Shanghai tales: Stories that bring the city's vivid history to life

Even though Jinjiafang Lu has a rich history, it's slated for demolition. Maybe the ghosts of murdered Chinese patriots will relocate along with the residents.Historic Shanghai no. 1: The long reign of the Lu clan

In the 1500s, when Pudong was farmland and the Chinese City was a metropolis, a scholar named Lu Shen owned it all. Today, if you know where to look, his legacy remains (more…) 

Historic Shanghai no. 2: Shu Yin Lou, the oldest house in the city

How an old woman and her daughter cling to their historic home, Shu Yin Lou, as it crumbles around them (more…)

Historic Shanghai no. 3: House of horrors on Jinjiafang

Shanghai’s Old Town harbors sinister memories and a fragile treasure down a squalid lane (more…)

Historic Shanghai no. 4: The fall of Ever-Spring Hall

Not merely another old Shanghai villa, Catalpa Garden has seen the rise and fall of the old Chinese city.

Ever-Spring Hall is one of historic Shanghai's most neglected constructions, but that is worlds apart from its past as the audacious home of a wealthy government official (more...) 

Historic Shanghai no. 5: Shanghai’s non-Hongkou Jewish walking tour

With Passover nearly upon us, there’s no better way to celebrate than by hoofing it through the city’s dwindling remnants of its colorful Jewish past (more…)

Historic Shanghai no. 6: Catalpa Garden, the Old City's last stand

This Old City mansion hides centuries of history within its walls (more…) 

Historic Shanghai no. 7:  Rise and fall of House of Shen and Shanghai's sea trade life

We dare you to enter the haunted Qiu manion construction site at witching hour -- or any other hour for that matter.

The imminent demolition of the House of Shen will also destroy one of the last vestiges of a former, and formative, way of life in Shanghai (more…) 

Historic Shanghai no. 8: A ghostly apartment building

History may 'come alive' at museums and other tourist attractions. But at the infamous Normandie apartment, it never seems to stop dying (more…) 

Historic Shanghai no. 9: The phantoms of the Qiu mansion

In some Shanghai construction sites, there are worse things than health and safety code violations -- the ghosts of Shanghai past lurking around (more…)