Nanjing Road, Shanghai

From the very beginning, Shanghai has always been an open market and concession to the whole world. Affected by different kinds of foreign cultures and customs, a unique history and circumstance of Shanghai has come into being. Walking along the old streets, the historical sights can be found here and there.

Jing'an District is in the center of Shanghai downtown area. It has the first western style street, Nanjing Road and the first railroad car which have brought to the foremost the flourish of modern Shanghai. After the Now China was founded, Jing'an has been developed fast and efficiently and now is one of the busiest and most stylish areas in Shanghai. But the history has been well preserved. This tour will show you the Moller Villa, the Kadoorie House and the Jing'an Temple in Jing'an District.

Moller Villa (Addr: No.30 South Shaanxi Road; Tel: 021-62478881) was originally the private residence of the Jewish-British millionaire, Eric Moller. He built this villa in 1936 to realize his daughter's dream - a castle from Andersen's fairy tale. Now this dreamlike villa is a 4-star hotel called Heng Shan Moller Villa Hotel, and its glorious architectural essence is well retained. If you are interested, take a room and deeply experience this small-sized but top-quality hotel. The traffic is very convenient. You can take the public bus No. 01/ 24/ 49/ 71/ 104/ 127/ 128/ 304/ 925/ 936 and get off at Shan Xi North Station, or you can take the subway No. 1 to Shan Xi South Station and then walk about 15 minutes to the north. You can have lunch at the hotel restaurant, or choose one of the local ones nearby.

Jing'an Temple

Then take the public bus No. 925 to our next stop, Shanghai Kadoorie House (Addr: No. 64 West Yan'an Road; Yan'an Road and Huashan Road Station), also known as the Marble Hall. This marvelous and Alhambresque construction was finished in 1924 by Sir Eleazer Silas Kadoorie who was also a British Jew. The Kadoorie's family has always been generous and charitable. Sir Kadoorie has donated to construct several hospitals, medical equipments and schools. Kadoorie House now is the China Welfare Institute of Children's Palace, which is the first Children's Palace in China. The site can be reached by public bus No. 48/311/925/925B.

Just behind Kadoorie House, at the No. 1686 West Nanjing Road, lies the famous Jing'an Temple. From its name, you can see that it is the most famous landmark in Jing'an District. Originally located beside the Suzhou Creek and constructed in 247, the temple was moved to the present location in 1216. People from all over the country are attracted by its antique collections and the 5.4-meter-tall Jade Buddha. The admission is CNY5.00. You can have dinner inside the temple to sample the vegetarian food. The traffic here is very convenient. Subway No. 2 and public bus No. 15/ 20/ 45/ 71/ 76/ 93/ 94/ 113/ 138/ 506/ 824/ 830/ 831/ 921/ 927/ 925/ 939 all have stops here.

After a day's trip, choose a suitable bus back to your hotel in Shanghai.