an old business street
Shanghai Old Street is an old business street that has a combination of tourist attractions, shops, entertainment and cultural exhibits. It owes its special social attractions and rich commercial background to the fact that the earliest bank, gold shop, jeweler's store, wine shop and tea house of the city were all to be found here.
The architecture and the layout of the shops in this street show its development that began during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) until the period when European influence made an impact on the city. The western part of this old street begins at South Henan Road and continues to Guanyi Street. The buildings here reflect the style of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and the architecture is elegant in its classic simplicity. The eastern end of the street, with a length of 500 meters ends at Renmin Road and after reconstruction and decoration retains the residential characteristics of later Qing Dynasty. Although there are several European buildings, they don't contradict the styles of old Shanghai. On the contrary, they are a vital part of the diverse culture here.
Shops purveying handicraft articles, paintings, calligraphies and jewelry are well-appointed and give you plenty of variety from which to choose what you want. On the eastern part, old shops such as the Tong Han Chun Pharmacy, Lao Tong Sheng Food Store, Wu Liang Cai Glass Shop, De Shun restaurant, take you back to the Shanghai of 100 years ago. In the Chun Feng De Yi Lou teahouse, you can enjoy Yuanbao Tea served with two olives in it. On weekends, the Pingtan (Suzhou Ballads) are performed here too. In the Old Tea House, the owner has on display a collection of fifty cheongsams, traditionally styled ladies dresses, dating from the 1930s. By contrast at the western end of the street is where items of folk culture may be bought. The antique shops, embroidery houses and wonderful fabric shops symbolize the commercial prosperity of the area.
Transportation:
Take Subway Line 8, Bus 930, and get off at Laoximen Station.
Take Subway Line 10, and get off at Yuyuan Station.
Take Bus 736, 920 and get off at Laoximen or Xinbeimen.
Take Bus 801 and get off at Xinximen.
