultural evolution of old Shanghai from the Ming and Qing dynasties, through the Republic of China era, to the period of increasing Western cultural influence. The street’s commercial operations are dominated by traditional specialty trades, highlighting folk culture and creating a vibrant Shanghainese cultural atmosphere. Divided into eastern and western sections by Guanyi Street, the eastern part has been refurbished and preserved to reflect the residential features of the late Qing and early Republican periods. Traditional elements such as lattice windows, sliding doors, Fan-style railings, and floor-length swing doors have been restored, complemented by upturned eaves, decorative water spouts, and horse-head walls on the rooftops. The western section features facades modeled after Ming and Qing architecture, highlighting the folk customs of old Shanghai's walled city.

Shanghai Old Street revives century-old businesses such as Tonghan Chun, Lao Tongseng, Wu Liangcai, Wan You Quan, Qiu Tian Bao, Old Shanghai Teahouse, Deshun Restaurant, Chunfeng Tea House, Xishi Tofu Shop, Dingniangzi Cloth Store, Rongshun Restaurant, and Boyintang. It also hosts newly established traditional-style shops like Danfeng Teahouse and the Hall of Famous Doctors. Together with the adjacent “Star Street” to the north, it presents a vivid “Along the River During the Qingming Festival”-style panorama of old Shanghai’s commerce, travel industries, and everyday life.

Time Needed

3 hours

Transportation

Buses: Routes 11, 926, 920, etc.

Admission

Free

Opening Hours

All day

Location

No. 416, Fangbang Middle Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai