Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
THE OLD CHINESE CITY
A walk through old China - and Shanghai's 21st-century interpret-
ation of old China - takes you past the area's ancient temples,
brash bazaars and air-conditioned malls, before finding some inner
peace in the classical surroundings of Yu Garden.
DISTANCE:
2km (1.2 miles)
TIME:
A half-day
START:
Yu Yuan metro station
END:
Confucius Temple
POINTS TO NOTE:
Take the metro (line 10) to Yu Yuan station and
leave by Exit 1, or take a taxi to Fuyou Road/Henan Road. Go on a
weekday morning to avoid the worst of the crowds - particularly at Yu
Garden. It's a good route for children, but keep an eye on them
among the crowds.
When the British arrived in Shanghai in 1842 they found a thriving walled city of perhaps
200,000 people, which had evolved from a small fishing settlement that had been established
here for some 800 years. Earlier parts of today's 'Old City' may be a theme-park version of
Ming China, but there's still some of the traditional town in the packed lanes, crowded markets
and classical garden, making it a fascinating contrast to the ultra-modern glass-and-steel met-
ropolis that surrounds it. Vast swathes of these old neighbourhoods are currently disappearing
to make way for new developments - so get in quick!
FUYOU ROAD AND AROUND
Enter Fuyou Road from Henan Road. Your first hint that you're in the Old City is a ramshackle
row of 19th-century shops at 384-392 Fuyou Road - look up to see the original wooden win-
