Revisiting ‘Old’ Shanghai in Early Spring 2023

Duration: 3 days, Time: February, Companions: Spouse, Activities: Food exploration, free travel, boutique experience, weekend trip. Published on 2023-03-22 21:16. […]

Duration: 3 days, Time: February, Companions: Spouse, Activities: Food exploration, free travel, boutique experience, weekend trip. Published on 2023-03-22 21:16.

Shanghai, the city where my father was born and raised, has always been marked as my place of origin, even though I was not born there. As a child, I accompanied my parents to Shanghai to visit relatives, friends, and explore the city. The Bund, the International Hotel, and the City God Temple were my childhood impressions of Shanghai.

As an adult, my visits to Shanghai were mostly for business trips, brief and without much exploration. I always wished to revisit those old places in Shanghai that I remembered. Finally, at the end of February, I went to Shanghai with my family to relive my childhood memories.

After some research and preparation, we booked a room at the Quanjing Hotel, which is conveniently located near Nanjing West Road Pedestrian Street, not far from People’s Square and the Bund. It is best not to drive in the urban area of Shanghai; hailing a taxi and waiting for traffic lights can take a long time, and public transportation is the most convenient.

After checking into the hotel, which is very close to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, we hurried there. Nanjing Road has become newer and more modern. The streets have been replaced with polished bricks, and numerous modern buildings have emerged along the sides. The tall, three-dimensional light advertisements seem to indicate the grandeur of Shanghai, but there are not many pedestrians. Eventually, among a row of beautiful buildings, we found the old First Department Store, Shanghai Fashion Store, and Shanghai First Food Store. The buildings I once looked up to in my childhood are now inconspicuous among the new skyscrapers.

Nanjing Road is brightly lit but not crowded, and the Bund is a must-visit spot for tourists. At night, the Bund is even more beautiful with its dazzling lights, showcasing the style of an international metropolis.

Shanghai’s pan-fried buns have always been famous and were a childhood delicacy I longed for. They were also a must-try food on this trip. ‘Da Hu Chun’ is a well-established shop for pan-fried buns in Shanghai and a non-material cultural heritage site, so we specifically visited the ‘Da Hu Chun’ Pan-fried Buns flagship store to taste them. The buns here have a solid meat filling, unlike the usual small steamed buns. Pan-fried buns are made with leavened dough, resembling a small steamed bun, and are too large to eat in one bite. Unexpectedly, the prices are very affordable; four pan-fried buns cost 11 yuan, curry beef vermicelli soup costs 11 yuan, and scallion fish ball soup costs 10 yuan. Together, we only spent 51 yuan. The price of the pan-fried buns is very reasonable.

Tianzifang is an old lane in Shanghai, where old shikumen buildings have been transformed into a 3A-level tourist attraction. It is unclear whether it is because the tourism industry has not yet recovered, but when we visited, there were very few people, almost no tourists, and most shops were closed. Tianzifang – an old lane in Shanghai.

The Wukang Building on Huaihai Middle Road, the first external corridor-style apartment building in Shanghai, was built in 1924 and has now become a new tourist attraction in Shanghai, with an endless stream of people coming to take photos. The Wukang Building, built in 1924, on Huaihai Middle Road. The old houses on Huaihai Middle Road are decorated with flowers.

At noon, we came to the famous old restaurant, Guangming Village Restaurant, on Huaihai Middle Road, planning to have lunch there. The queue of people waiting to dine at the door surprised me. Upon inquiry, we were told it would take at least an hour. That was unnecessary. Instead, we went to the nearby ‘Old Man and’ restaurant, where we had to wait for half an hour, but it was within our tolerance. We ordered marinated chicken, braised pork, shepherd’s purse and yellow croaker soup, and wine-flavored herbs. The service at the restaurant deserves praise. There were stools to sit on while waiting in line downstairs. Upon arriving at the third-floor restaurant, the waiter greeted us at the elevator entrance. The table was already set, the menu was presented, and the ordering, serving, and dining process was carried out in a very quiet dining room with about seven or eight tables of guests. The service staff stand quietly aside. The dishes are also very delicious. The dishes at the ‘Lao Ren He’ restaurant are very delicate.

After the meal, go to Yu Garden and Town God’s Temple. These two places haven’t been visited forWe have dinner at the Songhe Lou Noodle Restaurant in Town God’s Temple. The Suzhou-style noodle soup is inexpensive and of good quality. A bowl of red soup noodles is only 12 yuan. The red soup noodles for 12 yuan a bowl and the fine red bean paste dumplings for 22 yuan a bowl at the Songhe Lou Noodle Restaurant in Town God’s Temple.

On the day of leaving Shanghai, I went to the Fansheng Bakery on the first floor of the International Hotel to buy the butterfly pastries highly praised by foodies. A bag of large butterfly pastries with five in it is 32 yuan. It is said that there are queues here every day, and there are even more people queuing on rest days. After waiting for an hour, I bought large butterfly pastries and fresh milk pudding. After tasting it, the milk flavor is very strong. The crowd queuing in front of the western pastry shop of the International Hotel. The butterfly pastries of the International Hotel.

On the way back to the accommodation hotel, passing by a small road, I saw a Chinese fast food restaurant selling dishes with rice and bone soup by the roadside. The storefront is small and there are many customers. It is very clean. Feeling hungry, I went in. I ordered dishes with rice, steamed pork with rice flour, steamed eggs with minced meat, etc. The total cost for two people is 33 yuan. The small restaurant has a prosperous business. Dishes with rice and steamed pork with rice flour.

This time I went to Shanghai for three days in total. I visited Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road, the Bund, as well as Yu Garden, Town God’s Temple, old Shikumen lanes, and the Shanghai Museum. I went to big restaurants and small eateries. I had Chinese food and tasted Western pastries. I looked for the old and saw the new, fulfilling my wish.

Generally speaking, ‘old’ Shanghai has changed a lot. The buildings are new and the streets are beautiful. However, there are fewer pedestrians on the street, and it is even a bit deserted. In the past, the scene of people coming and going, strolling in the shops, carrying large and small bags, and gathering around the counters to purchase and snap up can no longer be seen.

In addition, having a simple meal in Shanghai is really not expensive. A bowl of noodles for 12 yuan and a fast food dish with rice for 14 yuan cannot be found in Nanjing or many other cities. Everyone knows that the housing prices in Shanghai are high, but they don’t know that snacks and fast food in Shanghai are so cheap. Of course, if you go to a high-end hotel for a meal, it’s another story.