Nanjing Road Shanghai is the first shopping street in Shanghai since the Shanghai port opened. With a total length of 5.5 kilometers, it is divided into Nanjing West Road and the Nanjing East Road since 1945. Nanjing Road stretched from the Bund in the east and ends at Jing’an Temple till the west.
The Nanjing West Road is now one of the most luxurious areas in Shanghai with the highest rent fee, focusing on the luxury goods and the high-end consumptions while the Nanjing East Road is normally for the commodities as well as a tourism area. Narrowly speaking, the Nanjing Road refers to the Nanjing East Road which attracting over 1 million tourists daily.
Nanjing East Road starts from the Bund to the east and the part from Henan Middle Road till the Bund is the pedestrian street. It is reputed as the No.1 Chinese Commercial Street. The 10-mile street is full of time-honored stores and malls.
The history of Nanjing East Road dates back to 150 years ago when the first racecourse in Shanghai was built near the Lihua Department Store. The designer also built a path toward the Bund. Its official name was called Park Lane at that time. This area after the first Opium War is the British Concession and Nanjing East Road was full of shops, restaurants and hotels catering to foreigners. There was the most famous hotel Yangtze River Hotel on this street where Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling held their wedding.
Nanjing East Road extends to the famous Bund where travelers could see the panorama view of the Bund including the bell tower, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jinmao Tower, the International World Financial Center and so many other landmarks in Shanghai.
The Nanjing Road was restructured over time and had many significant changes. Nowadays it is a must-see site in Shanghai as well as a paradise for shopping. Thousands of different brands stores no matter the old traditional ones or the modern new fashions are located along both sides of the road. The architectures along the road are also in distinctive styles. Travelers could enjoy the night view of the Nanjing East Road when the various neon lights are set.
Many historical sites like the Jing’an Temple, the Shanghai Art Museum, Kai Commander Bakery House and the Peace Hotel are all located in Nanjing Road. The buildings witnessed the significant change and development of the inclusive city over one century.