The French Concession’s colonial influences are still widely felt, particularly in its airy, tree-lined streets dotted with bistros, cafes and Tudor mansions.Haley Steinberg/The Globe and Mail
Shanghai is a city of paradoxes, and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the former French Concession.
The area isn’t so much a neighbourhood, as I had initially thought, as a series of them. Until I looked more closely at a map, I couldn’t understand why my partner, who lived in Shanghai in the mid-to-late 2010s, was so insistent that I plan out my route. Couldn’t I just wander aimlessly, like I usually do? Yes, you can, but if you want to see the sites, some planning is in order, I was told.
I was also lucky to have the guidance of my partner’s friend Bheki, who has lived in China for a decade and who I met for dinner. Over a revelatory spread of Hunan chili fish and dry-fried green beans, he let me pick his brain Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown-style about Westerners’ misconceptions of China (there are many) and what I should see in the French Concession.
Earlier on my trip, I had visited the Shanghai History Museum in People’s Park to learn more about the area’s history. In the 1840s, after the First Opium War, several foreign nations established concessions in China through what are known as the unequal treaties.
The French Concession – on a narrow slip of land in Shanghai, west of the Huangpu River – was settled in 1849. The area expanded over time and remained French territory until 1943, when France gave up its Chinese concessions during the Second World War. The area’s colonial influences are still widely felt, particularly in its airy, tree-lined streets dotted with bistros, cafés and Tudor mansions.
The French Concession isn’t so much a neighbourhood, as Haley Steinberg had initially thought, as a series of them.Haley Steinberg/The Globe and Mail
To that end, the most striking aspect of the area is its architecture. French Renaissance buildings – the most famous being Wukang Mansion, a 1920s apartment building designed by László Hudec – stand amid Art Deco icons and traditional shikumen residences, a distinctly Shanghainese housing style that merges Western and Chinese design. Alleyways, courtyards and gardens jut off and in between streets, revealing lush greenery and slices of local life. Bheki encouraged me to wander freely.
With Fuxing Park as my starting point and Wukang Mansion as my destination, I set out toward my first stop: the Sinan Mansions. (I relied on Apple Maps since it doesn’t require a VPN in China.) Fuxing Park, a classic French-style garden where older Shanghai residents congregate to dance, do tai chi and play cards, is a few minutes’ walk from the historic Sinan Road, but feels miles away.
Sinan’s 1920s- and 30s-built villas, blending neoclassical, Art Deco and Tudor architecture, are tucked away in a quiet, leafy enclave that made me feel like I had been transported to another place and time. I had the impression, as I often had in Shanghai, of a city within a city within a city. The buildings once housed French dignitaries, and later, members of China’s political elite, such as premier Zhou Enlai.
Wukang Mansion, located at the southern end of Wukang Road, marked the western boundary of Steinberg’s route.Haley Steinberg/The Globe and Mail
Nearby Nanchang and Yongkang roads will give visitors a good sense of a typical street in the French Concession. Eclectic Nanchang is a wholly unique blend of old and new world. The Nanchang Building (previously called the Astrid Apartments) is a 1933 Jazz-Age marvel with decorative arches and an ornamental spire.
Amidst the area’s historical architecture are trendy tea houses and cafés such as Metal Hands, a coffee shop famous for its “dirty” pistachio latte (a creamy concoction with crumbled pistachios). The concession is also a mecca for vintage and thrift shopping. At Swing Vintage on Yongkang Road, I discovered a small treasure trove of Issey Miyake pieces.
Shanghai Neighbourhood tour. For TravelHaley Steinberg/The Globe and Mail
Along the way, I wandered into Dayin Bookstore, a cozy nook that stocks titles on Chinese history and culture alongside popular Western novels. There, I picked up a volume on architect Wang Shu from Tongji University Press’s delightful book series on Shanghai history and culture. Bibliophiles may also want to check out the nearby 1984 Bookstore, a library-meets-cafe with a tranquil outdoor patio and a tasteful mix of English and Chinese titles.
Wukang Mansion, located at the southern end of Wukang Road, marked the western boundary of my route. After gawking at the impressive building with a bevy of other tourists, I turned onto one of the most historically significant streets in the concession. Wukang Road is wider and less dense than some of the area’s other streets, giving it a sense of grandeur. It’s lined with dozens of protected heritage buildings, such as the former residence of writer Ba Jin. Scenes from Ang Lee’s 2007 film Lust, Caution were also filmed here.
I continued on to the charming Anfu Road, a consumer’s paradise of trendy local and international retail. Then, I took the subway back to Fuxing Park for a crucial final stop: a bowl of the famed, Michelin-endorsed sesame noodles at Wei Xiang Zhai.
The close-quartered, one-room eatery often has a wait and I shared a tiny booth with three other diners – one kindly flagged down a staff member to take my order receipt after noticing I was still cluelessly holding onto it. Though we kept to ourselves, there was something pleasant and comforting about the wordless communal experience.
Wei Xiang Zhai is famous for their Michelin-endorsed sesame noodles.Haley Steinberg/The Globe and Mail
I couldn’t go back to my hotel without heading west of the French Concession to see the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre. This delightfully idiosyncratic museum showcases the personal archive of local collector Yang Pei-Ming, who has been amassing propaganda memorabilia since the nineties. A selection of Yang’s 7,000-plus posters, many from China’s Cultural Revolution period, occupies the seventh floor of a nondescript office tower on Yan’an Road.
English explanations provide a colourful and surprisingly robust crash course in China’s cultural history. Some of the most memorable were anti-war and anti-U.S. imperialism posters that vividly illustrated multicultural crowds protesting the war in Vietnam, fighting against racial discrimination and promoting Palestinian independence. Perhaps the most surprising part of it all was how relevant many of the posters still felt.
I probably clocked close to 30,000 steps that day, but I could have used the city’s extensive and easy-to-use public transit system. I’m glad I walked. Exploring the French Concession was a fulfilling way to spend a day, offering an abundance of culture, contradiction and contrast. I had needed a reminder that the world is big and endlessly surprising, and I got it in spades.
