Zhangyuan Alleyways

Zhangyuan Alleyways

Zhangyuan is also a must-visit spot in Shanghai, where the charm of the old city is fully on display, hiding the most authentic, down-to-earth side of the city.

Heading south from the intersection of West Nanjing Road and Taixing Road, amidst the bustling commercial area, you’ll see rows of Shikumen houses, wide alleys, red and gray bricks, and rows of hanging laundry — all exuding a strong old-Shanghai vibe. This is today’s “Zhang Family Garden.”

Built in 1882, “Zhang Family Garden” was the largest public gathering space in Shanghai for over 20 years after it opened. Once a private garden, it evolved into a hub and political center, and today, besides being residential, it has also become a popular filming location for movies and TV dramas.

Since the 1980s, Zhangyuan has frequently appeared in directors’ lenses. Now, follow along these works to stroll through the alleys of Zhangyuan.

The 1982 film Shooting for Him by Shanghai Film Studio was the first to be shot here, and the early 1980s marked the peak period for filming in Zhangyuan.

In 1990, Episode 10 of the TV series Fortress Besieged directed by Huang Shuqin was filmed in Ruyi Lane in Zhangyuan. The newlyweds Fang Hongjian (played by Chen Daoming) and Sun Roujia (played by Lü Liping) came here to visit their in-laws, and after leaving, there's an extended scene of the two walking through the alleyways of Zhangyuan.

In 1995, the film Shadows of the Evening directed by Chen Yifei was shot here. The male protagonist, journalist Xu (played by Tony Leung Ka-fai), walks through the lively Chunyang Lane in Zhangyuan in the morning, passes various food stalls, buys breakfast, and then hurries to work at the newspaper office.

In 1996, in the TV series Women Walking Through Winter starring Pan Hong, a balcony scene was filmed on two balconies near Lane 72. In the show, painter Gu Ling (played by Xiao Rongsheng) jumps from the opposite balcony into the room of unemployed woman A’zhen (played by Pan Hong) to express his affection for her.

The 2010 film Reunion, directed by Wang Quan’an, had all its interior scenes shot in Courtyard No. 41 of Zhangyuan. It starred Linqifeng and Lu Yan as an elderly couple, telling a highly oriental family story. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

Some idol dramas have also been filmed here, such as Old House Has Joy starring Zhao Wei and Alec Su, and Midnight Sun starring Wallace Chung. In 2010, the Japanese drama Moon Lovers starring Lin Chi-ling also filmed part of its opening scene here. In the show, the girl played by Lin Chi-ling, who is left penniless after a family tragedy and thrown out by her stepmother, cries on the street in Zhangyuan’s main alleyway before unexpectedly meeting the male lead played by Takuya Kimura.

Address: Lane 590, Weihai Road

Transportation: Line 13, Nanjing West Road Station