Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ambience. With its strip of dive bars it's raucous at night but by day it's very
civilized, with walled villas and plenty of restaurants. Some excellent examples
of Palladian and Art Deco architecture survive in the private residences here
and in nearby Changle Lu.
South on Xiangyang Bei Lu, the
Russian Orthodox Mission Church
,
unmistakeable with its proud blue dome, is more evidence of the area's strong
Russian connection. It's been used as a washing machine factory, a disco and a
teahouse, but today it's empty. You can poke around outside but the interior is
not open to the public. Nearby
Xiangyang Park
is busy with old folk playing
cards. There aren't many parks in the Old French Concession so this one is
much appreciated.
That building site just over Huaihai Zhong Lu was the famous Xiangyang
Market, a huge mall of stores selling fakes, and you'll likely see tourists with guide-
books older than this one walking around looking bewildered. Put them right -
point them towards the new fake market at 580 Nanjing Xi Lu (see p.82).
Along Fenyang Lu
Head south off busy Huaihai Zhong Lu and you quickly enter much quieter
territory. Just past the refined Conservatory of Music, the
Arts and Crafts
Museum
(daily 8.30am-4.30pm; ¥8) at 79 Fenyang Lu is housed in a charming
Neoclassical building which in the 1950s was the residence of Shanghai's mayor.
It's worth a poke about as there are some lavish pieces, though many display
more craftsmanship than taste; it's all a bit fussily over-refined. T There's plenty of
embroidery, snuff bottles, kites, fans and paper cuts on display, and more for sale
in the gift shop.
The
Taiyuan Villa
, a five-minute walk south of here at 160 Taiyuan Lu, is
now an exclusive hotel (see p.109) with the look of a French château and an
illustrious past; the American General Marshall, who arbitrated between Mao
and Chiang Kaishek, lived here from 1945 to 1949, and it was one of Madame
Mao's many residences. Even if you are not staying here you are free to wander
the peaceful grounds.
West of Changshu Lu
West of Changshu Lu metro station you really get a good idea of what the
French Concession is all about. Many of the villas here have been converted to
embassy properties (the more sensitive are guarded by soldiers with fixed
bayonets) and there are also plenty of upmarket, expat-oriented restaurants, a
fair few beauty salons and oddly, not that many shops. It's more the place to soak
up atmosphere on a sunny day than to take in sights.
Art Scene China and the Propaganda Poster
Centre
Fuxing Xi Lu is a discreetly charming street, typical of the area, with a winning
combination of artsiness, idiosyncratic low-rise buildings and coffee stops.
Art
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