Leave downtown behind and travel to some of Shanghai’s least visited districts or to destinations just outside the city limits, still relatively untouched by mass tourism, and highlighting the city’s chronicles beyond the former concessions and familiar stories.
>> REMNANTS OF A LAWLESS PAST (on foot)
In a forgotten corner of contemporary Shanghai, remnants of a troublesome era have taken on a new identity. Visit the former homes of Chinese and Japanese textile workers, learn about Chang Kai-Check’s early vision for Shanghai or how Imperial Japan kept its war machine going and spot the out-of-place features of an otherwise ordinary public park.
>> WHEN SHANGHAI DIGS IN FOR A FIGHT (by bicycle)
We bet you didn’t know thousands of bunkers had been built in Shanghai between the 1930s and 1970s. While most have been removed in recent decades, hundreds can still be found scattered across town, often in plain sight, yet very little is remembered about these fortifications. Hop on or scan a (shared) bicycle and visit three different bunkers for a dive into Shanghai’s forgotten symbols of resistance.
>> CHANGING FORTUNES IN SIN CITY (by bicycle)
Unravel the unlikely history of Suzhou Creek’s most prominent apartment building, as you wander its corridors and staircases. Continue by bicycle (BYO or scan public) to Shanghai’s former slaughterhouse, an Art Deco and feng shui masterpiece, discover its fascinating inner workings before finishing at a remote Buddhist nunnery, once a seafaring folks’ favourite to pray for a safe maritime voyage.
>> THE LOST HISTORY OF SHANGHAI (by car)
Catch a glimpse of post Liberation Shanghai and witness a way of life once common in the downtown areas. Wander cobblestone alleyways flanked by late Qing and Republican era buildings, visit the Catholic’s first regional foothold, learn about the Japanese offensive that nearly wiped out the town and have lunch before finishing at the former home of ‘sent-down youths’.
>> BEYOND THE VENICE OF THE EAST (by car)
Explore two working water towns a stone’s throw from Shanghai and experience canal-side life free from mass tourism. Discover their glorious imperial origins, their revolutionary past and their battle to stay relevant in contemporary China with the mythicization of the ‘idyllic water town’.
>> MINI ADVENTURES FOR LITTLE EXPLORERS (by car)
Let loose your little explorers in some of Shanghai’s last bits of unmanicured nature. Trail the unmarked paths of bamboo shoot harvesters to a mountain top, venture into secret caves with glow sticks, stroll (or ride) woodland tracks and cast a line in a creek or pond while a picnic lunch is set up. A day of fun and adventure for a good night’s sleep...