The Old City

The Old City lies at the very center of the story of Shanghai since this is the heart around which modern Shanghai has grown.

Intensely crowded and effervescent in spirit, it is perhaps the only concentrated remnant of Shanghai's native past that has survived into the modern age.

Here, a sea of black glazed ceramic roofs dominates the area and multiple curio-lined streets create a wonderful fabric, webbing together the old and the new. 

- Urbanatomy Guide 2009 by that's Shanghai

The broad classification of Shanghai's Old City refers to a territory circle enclosed by Renmin Road 人民路 and Zhonghua Road 中华路 which was the site of the city's former fortification construction established in 1553, Ming Dynasty, in order to protect the city from pirates' intrusion.

The territory had been a major city center with a high population and vigorous economic activities for hundreds of years, it has witnessed the transition period of feudalism from heyday to collapse, the turmoil period from the colonial era to the civil war, and the rise of the People's Republic of China.

The status of the Old City changed from the beginning of the 2000s when a program of extensive reconstruction for the downtown was started by the municipal administration, aiming at bringing in better living conditions for local residents. Hence, most of the indigenous residents have been moving out by accepting either the one-off removal compensation or pricing equivalent house(s) in other districts (usually in suburbs).

The reconstruction is in progress with time going on, the original characteristics of the Old City are diminishing and vanishing, narrow alleys and shabby houses are getting deserted, what replacing them are rows of modern apartments and shiny office buildings that are committed to reclaiming the neighborhood's traditional dignity.