Yuyuan Old Street — Attraction in Shanghai

Surrounding the Yuyuan Garden is the bazaar, or known as the Old Town Bazaar. Peeping through the windows, it’s easy to be dazzled by Chinese silk and beautiful jade on display and in its own right, this is one of the best places to get them. As I wonder deeper through a maze of shops and alleys within the Old Town Bazaar, my mind is picturing them during the days of Imperial China. On the go, I’m mentally replacing the Starbucks with a traditional tea house. The Haagen-Dazs around the corner I’m replacing with a traditional Chinese restaurant with locals slurping down noodles instead of ice-cream. Some traditional things still remain, such as the named business signboard on top of the store entrance, lanterns hanging everywhere and shops serving hot food. This is a really interesting place to spend additional time to explore. Not many Chinese architecture survived today because early Chinese period building materials were chiefly wood until the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty, perhaps one of the most influential imperial rule of all China established many precedents. This include moving the capital to Beijing and establishing the Forbidden City. Plenty of China’s historical landmarks are derived during this period including a big part of the Great Wall as it exists today. It’s architectural influence impacted not just China but plenty of places in Asia as the Ming also had one of the largest naval fleet and commanded influence over much of East Asia. One of the great examples of Ming architecture can be found at the Yuyuan. Gabled roofs with symbolically decorated and...

Originally built in 1907, Yuyuan Old Street features many antique buildings with national features. It is more than 100 meters long. The street is line with a variety of shops, including Jewelry shops, boutique shops, local food restaurants, local specialties shops, and so on. At the street, you can enjoy the authentic steamed bun with crab roe soup stuffing with other popular local food.

The architecture and the layout of shops in Yuyuan Old 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. Red poles, pink walls and black roofs with upswept eaves are in harmony with the buildings in Yu Garden. The eastern end of Shanghai Old Street, with a length of 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) ends at Renmin Road and after reconstruction and decoration retains the residential characteristics of later Qing Dynasty. The swing doors reach to the ground, the lattice windows and the graceful roofs with upswept eaves are fascinating as they are precisely how foreigners imagine China to be. 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...

Yu Garden and Yuyuan Old Street are must-visit spots when you're in Shanghai. It’s very easy to get to, located close to the city center, and incredibly beautiful , especially when the lights are on at night.

The area is packed with photo-worthy corners, traditional Chinese-style architecture, and a recreated old temple vibe that's great for walking and exploring.

There’s also a wide variety of food stalls, souvenir shops, and cultural experiences available.

One thing to note , you’ll likely see people offering services like costume rental, makeup, and professional photo shoots around the area.

Be careful with these , while they might quote you 300–400 RMB upfront, the actual cost often ends up much higher.

My partner was quoted 398 RMB but ended up paying around 800 RMB due to extra edited photos and upselling after the shoot.

Worse, we experienced some unprofessional behavior from the staff , including mocking my Chinese pronunciation, despite them not speaking English themselves. That was disappointing, especially at a tourist-heavy location where basic respect should be standard.

On a positive note, we had amazing grilled meat inside Yuyuan Garden itself — better, in my opinion, than the famous giant xiaolongbao!

The staff at that restaurant were lovely, welcoming, and even entertaining with tourists. Highly recommend stopping by for...