Skip the Bund and Yu Garden: 4 Shanghai Streets Locals Actually Go To

The Bund and Yu Garden show up on almost every Shanghai itinerary, but a steady stream of Korean-language travel content now points somewhere else: neighborhoods locals actually frequent. One travel-agency blog post covering Wukang Road, Columbia Circle, 1933 Old Millfun, and M50 first went up in March and has been revised and republished ever since — a sign the topic keeps getting searched. What the four spots share isn't a single landmark; each is a Concession-era building, or an old factory or slaughterhouse, repurposed for something else.

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None of the four spots below charges admission (aside from a handful of paid special exhibits at some galleries). Most of what you'll actually spend goes to cafés and shops. All four mix in private businesses, so hours and tenants change fairly often — the details below are current as of October 2026, and anything that couldn't be confirmed is flagged as "check before you go."

Wukang Road — a Concession-era corner building, Wukang Mansion

Go on a weekday morning and there's almost no one around. At the corner of Wukang Road and Huaihai Middle Road in Xuhui District stands Wukang Mansion, a curved apartment block designed in 1924 by Hungarian architect László Hudec. It's still occupied housing, so going into the lobby or pointing a camera at someone's window is out of line — view it from the sidewalk across the street instead. The nearest metro is Jiao Tong University station (Lines 10 and 11); exit toward Huaihai Middle Road. Weekend afternoons draw enough people with cameras that the sidewalk feels narrow, so just avoiding that window keeps things quiet. Wukang Road runs into Anfu Road at its far end, a stretch of clothing shops, cafés, and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre worth continuing onto, and Changshu Road station (Lines 1 and 7) makes a clean endpoint. At a relaxed pace, the whole walk runs 3-4 hours.

Columbia Circle — once a country club and a villa

1262 West Yan'an Road in Changning District was a country club for Shanghai's Western expat community in the 1920s-40s. A villa built for Sun Ke, son of Sun Yat-sen, sits on the same grounds — designed by Hudec, the same architect behind Wukang Mansion. The whole site runs about 48,000 square meters, and a 2024 Phase II expansion brought the public space, including a fern garden and elevated walkway, up to roughly 7,300 square meters (with a new entrance off Niuqiaobang Road). Tsutaya Books' first Shanghai location — Japan's largest bookstore chain — is here, alongside EV brand Pure Electric, Nautica, Reebok, and a pizzeria. Some travel content puts coffee at 30-50 yuan and a meal with a drink at 100-150 yuan, but that's a blogger's estimate, not an official price, so take it as rough guidance. Weekend afternoons get busy; weekdays or right after opening are quieter. Sources disagree on the single closest metro station, so it couldn't be confirmed — check a map app for "Columbia Circle" or the address before heading over.

1933 Old Millfun — an art complex that was once a slaughterhouse

The five buildings here went up in 1933 as a Shanghai Municipal Council slaughterhouse. The poured-concrete construction curves the staircases, and the bridged walkways between buildings and thick walls are all original, giving the place its industrial look. It sat largely abandoned — squatted, even — until a 1998 renovation. The address is 611 Liyang Road, Hongkou District, with Hailun Road station (Line 4) as the nearest metro stop. Admission is free, open 10am to 10pm (individual shop hours vary). The layout is mazelike and easy to get lost in, with plenty of stairs, so wear comfortable shoes. Daytime gets crowded with people shooting photos; a weekday morning or dusk, once the lights come on, is quieter.

M50 Creative Park — an art district that started in a textile mill

In 2000, artist Xue Song set up a studio in an abandoned textile mill because the rent was cheap — that's how the district now home to more than 120 galleries and studios got started. The land and buildings still belong to Shangtex, the state textile group that once ran the mill. It's at 50 Moganshan Road, Putuo District, walkable from Jiangning Road station (Line 13) or Zhongtan Road (Lines 3 and 4). Entry to the grounds is free; some galleries charge 20-50 yuan for special exhibits. Wander among the buildings — graffiti walls and mill-era structure still intact — and duck into whichever galleries catch your eye. Most major galleries close on Mondays (with some exceptions), so Tuesday through Sunday is the safer window.

※ Hours, closing days, and tenants can change. Please double-check with a map app or official account before you visit.

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