Shanghai Pathways

When you look at modern Shanghai, it’s hard to imagine anything but a modern metropolis. If you look carefully, you can still find remnants of Shanghai’s past.

Taking a walk along what’s left of the city’s old defensive walls gives you an insight in to the history of one of China’s biggest cities. During the Ming Dynasty (16th century), Shanghai put up thick stone walls to protect its people from invading Japanese pirates. It covers 3 miles (4.8 kilometers), in a roughly circular shape with six gates and four water entrances.

During this tour, we will learn about the fascinating stories of the founding families and how the city wall was built, explore the only remaining gate of the wall - Dajing Tower which has a Taoist Temple and a small museum detailing the history of Old Shanghai. Then taking bus 11, we will have a chance to go back in time and circumnavigate the old wall in a comfortable way.

In the end, we will visit the only extant Confucian Temple in Shanghai, a peaceful and calming place for an introduction to the Confucius culture.