Shanghai: The Former French Concession (ongoing)

[giallo]

Nanchang Rd. is a place I'm very familiar with. It's my "local" street. My apartment sits on the mighty Huaihai Rd. with Nanchang Rd bordering to the south. Nanchang is very different from Huaihai in almost every way. Huaihai Rd. is wide with massive office towers, malls, global retail and hotels lining it - a commercial powerhouse that attracts thousands upon thousands of shoppers, workers and tourists daily. Nanchang Rd, on the other hand, can be easily missed. A street of independent retailers that occupy old, colonial houses and mansions. Deep alleyways split off to the north and south. Within these narrow corridors are where a good chunk of the local Shangahainese and foreign population rest their heads. Nanchang Rd has always felt very local to me. The Shanghainese dialect rings out from the stoops and windows that line the street. It's only 4-5 blocks long, and you can walk the length in about 20-25 minutes, but within that short space, you'll really get a sense of what Shanghai is to the people that grew up here.


We start from the west walking east. This is as big city as Nanchang Rd gets. The ICC complex, which borders Huaihai, Shaanxi, Nanchang and Xiangyang roads, pictured below is home to two office towers, a service apartment, the iAPM Mall and access to three subway lines. For someone like me, it's a very convenient structure that still looks very out of place along Nanchang Rd. The ICC development replaced a fake outdoor market. Besides some cheap deals on goods of questionable quality, nothing of significance was lost.

The beginning of Nanchang Rd from the west

fc 282 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



The ICC complex on the left

fc 281 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



And some local restaurants to the right.

fc 283 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



These photos were taken around lunch time on a weekday

fc 284 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 285 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 286 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



An entrance to the mall and subway

fc 287 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



A quick look inside the mall. As per usual with these new malls, there are a lot of good restaurants in here, and a decent supermarket.

fc 288 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 289 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 290 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



The corner of Nanchang Rd and Shaanxi Rd (which we've already toured)

fc 291 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



Entering the quieter and more residential side of Nanchang Rd

fc 292 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 293 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 294 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



A great coffee shop

fc 295 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 296 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 297 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 298 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 299 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



The corner of Maoming Rd and Nanchang Rd

fc 300 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



One of my good friends has an apartment in this alley. I have a decent amount of friends within walking distance, actually.

fc 301 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 302 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 303 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 304 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 305 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 306 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 308 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 307 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 309 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



One of Shanghai's oldest "international" bars. In Shanghai's wilder days, this was a place were you could roll and smoke your own weed openly.

fc 310 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 311 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



My humble abode is somewhere in this picture

fc 312 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



The corner of Ruijin Rd and Nanchang Rd

fc 313 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 314 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 315 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 316 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



Another great coffee shop I go to

fc 317 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 318 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 319 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 320 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



There are so many different styles along Nanchang Rd

fc 321 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 322 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 323 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



One of the only high-rises along the street

fc 324 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



Moving through Sinan Rd

fc 325 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 326 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 327 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 328 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 329 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 330 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



This was a French orphanage back in the 1930s. Today, it seems to be mostly used for wedding or conferences. They do make a good martini.

fc 331 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 332 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



fc 333 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



This used to be one of my favourite restaurants in Shanghai. It's was a Chongqing-style spicy fish hotpot. Ridiculously delicious. I miss it.

fc 334 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



The corner of Nanyang Rd and Nanchang Rd. Huaihai Rd is rearing its head in the background

fc 335 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



Looking down Nanyang Rd

fc 336 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



Nearing the end of road

fc 337 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr



A small park at the end of Nanchang Rd - an elevated expressway cuts it off from the other side. Next time, we'll take a look at what's on the other side of that expressway.

fc 338 by Andrew Rochfort, on Flickr