Former French Concession

Leafy birch trees and bamboo renovation scaffoldings line the sentimental lanes of the former French Concession, arguably the most romantic slice of the Shanghai city. Its northern border runs west from the Old City to Jing'an Park and makes up the area south of Yan'an Road. There remains much to see around this colonial quarter, from the French dog track to the former revolutionary residencies of Sun Yatsen and Zhou Enlai to the glitz of modern Xintiandi, its heady history and glamorous present promises to woo.

How to get to the Former French Concession:
The easiest way to reach the classical arteries of the former French Concession is from People's Square. From People's Square, take metro line 1 to Huangpi South Road Station. Take Exit 3 up to the bustling Madang Road. Turn right (south) and you'll find yourself at the intersection of Huaihai Road (the former Avenue Joffre). Towers of glass from the Hong Kong Plaza shopping mall will lure, but avoid the pull of shopping for now and head one block south on Madang Road to the trendiest place in town: Xintiandi. Until the mid-1990's, this ultra-chic funhouse for Shanghai's partying elite was inhabited by old warehouses. Redecorated and gentrified, this area now sports immaculately reconstructed buildings melded with a modern twist. Swanky bars and discos burst with revelers and posh restaurants dish up cuisine as beautiful as the venue itself. Standing in front of the Starbucks on the corner of Taicang Road and Madang Road, it's hard to fathom that this is just a stone's throw from where the Chinese Communist Party was founded. Follow the broad cobblestone lanes and wander behind Xintiandi to the back alleys to spot refurbished tenement homes with doors framed with large stones. Follow the signs on Xingye Road to the 1^st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, a Marxist exhibit of heroic red and gold proportions.

From the corner of Madang Road and Huaihai Road head west on Huaihai Road, go under the elevated highways, until you reach Yandang Road. This pedestrian street hosts charming teahouses, bars and restaurants and takes you to the mouth of the lush Fuxing Park, formerly known as French Park. The shady paths of Fuxing Park are a godsend during Shanghai's hot and humid summers. Abutting this quiet park is the uber-hip Park 97 nightclub that sets the park into party mode during the weekends. From the park head into the bottleneck alley of Gaolan Road and look for the Ashanti Dome, a French restaurant in the former Russian Orthodox St. Nicholas Church. This 1930's era church features classical frescoes in homage to Tsar Nicholas II.

Following the Russian Revolution, thousands of White Russian refugees flooded the French Concession and made part of it into a little Moscow: black bread and vodka abounded. Just a few blocks away on Sinan Road is the Old Residence of Zhou Enlai, a key leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Giant brown signs on Sinan Road point the way to the homes of Zhou and Sun Yat-sen, the hero of China's 1911 revolution. Sun's old flat is furnished as it was when he lived here and is full of memorabilia. Both residences are good examples of residential buildings of the period – short and squat hidden in twisty alleyways called. A few blocks west from Sinan Road is Maoming Road. While Xintiandi is for the posh, the strip of clubs on Maoming Nan Road is where the all-night-spill-onto-the street parties take place. North along this street leads to the area's most fashionable shops and boutiques offering chic clothing, fine art and classy furniture. On Maoming Road, just north Huaihai Road, is the historic Jinjiang Hotel, a one-time hot spot