1. The Back Alley Bow Tie Showroom
Shanghai’s glam ladies enjoy a reputation as the nation’s most fashionable, but the city’s millennial gents are snapping at their heals thanks to up-and-coming designers like Weixu Wang. His quirky little studio is tucked down a narrow lane behind the elegant old Meilong Zhen restaurant just off Nanjing Xi Lu, and you’ll need to pass groups of knitting aunties and bathtubs full of goldfish in order to find it. Inside, you’ll find a dazzling array of bow ties made from almost every conceivable material (including plastic ceramic and metal) that cover all the bases from conservative to crazy! Weixu Wang is at 1 F, Building 72l Nanjing West Road 1081.
2. The Great (Free) Glass Elevator Ride
The glorious old Art Deco wing of the Okura Garden Hotel – formerly the ‘Cercle Sportif’ – is well worth exploring, however many ignore the modern tower block stuck on the back. It does offer one wonderful gift though: a glass elevator on the outside of the building that whizzes from the lobby to the 33rd floor, giving those inside wonderful views right across the rooftops of the former French Concession and across to the skyscrapers of Pudong. Even better, the staff doesn’t seem to mind outside guests bumbling about, as long as you keep it low key. The Okura Garden Hotel is at 58 Maoming Road.
If someone decided to shrink 798 and drop it behind the National Art Museum of China, you’d end up with C&C Park. This achingly hip former print factory isn’t just home to Meridian Space (with its fixie bikes, urban courtyard and café perfect for morning coffees) – but a huge surprise in the form of Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke’s showroom.
