A Stroll Through Shanghai's French Concession

Andy Hill

The French Concession area of Shanghai is one of the nicest in the city, and it took me by surprise.

Not what I expected

Before I came to Shanghai, I unfairly yielded to my ignorant assumptions about it; that it would be an explosive, brash, dirty, carnal place; that over and over I would be trampled in a sea of commuters; that the air would be so thick with smog that my very will to live would compel me elsewhere.

In truth, there are many surprisingly pleasant places to take a stroll in this massive, modern city, which maintain their own sense of posterity while also offering up some modern treats for the casual pedestrian.

One of these areas is the French Concession. Effectively owned and operated by the French from 1849 until 1946, its tree-lined boulevards and stone apartment blocks remind one of neighborhoods easily found in any French town.

It has been swept and kept to reflect its provincial influences, and today the area contains more wine shops, bakeries, coffee shops, hair salons, boutiques and cafés than nearly any other section of any other Asian city that I have visited.

The liminal zone

It represents that ideal middle ground so important to a city’s livability. Between the bustling and impersonal glass, concrete and stone of financial districts and downtowns and the seedy underbelly on one hand or droll suburbs on the other, there ideally exists a liminal zone, the size of which I believe you can judge a city by.

This median realm is best reflected in the pace and aesthetics of the French Concession, where one is in the city but pleasantly in a quiet and walk-able neighborhood; where there is more tree than traffic; where unique and independently-owned businesses can thrive in an area that people seem to genuinely love being in.  

When visiting the French Concession, it is probably best to begin at the South Shangxi Metro station and walk along Huaihai Road, the busier street that basically transects the area. Then, break off and explore some of the smaller side streets, such as Changle and Fuxing. One of my favorites is Jinxian, and perhaps one of the nicest is Anfu.