Old City (Shanghai)

Old City of Shanghai with walls and seafront.

The Old City of Shanghai (上海古城, Shànghăi Gùchéng) refers to the most ancient area of Shanghai. It is circular in shape even today, and used to be surrounded by a defensive wall. Today, the walls have been replaced by broad circular avenues, the Renmin Lu to the North and Zhonghua Lu to the South.

Fortifications

An original city wall dating back to the 11th century surrounded the ancient city of Shanghai. The city wall, parts of which remain to this day, was built in 1554, in order to protect the town from raids by Japanese pirates. It measured 10 metres high and 5 kilometres in circumference.

There were originally 6 gates built into the structure, and 3 water gates:

Gates of the Old City of Shanghai
Old City map	Gate	Chinese name	Image
Original map of the Old City (circa 1860) Gates in red, Water gates in blue.
	Small Eastern Gate	小東門 also: 宝帯門 "Gate of the Diamond Belt"
	Small Eastern Water Gate	小東門水門 also: 小東門処跨方浜
	Great Eastern Gate	大東門 also: 朝宗門 "Gate of Dynastic Ancestors"
	Eastern Water Gate	東門水門
	Small Southern Gate	小南門 also: 朝陽門 "Gate of the Rising Sun"
	Great Southern Gate	大南門 also: 跨龍門 "Gate of the Leaping Dragon"
	Western Water Gate	西門水門 also: 西門跨兆家浜
	Old Western Gate	Laoximen 老西門 also: 儀鳳門 "Gate of the Virtuous Phoenix"
	Old Northern Gate	老北門 also: 晏海門 "Gate of the Peaceful Sea"
	New Northern Gate (built 1860)	新北門 also: 障川門

A protective moat surrounded the wall, 20 meters large and 6 meters deep, which was accessed though 3 "Water Gates" (two in the east, one in the west).

In 1860 a new gate was created, the "New Northern Gate" (新北門 or 障川門). In 1909, three new gates were pierced:

• the Small Western Gate (小西門 or 尚文門)
• the Small Northern Gate (小北門 or 拱辰門)
• the New Eastern Gate (新東門, 福佑門).

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  The walled city of Shanghai during the Ming Dynasty.
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  Shanghai walls of the Old City.
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  Ancient view of Dajing Ge.
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  Picture of the old city.
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  Outside moat of the Old City.
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  Only remaining wall at the Dàjìng Gé Pavillon.

Old City and Foreign Concessions

The Old City remained in place, while new urban areas were being developped on the outskirt though Concessions after the Opium War in 1842. The Old City remained, and was known as the "Chinese City", while the Concessions were named "Northern City" (北城), where only foreigners could live. During the period of Concessions, numerous Chinese lived in packed conditions in the Old City, which functioned as a sort of ghetto.

During the Taiping Rebellion in 1853, the Old City was captured by the forces of the Small Swords Society. The Governor of Shanghai Wu Jianzhang fled to the British Concession and had to transfer control of trade to the foreigners in exchange for help in retaking the city. Also, after 1854, the Chinese were allowed to live outside of the Old City and could settle in the Foreign Concessions.

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  Guards of Shanghai Old City.
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  Officials of the Old City.

Destruction of the wall

The Old City walls were dismantled in 1912 however by the Chinese revolutionary General Chen Qimei, then new Governor of Shanghai. Today only a very small portion remains, which has been transformed into a museum, the Dàjìng Gé Pavillon (上海古城墙和大境阁).

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  Dismantlement of Old City walls.
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  Dismantlement of the Old City walls in 1912.

Today

The round shape of the Old City still appears clearly in maps (bottom).

Today the Old City contains some ancient but renovated features, such as the Yuyuan Garden complex, and the City God Temple. Its circular shape is now imprinted by the surrounded large streets which occupy the space of the former walls, the Renmin Lu to the North and Zhonghua Lu to the South. The Old City has also been cut in the middle North to South by Henan Lu. The Old City is a combination of ancient winding streets, with some modern high-rise buildings progressively encroaching on the older areas.

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  Old City street.
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  Shanghai Old City street.
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  Old City Tanfeng Lu street (丹凤路), southeast quadrant.
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  Old City market in Sipai Lu street (四牌路), southeast quadrant.
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  Night market in the Old City (Guangqi street, 光启路).
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  Western portion of the Old City being rebuilt with highrise buildings.
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  Yuyuan Garden.
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  City God Temple.

See also

• History of Shanghai

Notes

31.225°N 121.485°E / 31.225; 121.485 (Old City of Shanghai)