Begin at Laoximen metro station
(exit 7) – as per the name, this was
once the western gate of the old city.
Head to Confucius Temple (215
Wenmiao Lu, 15RMB). Sunday is a
great day to visit this tranquil spot,
when there’s an excellent local
secondhand book market (1RMB
entry).
Lunch around the corner
at Zhejiang restaurant
Kong Yi Ji
(36 Xuegong Lu). Most notably, they
make their own
huangjiu and sell it
in plastic bottles out of a take-away
window.
At the far east end of
Wenmiao Lu is a great chance to dive into some of Shanghai’s narrowest
residential lanes. Jump into any
and explore.
The intersection
of Penglai Lu and Ninghe Lu sees
the start of the Ninghe Lu market,
an open wet market that’s always
full of action, packed with locals
and a great place to pick up some
traditional snacks.
Pass by the
former residence of Ming Dynasty
scholar-bureaucrat and important
Shanghai figure Xu Guangqi, a
humble house marked with by a
plaque at 234 Qiaojia Lu.
A grand
gateway at 113 Qiaojia Lu marks the
entrance to Catalpa Garden, once
the finest residence in this part of
town. Head into the lane to see a European-style villa (not open to
the public) where, in 1922, artist
Wang Yiting lived and hosted a
dinner for Albert Einstein.
The
walk finishes at
Xiaonanmen
metro station. A concrete-clad
structure sits opposite exit 2 on
Zhonghua Lu. Built in the early
20th century and said to have
been inspired by the Eiffel Tower,
this was an observation tower
for fire prevention. Other similar
structures existed in Shanghai,
but only this one remains.
