Ever since we launched our Old City Secrets tour it’s been a favorite Bespoke Shanghai experience, interweaving elements of architecture and history with fascinating personal stories in a part of Shanghai that is all too often overlooked. Led by inimitable expert Katya, who has published an excellent book on this very part of town and has another coming soon, the walk through the backstreets has even convinced numerous long-term Shanghai residents that there is still plenty to discover in the city. Think you know Shanghai? Here are a handful of the route’s most captivating stops that may have you reconsidering.
The Confucius Temple Book Market
A perennial Bespoke favorite, the Confucius Market rarely sees many visitors beyond the students that flock here come exam time to pray for good results (worth a try, eh?). But Sundays are particularly special for the weekly book market that begins at dawn and feels like an event from a different era entirely. Don’t come hunting for a particular title – you’ll never find it – but surrender yourself to the serendipity of digging through old recipe books, family photo albums, communist comics and far more besides and you’ll have a ball.
The Einstein House
You won’t see Catalpa Garden unless you know where to look (and you won’t know where to look unless you take our tour!). It’s a well preserved old villa hidden in a lane surrounded by far less opulent constructions and was once part of a larger complex inhabited by well-known Chinese artist Wang Yiting. Interestingly, when Albert Einstein and his wife made a short stopover in Shanghai, this was where they dined – and they were, according to our expert, reportedly somewhat embarrassed by its extravagance.
The Secluded Courtyard
This is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Shanghai, as well as surely one of the most beautiful. It’s in a sorry state of repair though, having suffered the ravages of politics and family fortunes over the years. Now the private domain of just one resident, only one room of this 16th century building is still habitable. Grand gateways and stacks of wooden carvings speak of the building’s past grandeur – a moving story and a special place.
To book an Old City Secrets Tour, find out more here.