The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite travel the perfect place to take a moment, relax and people-watch. If you happen to come early on a weekday morning, you may see a group of dancers practicing their art; whilst you’re here, why not visit the Flower Mattress, the Lotus Pond and the Flower Carpet, three spectacular colonies full of flowers, colours, and aromas? For stylish pedestrian roads with ancient houses and modern buildings, visit Xintiandi located in the middle of Shanghai Town, on the south of Huaihai Zhong Lu. This area is unique because it retains the best of both worlds: the antique walls, tiles, and exterior of Shikumen residences of old Shanghai in the North Block, and modern architecture in the South Block. For example, if you visit Xin Tian Di, you’ll experience the city of the 1920s as well as the modern lifestyle of urbanites in the 21st century. Each Shikumen house has its own beautiful story about the his- tory and culture of the city. They were built in the mid-19th cen- tury as a way of combining Chinese and Western architecture styles, often with a vaulted stone door frame with Chinese style carvings and a wooden door. While passing through the narrow lanes, you’ll see a variety of these two-levelled buildings con- structed with bricks and wood and decorated with two copper door-knockers that echo in the lane when struck. Nearby, in the South Block, you’ll find the Xintiandi Style shopping mall which has automatic elevators, central air con- ditioning and broadband. There is a network of stores including Asian designers and brands Uma Wang, Even Penniless, and The Thing on the upper level, and other stores like Calvin Klein, Vans, Bread ’n’ Butter, and Peaches John on the lower two. With a modern atmosphere, this glass-walled mall is quite plush and has stores outside selling food, clothes, artistic crafts, handbags, and accessories. Another amazing place to visit is Tianzifang, a maze of alley- ways lined with small traditional restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. There is a variety of people who frequent this area in- cluding trendsetters, designers and expatriates who are charmed by the old Shikumen houses and lanes with infinite novelties. While the setting is similar to Xintiandi, there is more of a vivid live atmosphere in Tianzifang. You could sit outside one of the cafes with tea and coffee and watch inhabitants hurry by. Shanghai is filled with many narrow alleys, and the Old Town is no different. Here, you will find shops selling antiques and jewellery, as well as the centuries-old City God Temple, a re- stored complex with an ornate entrance gate and prayer halls. For hungry travellers, there are noodle houses and tiny eateries that serve soup dumplings and traditional sweets like sesame seed candy. Yu Garden, with its classical pavilions, rock gardens and arched bridges, which date back to the 16th century, is a must-visit. You cannot visit Shanghai without experiencing Huxinting Tea House, the city’s oldest and most famous teahouse originally built during the Ming dynasty and converted into a teahouse in 1855. It is set on stilts in the middle of a lake in Yu Garden with a zigzag bridge that is believed to deter evil spirits and led patrons to the large pavilion that seats 200 guests. Make sure you try their range of teas as well as traditional Chinese snacks, such as glutinous rice dumplings and preserved plums.