The Shanghai Old City was the seat of power of ancient Shanghai and had a wall built around for defense. However, the wall was replaced with roads that still go around the old city area located in Nanshi district, now merged into Huangpu. As the area is a protected one, there are quite a lot of sights from the imperial times that can still be seen today.
With the Old City’s proximity to the Bund, there are a lot of public transport options. Metro line 10 will get travelers close to the Yu Gardens when they exit from gate 3 of Yu station. And getting off at Laoximen subway station on metro line 8 and 10 minutes of walking east will bring them within Old City limits. There is no entrance fee for getting into the city as well as any time restrictions. It’s an area that gets crowds at all hours because of the attractions, food and shopping.
Even though the whole place is a protected Historical Cultural Scenery Area and those with a good eye for architecture will glimpse pieces of work from Qing and Ming eras in nooks and crannies, there are some popular attractions that have preserved better than others. Top of the list is the Shanghai Old Street, an 800-meters plus stretch of antiquity, adjacent to Yu Gardens. Divided up into a West and East section, tourists can easily spend a couple of hours here immersed in ancient times.
With the entrance on both ends marked by classic Chinese style archways; the western end is supposed to be older with buildings dating from the 1300s to the 1900s (Ming & Qing eras). There are tea shops, antique sellers and curios and restaurants here. The Eastern section is more stylized from 1900s onwards to mid-1900s with fancy latticework windows and balconies and red pillars supporting swing doors. There is a sprinkling of western style simpler buildings as well emphasizing on the mixed cultural heritage of Shanghai. In the eastern section there are centuries old shops that are still going strong today like the De Shun restaurant, Tong Han Chun pharmacy to name a couple.
After getting a tea at the Chun Feng De Yi Lou teahouse (Yuanbao blend recommended!), tourists can move on to Yu Gardens which portray the classic oriental landscaping style with man-made bridges and pavilions with upturned eaves harmonizing wonderfully with the trimmings, trees and flowers. Nearby is the Xiao Tao Yuan Mosque, an active place of worship for Muslims where traditional halal food is provided on Fridays, the Islamic holy day. Going further is the City God Temple, a Taoist temple complex and another Buddhist temple nearby; providing a colorful assortment of religious activity existing peacefully in the metropolis of Shanghai.
Things worth buying in the old city are the specialty teas sold at markets and teahouses, herbal medicine and ointments at the age-old pharmacies and traditional dresses and other typical Chinese souvenirs that are the staple of such old towns everywhere.