The wondrous and sprawling urban sensation of Shanghai is home to many different and remarkable suburbs, streets and public places that are colourful in face and spirit as the city they are part of. Coming a long way from being a port city known for fisheries and textiles, present day Shanghai is a financial mecca where both east and west come together. Beneath its seemingly crystalline and business like image, Shanghai has many queer and quirky places scattered about in its neighbourhoods that can pleasantly surprise roamer. One such wonder is the ever changing streetscape of Tian Zi Fang.
The winding streets of Tian Zi Fang is quite an old place in the city, and is fairly easy to locate when you arrive at the Shanghai French Concession and head to the area known as Taikang Lu. You will find that the place is dotted with fascinating old local Shikumen Houses which form part of Shanghai’s folk identity. Most of these antique two storey dwellings are now for the most part an inviting array of art studios and pleasant little restaurants and cafes, where the city dwellers and outlanders alike come for a quiet bowl of soup and a chat on their way to buy an interesting piece of modern art from the studio a few doors down. Life goes on in a slow and easy pace in Tian Zi Fang, and in no time you will find yourself engrossed in its rather homely spirit.
You will be feeling as if you’re stepping outside of time when you first enter this fascinating neighbourhood from the traffic and streets of Shanghai, but when you are familiar with its old spirit, anyone can be right at home among its narrow, colourful streets. In almost every tall brick house you pass by there will be a boutique, art studio, teashop, or café where the food is tempting and the merchandise tantalizing, and maybe even a small spa and a medicine shop thrown in the mix. In your time over at Tian Zi Fang you might get acquainted with a local artist or two as well.
If you are staying at any Shanghai hotel in the heart of the city close to the French Concession, making your way to Tian Zi Fang most evenings will be an enlivening experience during your stay. As it is a favoured tourist destination due to its unique character, a quality hotel in shanghai can easily be found located in or close to this area. With the additional benefit of being close to the airport, a place like Millennium Hongqiao hotel Shanghai is worth checking out. Visit Tian Zi Fang at least once while you’re in the city, and you will find yourself coming back time and again to its jumbled old streets which are certain to hold your nostalgic musings long after you’ve bid Shanghai goodbye.
