Shanghai French Streetscape

This picture is in Hengshan Street where our hotel was (which cost about $120/night by the way - with fantastic breakfast and etc).

You will note the phone box, street tree metal work, plane trees, etc. A Continental European streetscape.

This part of Shanghai is what is known as the French Concession Area.

Extracts from Wikipedia: The French Concession was established on 6 April 1849, when the French Consul to Shanghai, Charles de Montigny, obtained a proclamation from the Governor (Daotai) of Shanghai, which conceded certain territory for a French settlement.

During the 1920s, the French Concession was developed into the premier residential area of Shanghai. In 1943, during World War II, the government of Vichy France announced that it would give up its concessions in China. After the war, neither Vichy France nor Wang's Nationalist Government were universally recognised as legitimate, but the new post-war government of France acknowledged that it was a fait accompli in the Sino-French Accord of February 1946. This accord, signed by Chiang Kaishek's ruling Kuomintang led to Chinese troops pulling out of the northern half of French Indochina in exchange for France relinquishing all its foreign concessions in China as well as the colony of Kwangchowan.

In 1902, the Concession introduced platanes (London Planes) as a roadside tree on Avenue Joffre. Because this tree, now popular as a roadside tree throughout China, was first introduced in the French Concession in Shanghai, it is known in Chinese as the "French Plane".

The French Concession remained largely unchanged in the early decades of Communist rule in China. In the late 1980s and the early 1990s, however, largely unregulated re-development of the area has torn apart many neighbourhoods. For example, the London Planes that graced the former Avenue Joffre (now Huaihai Road) were removed in the 1990s, only to be later replaced after public outcry. The old French Club building and its gardens, which used to be a sports field in the early days, were gutted and became the base of the high-rise Okura Garden Hotel. After the 2000s, the government enforced more stringent development and planning controls in this area....

The other photos in this post are mostly in and around Hengshan Road - which is in the heart of French Concession area.

The boy nearest the camera wears the local school uniform. I watched as children were taken to and from school - some walked. Many went on motor scooters. And others were driven in large saloons.

This was a low cost area of bars and restaurants. Mid afternoon so not very populated. Gives an idea of the street architecture though.

Sprinkled with beautifully kept pocket parks. Peaceful environment generally.

I was struck by this Art Deco cinema in Hengshan Road. Popular...

Here's a view of the inside. I noticed that a number of buildings in the French Concession area had been protected. Heritage status.

For example, this pair of villas had been carefully restored and were being creatively re-used...

High end shops and very select clubs. Not fronting the street, they had their own landscaped gardens, and were accessed from Huaihai Road by their own gateway...

...with its own doorman..

Here's the sign beside the entrance gateway...

This piece of video taken from bus as we went between case study areas in the French Concession part of Shanghai.

The walls and fences were often striking and elegant....

Like this section of street.