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Looking for the Pure Pearl Nunnery
In July 2020, Drawing Shanghai went exploring a lane on 199 Pénglái Lù close to Confucius Temple in Shanghai Walled City. That was two years before the relocation. We got a vague hint from Katya Knyazeva's fabulous book that something interesting is hidden there. Working with ancient maps and talking to residents can give thrilling results in the ( Read more... ) -
A Garden of Earthly Delight
People say that Lot no 32 on Yeshiyuan Lane has something left from the infamous garden that once was on the other side of the lane. The garden of pleasures, modestly called Also A Garden - Yěshìyuán (也是园). Meanwhile, its shady neighbourhoods used to be the place to search for romantic delights. Here is what we found out with Drawing Shanghai in ( Read more... ) -
House of Content and Happiness
Survey of an old shíkùmén house in Shanghai’s Frenchtown's art deco part.
Address: Lane 147 Yongfu Lu, No 61
永福路147弄61号
Lying a little bit set back from the quiet lane Lane 147 in Shanghai’s former Frenchtown, we find an entry to a house decorated with a remarkable set of colourful pieces of patterned glass. A weathered-out text over the gate reads:
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Grandpa and His Poem
The owners of Shanghai Walled City homes often used poetry to decorate their entrances. That is different from the former foreign concessions, where the portals usually carry the name of the compound. A walk in the old town can thus easily become a Chinese poetry trip. Take the three characters on the back entrance of 96 Daochuan Long (倒川弄96号) for ( Read more... ) -
Meija Street is about to Disappear
Méijiā Jiē (梅家街) appears to be the oldest among Shanghai street names that carry a family name. The street got its name from the descendants of famed Song era poet Méi Yáochén (梅尧臣 (1002-1060) who moved to live here. There are records of the name been used all the way from the Northern Song Dynasty to nowadays. Reading Katya Knyazeva's book " ( Read more... ) -
Behind the Destroyed South Railway Station
Qúxī Road/瞿溪路 is a bustling downtown shanty town with shops selling local snacks and a wet market. Much like much of our downtown used to look like.
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A Pigeon Fans Community
It is not easy to wander past Hongkou's 425 Zhoushan Rd / 舟山路425号 without wondering. Everything that should be inside a normal house is actually outside here-the internal wooden framework, a kitchen, etc. There are so many roof gardens that one is even on a sloped roof. What happened to your house, mister?
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Timeline of 59 Yeshiyuan Lane
In the last two posts, we went to see if something remains of the notorious Also A Garden (也是园/ yěshì yuán). To see how hopeless the task is, let's use satellite imagery and historical maps to go gradually back in time as much as we can.
Lane 59 is marked in red, with the pin on the cosy yard we found the lady singing "恭喜你发财 / Wish you wealth!".
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A Forgotten Village in Hongkou
"We're sharing our bed with rats here!" The local man's introduction to his home on Xīnguǎng Road /新广路265弄 is harsh.
While downtown Hongkou around him has seen hasty development these years, the messy patchwork of lanes his home is part of stands out as a wild exception. Xīnguǎng Road is near the famed Qiújiāng Road electronics market /虬江路市场, that ( Read more... )
