Top Attractions
Xujiahui — often abbreviated by locals as "Xujiahui" or simply "XJH" — is one of Shanghai's most dynamic commercial districts and a testament to the city's layered history. The area takes its name from the Xu family, descendants of Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), a Ming Dynasty scholar-official who was one of the first Chinese intellectuals to embrace Western learning through his collaboration with Jesuit missionaries. This intersection of East and West has defined Xujiahui's character for over four centuries.
The crown jewel of the area is St. Ignatius Cathedral, commonly known as Xujiahui Cathedral, a soaring Gothic revival structure completed in 1910. The cathedral's twin spires rise 56 meters, and its red brick facade stands as one of Shanghai's most photographed religious buildings. Designed by English architect William Doyle, the cathedral could seat 2,500 worshippers and was once one of the largest Catholic churches in East Asia. After years of neglect during the Cultural Revolution, it has been beautifully restored and remains an active place of worship. Sunday mass draws both local Catholics and curious visitors.
Today's Xujiahui is equally defined by commerce. The area surrounding the cathedral has evolved into one of Shanghai's busiest shopping destinations. Massive malls — including Grand Gateway 66, Pacific Digital Plaza, and Orient Shopping Center — form a continuous retail corridor. Tech enthusiasts flock to Pacific Digital Plaza for electronics, while fashion lovers browse the endless boutiques. The district is exceptionally well-connected: Xujiahui Station is a major interchange where Metro Lines 1, 9, and 11 converge, handling over 400,000 daily passengers. For visitors, Xujiahui offers a fascinating blend: centuries of Jesuit heritage juxtaposed against 21st-century consumer culture, all within walking distance.
Longhua Temple is Shanghai's oldest and most revered Buddhist temple, with roots stretching back over 1,700 years to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). According to legend, the temple was established by Sun Quan, the warlord king of the Eastern Wu kingdom, to honor his mother. While the current structures date primarily from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) with subsequent renovations, the spiritual lineage of Longhua is considered one of the most authentic in Chinese Buddhism.
The temple complex is dominated by the Longhua Pagoda, an eight-sided, seven-story wooden tower standing 40.7 meters tall. The pagoda's graceful silhouette — each tier marked by upturned eaves — is one of Shanghai's most iconic images. Though visitors cannot climb the pagoda itself (it's structurally fragile), viewing it from the temple grounds is unforgettable, especially in spring when surrounding peach trees burst into bloom. The pagoda gave rise to the famous Chinese saying "Longhua peach blossoms" (龙华桃花), representing the height of springtime beauty.
The temple's interior rewards slow exploration. The Grand Hall (大雄宝殿) houses gilded statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and his two disciples, while the Hall of Three Saints contains exquisite murals. On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, as well as during major Buddhist festivals, devotees pack the complex to light incense and offer prayers. The annual Longhua Temple Fair (龙华庙会), held around the Lunar New Year and again in late spring, is one of Shanghai's largest traditional festivals, featuring folk performances, vegetarian food stalls, and a carnival atmosphere. Don't leave without trying the temple's famous vegetarian noodles — simple, nourishing, and believed to bring good fortune.
The Former French Concession (FFC) is perhaps Shanghai's most atmospheric neighborhood — a tree-canopied district of winding lanes, colonial-era villas, boutique cafés, and hidden bars that feels worlds away from the city's hyper-modern towers. Established in 1849 and expanded twice thereafter, the concession covered what are now parts of Huangpu and Xuhui districts. The French administration left an indelible imprint: broad, tree-lined avenues (especially Wukang Road, Fuxing Road, and Huashan Road), European-style mansions, and a relaxed, pedestrian-friendly urbanism rare in Chinese cities.
The plane trees (法桐) that arch over the concession's streets were planted in the early 20th century and now form a green tunnel that turns golden in autumn. Wukang Road (武康路), often called Shanghai's most beautiful street, showcases Art Deco apartments, Spanish-style villas, and historic mansions once owned by celebrities, gangsters, and revolutionaries. The Wukang Building (武康大楼), a distinctive 1924 apartment block designed by Hungarian architect László Hudec, has become an Instagram phenomenon — its curved red-brick facade appearing on countless Shanghai souvenir postcards.
Exploring the FFC is best done on foot or by bicycle. Start at Wukang Road and wander east toward Fuxing Park (复兴公园), a French-style public garden with fountains, rose beds, and elderly residents practicing tai chi. The area's dining scene is among Shanghai's best: hidden bistros, craft cocktail bars, and third-wave coffee shops occupy converted lane houses. At night, the FFC transforms into one of Shanghai's premier nightlife destinations, with speakeasies and live music venues tucked behind unmarked doors. Anfu Road (安福路) has emerged as the district's trendiest corridor, lined with concept stores, designer boutiques, and excellent restaurants. This is the Shanghai that captures the city's romantic, cosmopolitan soul.
Tianzifang is a labyrinthine arts and retail district carved out of a traditional shikumen (石库门) neighborhood in the heart of the Former French Concession. What began in the 1990s as a cluster of artist studios — including the influential painter Huang Yongyu, who nicknamed the area after Tian Fang, a figure from Chinese mythology — has evolved into one of Shanghai's most popular tourist attractions. The district's narrow alleyways (弄堂) and three-story lane houses now host over 200 galleries, boutiques, craft shops, cafés, and restaurants.
The charm of Tianzifang lies in its organic, somewhat chaotic layout. Unlike sanitized shopping malls, the district retains the authentic texture of old Shanghai: weathered brick walls, laundry drying from windows above storefronts, narrow staircases leading to hidden studios. Visitors enter through unassuming doorways and find themselves in intimate courtyards or climbing steep stairs to artist workshops. The ground floors typically house retail — from silk scarves and handmade ceramics to kitschy souvenirs — while upper levels host galleries, design studios, and surprisingly trendy bars.
Food is a major draw. The alleyways overflow with snack stalls selling everything from stinky tofu to artisanal gelato. Restaurants span the culinary spectrum: Shanghainese dumpling houses, Thai curry joints, French bistros, and craft beer pubs. Tianzifang is especially atmospheric in the evening when fairy lights illuminate the narrow lanes and the bars come alive. However, weekends can be overwhelmingly crowded — arrive on a weekday morning for a more relaxed experience. The area's transformation from residential neighborhood to commercial district has not been without controversy (long-term residents have been priced out), but Tianzifang remains a quintessential Shanghai experience: a blend of old and new, local and international, mass tourism and artistic authenticity.
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The Shanghai Library is one of China's largest and most prestigious public libraries, housing over 50 million items including rare books, manuscripts, and historical documents. The main building on Huaihai Road, completed in 1996, is an architectural landmark — its stepped design symbolizing the accumulation of knowledge. In 2022, a stunning new flagship branch, the Shanghai Library East (上海图书馆东馆), opened in Pudong, but the original Xuhui location remains the historic heart of Shanghai's intellectual life.
For general visitors, the library offers more than books. The building features rotating exhibitions on Shanghai history, Chinese art, and literary themes. The Rare Books Reading Room displays ancient manuscripts and woodblock-printed editions, some dating back to the Song Dynasty. The library's collection of Shanghai treaty-port era materials — newspapers, maps, photographs, and personal papers — is invaluable for historians and genealogy researchers. Foreign-language collections are extensive, and the reading rooms are peaceful retreats from the city's bustle.
Visitors can enter the public areas freely with a passport. Borrowing privileges require a library card, obtainable at the service desk with valid ID. The library's interior is modern and well-lit, with comfortable reading areas, computer terminals, and free Wi-Fi. The surrounding grounds feature landscaped gardens and sculptures, making it a pleasant place to sit with a book on a nice day. For travelers interested in Shanghai's intellectual and literary heritage — or simply needing a quiet, air-conditioned space with good Wi-Fi — the Shanghai Library is a hidden gem.
The West Bund (西岸) is Shanghai's newest cultural hotspot — a revitalized waterfront district that has transformed former industrial sites into world-class museums, galleries, and public spaces. Stretching along the Huangpu River's west bank in southern Xuhui, the area was once dominated by coal yards, oil depots, and airplane factories. Beginning in the 2010s, a massive urban renewal project reimagined this brownfield as Shanghai's answer to London's South Bank or New York's Chelsea — a riverside corridor dedicated to art, leisure, and high-end development.
The West Bund's anchor institutions include the Long Museum (龙美术馆), founded by collectors Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei; the Yuz Museum (余德耀美术馆), showcasing contemporary art; and the Tank Shanghai (油罐艺术中心), a striking complex of converted fuel tanks now hosting exhibitions and events. The Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute adds further depth. These venues host rotating exhibitions featuring Chinese and international artists, from Ai Weiwei to Takashi Murakami. The district has become central to Shanghai's art fair calendar, with the West Bund Art Fair drawing collectors from around the world each November.
Beyond museums, the West Bund offers an 8.4-kilometer riverside promenade — one of Shanghai's best jogging and cycling routes — along with skate parks, dog runs, and open-air markets. On weekends, the riverbank fills with picnickers, kite flyers, and couples watching container ships drift past. The food scene is upscale: trendy brunch spots, rooftop bars, and fine-dining restaurants occupy converted industrial buildings. The West Bund's blend of high culture and leisure, combined with stunning river views and innovative adaptive architecture, makes it one of Shanghai's most exciting destinations for repeat visitors seeking something beyond the traditional tourist trail.
Guangqi Park is a tranquil green space dedicated to the memory of Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), one of the most remarkable figures in Chinese intellectual history. Xu was a Ming Dynasty scholar-official, mathematician, astronomer, and agricultural scientist who became one of the first Chinese converts to Catholicism. His collaboration with the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci produced some of the most important translations in Chinese history, including Euclid's Elements — introducing Western mathematics to China — and partial translations of Confucian classics into Latin for European readers.
The park occupies the site of Xu's former residence and contains his tomb, a simple yet dignified stone monument surrounded by cypress trees. Xu's descendants have maintained the site for centuries, and it remains a place of pilgrimage for those interested in the history of East-West exchange. A small exhibition hall displays artifacts related to Xu's life and work, including reproductions of his manuscripts, astronomical instruments, and historical maps.
For modern visitors, Guangqi Park offers a peaceful retreat from the bustle of nearby Xujiahui. The grounds feature traditional Chinese landscaping: winding paths, lotus ponds, rockeries, and pavilions. Locals come to exercise, play chess, and socialize. The park is particularly lovely in spring when cherry blossoms and magnolias bloom. Combining a visit here with nearby Xujiahui Cathedral provides a fascinating glimpse into Shanghai's unique spiritual and intellectual heritage — a story that begins with Xu Guangqi's fateful encounter with Western learning four centuries ago.