North Street, also known as ‘One-Line Street’, is praised as ‘the first street of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Shanghai’. It has a history of more than 400 years. The whole street is more than two li long. The more than 300 meters from Fangsheng Bridge in the east to Meizhou Alley in the west is where the essence of representative Ming and Qing architecture lies. Here, old-style civilian houses are lined up in close order.
The pink walls and grey tiles are in an orderly disorder. The narrow street winds its way through secluded paths. The flagstone paths meander continuously. Old shops and famous stores stand on both sides, presenting a picture scroll of ancient charm and the style of a Jiangnan water town. North Street is backed by Caogang River and adjacent to Fangsheng Bridge. As early as the initial stage of the formation of the ancient town, it was convenient for water and land transportation. Therefore, merchants gathered here and ‘trade is superior to other towns’. Teahouses, restaurants, groceries from north and south, rice shops and butcher shops, all kinds of businesses are complete. It has become an ancient commercial center that has been prosperous for a hundred years. There is a reputation of ‘a three-li long street and a thousand shops’. Nowadays, there is still the century-old store ‘Handalong Sauce Garden’ on the street, retaining its ancient charm. The century-old restaurant ‘Maosun Restaurant’ has opened anew. ‘The old teahouse in the ancient town’ is the best in the suburbs of Shanghai. Traditional handicraft workshops have a complete range of categories. Antique, ceramic, flower and bird, calligraphy and painting, local specialties, handicrafts, and specialty snack shops are too numerous to count. Shop signs all over the street are fluttering in the wind. Red lanterns are hung high, presenting a prosperous scene. North Street is only three or four meters wide. At its narrowest point, it is only two meters wide. The small two-story buildings on both sides are of brick and wood structure. The eaves almost touch each other, forming the peculiar landscape of ‘One-Line Street’. The dwellings on both sides have upturned eaves and corners. The Mashan gable walls have the same style of floor-length lattice windows and old-fashioned vermilion painted plank doors, exuding a strong and simple and elegant atmosphere. The antique building complex of ‘Fishing Fun at Yunqiao’, one of the original ten scenic spots of the ancient town, has also risen on North Street and at the entrance of Meizhou Alley, shining again.Suggested visiting time: 1.5 hours
Opening hours: Open all day throughout the year. The specific opening hours are subject to the actual situation on that day.
