Shanghai Pathways

Discover Shanghai's sometimes colorful, sometimes nightmarish past that are hidden in the city's small streets and old neighborhoods with this special walking tour to the historic part of Shanghai.

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At the oldest Shanghai city corner, you will explore an ancient area, known as the Family Qiao's Road which dated back to this amazing city's origin. It was the heart and soul of Shanghai where temples for the Medicine God and the first local gov. was located, now you could still find some century-old family houses located there.

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We will discover some amazing stories of the richest trading family in Shanghai, the well respected Qiao Family, and a rich artist who befriended with Japanese but later on became a monk.

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Then you will walk into the heavenly light lane – the very first street where Shanghai set up the public electronic light, locals regarded the light are sent from the heaven and guided people safely home.

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Over there, you will discover the Grey Gardens in Shanghai, known as the Secluded Library, it is the remnant of a lavish garden complex built in the 16th century by a famous scholar who was living alone in his vast mansion surrounded by literary treasures. The house covering 2,272 square meters, with 99 rooms. During the Cultural Revolution, a toy factory and workers’ dormitory came to occupy this once regal courtyard. Now a woman aged 57, the descendants of this rich family stay in a single room in the center of the sprawling, decrepit compound.

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Sadly the exquisite sculptures in the brick and roof beams are broken, the color is fading, and some walls have even toppled over and need to be supported by posts but you can still sense the rich history which can be found nowhere else.