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Foreign concession in China (1849–1943)
Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The French Concession is the area of Shanghai that the French government administered from 1849 until 1946. The tree-lined avenues and the many fine old houses in the area still retain an air of the "Paris of the East". In particular, the many wrought iron fences and stair railings will look familiar to anyone who knows Paris or Montreal.
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复兴路
Walk along Fuxing Rd to see classical old buildings and much boutique shopping. The Shanghai Music Conservatory is near Fuxing Road. Some blocks west of Shaanxi Road here and there are a number of shops specialising in musical instruments, especially orchestral stringed instruments, and several shops for classical or jazz recordings.
复兴公园; Fùxīnggōngyuán
This European-style park formerly known as French Park has gardens, open spaces and restaurants and clubs dotted throughout. Early in the morning, the park is filled with dancers (some Chinese styles, but mainly Western ballroom) players of various games (cards, mahjong, Chinese chess and Go), Tai Chi artists, and singing groups.
大韩民国临时政府旧址/대한민국 임시정부 상해 유적지
In 1919, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Korean independence activists in Shanghai established the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. This building served as the provisional government's main headquarters from 1926 to 1932. The site is now owned and preserved as a museum by South Korea. Everything is explained in Chinese and Korean, and there's nothing in English.
上海工艺美术博物馆
Inside of this renaissance building you can see ivory, jade and wood carvings, art on textiles, paper cutting, and folk crafts as well as artisans at work.
东方乐器博物馆
A museum run by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It has a collection of around 800 musical instruments from over 40 countries. Visitors are required to make a booking on the museum’s WeChat account before visiting the museum.
上海杨培明宣传画收藏艺术馆
This private collection is one of the most relevant and uncensored exhibits available to visitors interested in a glimpse of the politics and art of Mao-era China. Posters, memorabilia, photos, and even "大字报" (dazibao: big character posters) can be found in rotating exhibition. Due to the controversial nature of the historical items stored here, the museum is quite difficult to find, and unlabeled from the outside. Well worth the hunt, the museum boasts a wide array of art and political relics from 20th-century China.
One of the secret gems on Hengshan Road is a lane open to the public. It includes 'Colca Peru Spanish Restaurant', other Western food and drinks, a temporary art & fashion market along the zig-zagged lane, and the 'Yongjia Road 690 exhibition hall'. The lane goes from behind exit 4 of Hengshan Road station (line ), and exits at no. 690, Yongjia Road.
If you are on a low budget or you want to have some free fun, buy some cheap drinks in a grocery and go up by elevator to the 6th floor of the 61-floor K11 skyscraper. Then you turn right and right again, to find one of the two sky gardens (the other one is left and left), with empty tables and chairs and a nice view on the city. Best timing for this secret place is at evening with your partner and ideally full moon. The gardens exist for holding some special Saturday parties from time to time, and most of the time it's just free to visit.
Wukang Building
A protected historic apartment building in French Renaissance style completed in 1924 that has been the residence of many celebrities.
The building where the Communist Party of China (CPC) had their first national meeting in 1921.
This was the Shanghai Office of the Communist Party from June 1946. It is now a museum telling the story of the Communist revolution in China and particularly Shanghai. See #Sinan Mansions above.
Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhong Shan in Mandarin) was the first leader of the Republic of China after the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. He is one of the very few political figures regarded favorably by the current governments of both China and Taiwan. He lived mainly in Nanjing, the capital at the time, but also had this house in Shanghai. It was converted into a museum in 1961.
上海宋庆龄故居
Soong Ching-ling was Sun Yat-sen's wife and a significant political figure in her own right.
Like her father, brothers and sisters, she went to an American university (Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia), spoke excellent English, and was deeply involved in Kuomintang politics prior to the Kuomintang defeat in 1949. She negotiated Chiang Kai Shek's release when he was locked up during the Xi'an Incident. Unlike her siblings (a sister married Chiang Kai Shek, and both all three brothers and the other sister's husband were high-ranking officials in his government), she remained in mainland China and worked with Mao's government after 1949. Much state business took place at the residence.
Today the house is a museum with many artifacts and photos. The grounds are very well maintained and there's a garage with a few formerly state-used cars as well. Gift shop.
A large road junction with Xujiahui metro station (lines , and ) underneath it.
SJTU or "Jiaoda"
This is one of China's top technical schools. The new main campus is in Minhang, but the original campus in the French Concession is still used; it now does mainly continuing education courses such as Chinese-for-foreigners or MBA-for-executives
The park was built around the tomb of Xu Guangqi, a prominent scholar and China's most notable Catholic convert, after whom the Xujiahui area and the Xuhui district are ultimately named. The tomb, restored according to its original set-up, is a curious combination of a large Christian cross as the grave marker, with a traditional Chinese "spirit way" lined with stone animals. The park features a lake, a bridge, a carved stone gate and statues. Another free entrance attraction in the park is the Xu Guangqi Memorial Hall in the southwest corner, a traditional house that showcases the scholar's activity and inventions and a vintage puzzle game. Another statue of the scholar is nearby, at metro exit 1.
The area was under renovation in 2018, but the cathedral is open. Don't wear slippers or anything that resembles it, they are strict on decent outfit rules.
On the location of a former brick factory now stands the Xujiahui Park, which contains a man-made meandering brook (modelling in miniature the course of the Huangpu River), a lake with two black swans, basketball courts, and a children's playground.
The Red House, which once housed the Pathé China record company, is at the edge of Xujiahui Park.
Small, free museum exhibition at Shanghai Xujiahui station between exits 5 and 7. The exhibits are changed several times a year and sometimes English explanations are included. The history or tradition-related items are brought from nearby museums.
Shanghai Film Group
Starting from 1896, Shanghai has had a prominent role in Chinese movie making. German architect Tilman Thürmer transformed a film studio into an exciting experience of film evolution through over 70 interactive installations and thousands of historic exhibits. The museum contains 4 main exhibition units (floors) and an art cinema. (A very small free permanent exhibition can be seen in Shanghai Indoor Stadium metro station's concourse paid area above metro line 1: Portraits of Shanghai movie actors and Chinese description.)
One of the city's less-visited temples for foreign visitors, but an important one and one of the most popular for Shanghai residents during religious festivals. It is one of the largest ancient Buddhist temples in Shanghai. The first temple was built in 247 CE, but it was destroyed and rebuilt under the Song dynasty, 977 CE, and several times since then. It is a temple of the Ch'an sect of Buddhism, better known in the West by the Japanese name Zen. Longhua Pagoda, in front of the temple, is from the 10th century and one of the oldest standing buildings in the city.
Longhua Temple's old garden and orchard has now been converted into this large green space. Very few people are buried here, so it's more of a memorial garden and museum but the acreage is beautiful and large, akin to Luxun Park. The temple grounds became a "cemetery" because, during the civil war, Koumintang troops executed Communists on these grounds and the cemetery, poetry, fountains, steles, and sculptures commemorate those who were shot. The cemetery is an interesting example of Socialist Realist landscaping, but the peach blossoms - for which the temple's garden were famous - are still there, and attract many visitors when they flower in Spring.
Dragon Art Museum West Bund Branch, 龙美术馆西岸馆
The West Bund branch of the private art museum established by the wealthy collectors Liu Yiqian and his wife Wang Wei. The museum also has branches in Pudong District and the western city of Chongqing. Groups of 26 people or more are required to make a reservation at least 2 days before their visit.
上海西岸艺术中心
Fees and opening times vary. See individual listings below.
西岸美术馆与蓬皮杜中心
上海摄影艺术中心
余德耀美术馆
油罐艺术中心
Another art museum.
上海植物园
Covering 81.86 hectares, the garden has a diverse collection of Chinese plants. Its sections are the penjing (bonsai) garden, penjing museum, tropicarium, magnolia, peony, bamboo and conifer gardens.
桂林公园
A relatively small park with traditional Chinese gates, curved paths and pavilions. Good park for a walk if you happen to be nearby, but for genuine historical gardens you can consider travelling to Suzhou.
larger and more modern than Guilin Park
The Shanghai Normal University Xuhui Campus lies on both sides of Guilin Road, not far from Guilin Park. The east side features a lake and the west side is also pleasant for a walk.
中国“慰安妇”历史博物馆
A museum about the women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during the Second World War.
Has a 108-metre (354 ft) Ferris wheel with, on a clear day, a fine view over the city.
A beautifully appointed modern restaurant where everything is vegetarian. You will not find much in the way of fake meat that pervades most of the other vegetarian places. Instead, you will enjoy beautifully cooked dishes from all over the country in addition to a juice bar.
Ridiculously popular for their cheap stylized Sichuan food, in a young and fashionable environment. The waits for a table are notorious.
Food court with many different restaurants. Most do not accept cash, though the restaurants that have their own separate seating area take both cash and cards, so you will have to add money to and put down a deposit for a stored-value card specific to the other Foodrepublics. You can see plastic models of all the dishes before you order them, so you will have a decent idea of what you are getting. Copious MSG (avoidable depending on what you're after; the CoCo Ichibanya Japanese curry place is safe in this regard) but mostly tasty and moderately priced.
阿大葱油饼
This humble stall moved here from another part of the French Concession. It sells hot cong you bing, and is a Shanghai establishment. Owner Wu Gencheng has been selling his creations for over 30 years. Queues can be notoriously long (up to 3 hours), and they frequently run out before closing time, so come early.
Coffee bar and restaurant good for lunch stops.
Japanese style coffee house with very good tasting coffee and very nice Hokkaido Cheese Cake.
Good Mexican food, beer and cocktails. They have another location in Pudong.
滴水洞
Fiery cuisine from Hunan, the birthplace of Mao Zedong, thus a menu full of "Mao's Shrimp", "Mao's Chicken" and such. Very popular with foreigners.
Excellent wine bar specializing in Argentinean and South African wines. Food is fairly basic with cheese and meat plates and salads, but the wine is outstanding.
海老亀; Hǎilǎogūi
Cafe specialising in sweet Chinese desserts claimed to have all sorts of beneficial effects for your health, particularly dishes made with turtle. No English menu.
Serving Cantonese food in pleasant surroundings. The veranda-like space near to Secret Garden has been home to a succession of restaurants, the latest incarnation being a Greek restaurant.
A famous chain of three restaurants known for Shanghai flair with some Western accents. Known for their spare ribs, smoked fish and fatty pork with garlic.
维吾尔餐厅
Claims to be the "original" Xinjiang cuisine restaurant in the city, and probably the best-known. The typical main dishes are moderately spicy preparations of lamb, but the menu also features some rather adventurous items like camel feet, sheep's eyeballs, and a bull's you-know-what. Also music and dance shows with the obligatory audience participation.
An English style restaurant that does familiar (for westerners) style brunch. Rather expensive, but the food tastes pretty close to what you would get in a good restaurant in England. Coffee shop and a good bakery on the ground floor (half price on many items after 21:00), a disco-ish bar on the next floor, then a grill restaurant, and finally a rooftop barbeque. Nearby metro stops: go north along Wulumuqi for Line 10, Shanghai Library, north on Hengshan Road (a short block east) for Lines 1 or 7, Changshu Road, or south on Hengshan for the Hengshan Road Line 1 stop.
Sun Moon Light Center
A huge mall finished in 2017, hosting mostly elite and highly decorated restaurants, Will's Fitness and a cinema. The building features a panoramic elevator, an inner yard, and neon signs that resemble old shopping streets.
Very competent Italian fare.
Neighborhood French Restaurant. Unpretentious and you can close your eyes and imagine you are on the Ile de la Cite.
Excellent and flavorful Western and fusion food accented by a fine wine list. The stunning view from the balcony is at its best in the spring and fall.
A sophisticated Italian restaurant and wine bar.
European-style food in a lovely old mansion. Large patio area.
Japanese design restaurant with stunning features. Serving traditional and fusion cuisine.
Good American food including some Tex-Mex dishes. The biscuits are disappointing, the mint juleps just fine.
Great little cocktail bar; the entrance is at the back of the bar.
Boxing Cat Brewery (Yongfu Lu)
This popular bar & restaurant provides pub grub & a decent selection of beers, including house beers. It also has an outdoor area that's popular.
A craft cocktail bar from the same people as Sichuan Citizen. Lots of choices with a particular focus on bourbon.
A friendly bar, run by Jenny in its present location since 2000. A wide choice of drinks, good music and sports coverage mean that it is popular both with expats and with visitors. Look out for the two cats that make themselves at home behind the bar, frequently sleeping on top of the television or the display units.
Mainly an expat bar, in an area with several others. Dartboard, chess on Sundays, reasonable food and a range of drinks, a Filipino band. Cheap Tiger in happy hour, 11:00-20:00.
Shanghai Brewery (Donghu Lu)
A brew pub with western food, big-screen TVs and English-speaking staff.
Popular French bar & restaurant in the sprawling Found 158 complex. Complete with French comfort food.
Busy brewpub with a wide selection of beers. The pub places an emphasis on good quality Chinese beers but also has an impressive selection from the US & elsewhere. Serves food too.
This craft beer bar & restaurant in the upmarket Xintiandi bar and dining complex is a popular choice for expats and tourists. It's just south of the fountain in Xintiandi.
The hotel is close to well-known places such as Xujiahui and Zhaojiabang Rd. All rooms are air-conditioned and have their own private bathroom. Services include 24-hour front desk and room services, and free shuttle bus is offered to guests who want to explore the rest of the district.
上海蓝山国际青年旅舍
On the street just outside you will find several restaurants, small supermarkets, and fruitshops. The staff is helpful and speaks good English.
上海宾馆
If you took a bus to Shanghai South Station, this is a decent hotel within walking distance, you have to go through the underpass. have massage in your room if you want. It is very far South of the French Concession: two subway stops or CN¥30 taxi from Xujiahui.
Offers guestrooms equipped with air-conditioning, cable television (with lots of English channels), and an IDD phone. It is a must-try to dine in at their very own Maple Leaves Restaurant, that serves Shanghainese and Cantonese cuisines all day. It is in a beautiful, sleepy Concession neighborhood, down the road from the popular bar Cotton's, and close to subway lines 1, 7 and 9. The hotel is used for many special occasions such as weddings in its gardens.
A 5-star hotel, is also not far away, you may take Metro Line 1 for one stop and get off at Shanghai Stadium, the hotel is close to the metro station. It is not in the French Concession, but one stop or CN¥20 by taxi away.
Offers 454 air-conditioned guestrooms, all of which have high-speed Internet, TV, mini-bar, and room safe. Some of its amenities include fitness center/gym, sauna, and an indoor pool. Restaurants include the CTC Restaurant that is known for its shark's fin, abalone, and other upscale Chinese delicacies; Shanghai Restaurant that serves authentic Shanghai dishes during lunch and dinner; and Yuliu Restaurant that serves Korean fare. It is in Xujiahui but several blocks south of the actual former Concession.
Four-star business hotel with 148 guestrooms. Business and event facilities include a business center and event and conference venues of varying sizes. Leisure offerings include indoor swimming pool, disco and karaoke center. It is just south of the French Concession.
All rooms equipped with air-conditioning, cable TV and internet connection. Some of its facilities and services are Swimming pool, sauna, massage service, room service, bar, cafe, Meeting facilities and business center.
Four-star hotel with 383 rooms with LCD TV, Japanese-style bathtub, refrigerator, and high-speed Internet access. Conference rooms, banquet hall and business center available. It is to the far southwest of the French Concession.
上海徐汇盛捷服务公寓
Each of the 167 residences at Somerset Xu Hui is furnished with fully-equipped kitchens, home entertainment system and broadband Internet access.
Four-stars. Outside the hotel are nearby tourist spots such as Shanghai Museum, People’s Square, and Yu Garden. Their guestrooms are equipped with air conditioning, a 25-inch cable TV, and electronic door locks. Some of their offered facilities includes an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, and function and business rooms. It is halfway between Shanghai Stadium and Xujiahui Metro Station.
Andaz are Hyatt's boutique hotels; this is the first one in Asia.
上海雅诗阁淮海路服务公寓
The serviced residence is in the Luwan District near Xintiandi. It studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchen, washing machine, home entertainment system and modern furnishings.
5-star business hotel nowhere near Shanghai’s central business district. It has 218 rooms, fully-equipped banquet halls, and dining and recreational facilities. It is next to the South Railway Station and CN¥30 taxi away from Xujiahui.
Housed in a stunning piece of 1936 architecture. Rooms are frequently booked out so be sure to try to get one of the main rooms which contain wood panelling or business rooms that are much larger and come with a huge balcony that overlooks the garden.
A classic Art Deco-inspired hotel in the heart of French Concession. The hotel offers 254 rooms and dining and leisure facilities. Business amenities include a fully-equipped business center and venues such as Kaixuan Palace and Blossom Hall.
previously Hilton Shanghai
While still popular with business travelers for its recognizable name, the Hilton Shanghai has lost some of its luster, although it's still considered a top end hotel in this area. Rooms are spacious and modern, and the staff are friendly, but the Hilton needs to step up its game.
Offers 434 luxurious rooms, all of which have individually controlled air-conditioning, mini-bar, TV with cable channels, DVD player, and refrigerator. Some of its amenities include fitness center, beauty salon, spa, sauna, and massage service.
Five-star hotel on Changle Road.
Offers 3-bedroom residences with engaging views, either over the alleyways of the Xintiandi quarter or a tranquil lake. All apartments are equipped with air-conditioning, cable TV, fully equipped kitchen, and Internet connection. Some of its amenities include a home theater system, sauna and steam rooms, and a fully equipped gymnasium.
This boutique hotel is cozy and comfortable and great for quiet nights sleep. All rooms have internet access and there's a 2nd-floor lounge, a rooftop beer garden, a variety of restaurants and a Starbucks on the ground floor.
5-star hotel built around the former French Club and its garden from 1926. Many art-deco decorations from that time are still visible in the hotel, especially in the Ball Room. Very central location along Huai Hai Road, with good accessibility and a subway stop (South Shaanxi Road, Line 1) next to the hotel grounds.
With only a dozen rooms, it's advisable to book ahead to secure one of these charming rooms, furnished in traditional Chinese style. All rooms have internet access and breakfast, which is included, is served in an outdoor courtyard.
A five star business hotel. Air-conditioned rooms, conference halls, restaurant and bar, gym and sauna. Easily accessible from S Shanxi Rd Stn and Nanjing Rd.
上海瑞金洲际酒店
Villa-style hotel with picturesque surroundings. All of the 5 villas are designed in French style, some harking back to the start of the 20th century. The main building is particularly nice with a grand colonial vista. The hotel sits in a park-like compound with small bridges, ponds, pavilions and marble fountains.
It is 5 km from the railway station. It offers 20 air-conditioned rooms with cable TV, free broadband Internet access, a private toilet, and a room safe.
The hotel impresses the most with its sheer size - over 50 floors, crowned by a gargantuan canopy, make it a visible landmark from much of southern Shanghai. The smallest rooms in the hotel are almost 50 m² in size. On the inside, it is getting quite long in the tooth and gradual renovations slowly bring it in line with more modern Pullmans, but all of the features you'd expect of one are here, including a swimming pool, spa, gym, and health club. The upper room categories come with access to a generous Executive Lounge.
Luxury hotel right next to the Xintiandi old town.
A house, mixed with Chinese and European style. Established in 1933, this three story complex was once the home of the Jewish wine merchant H.L. Menken.
A 1930s building filled with restaurants and boutique shops.
Good selection of Chinese travel guides, aromatic coffee, and flavorful ice cream. Their monthly bric-a-brac sales are a popular local social event.
Cultural Revolution nostalgia. Prices are stiff enough that buying here is recommended only if cheaper places do not have what you want.
A row of shops along Chang Le Lu, between Mao Ming Lu and Shan Xi Nan Lu specializes in silk Qi Paos (traditional Shanghai-style silk dresses), which can be made to measure. The shops are especially popular with Japanese visitors staying at the nearby Okura Garden Hotel. An alternative destination for qipao in Shanghai is along North Shaanxi Road, near the junction with West Nanjing Road, where the most famous qipao workshops of Shanghai are located, including Long Feng. There are also some other qipao stores on Maoming Road, near Huaihai Road.
Designer ceramics by Chinese artists but with a Japanese flavor, in a stylish minimalist space.
Has Tibetan and Chinese carpets and Tibetan furniture in a contemporary gallery.
Second location for this shop.
This upscale mall houses big-name boutiques, restaurants and cafes. It features an atrium famous for its large-scale decoration exhibits during (Chinese and western) holidays.
The largest antique market in the city, and the cheapest provided you bargain hard.
Metro line runs through the area. along Huaihai and Hengshan Roads. Stations along Huaihai Road are S. Huangpi Road, S. Shaanxi Road, which is fairly central, and Changshu Road.
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