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.
