At the entrance of the old lane on Changle Road, under the mottled wall of wutong trees, the aunt in silk pajamas is scattering scallions into the enamel bowl. When she looks up and smiles at you, the gold bracelet hits the aluminum door frame and makes a crisp sound - this is not Shanghai where tourists clock in, but the aesthetic lifestyle of Shanghai people. From the century old river wind on the Bund to the Jiuqu Bridge Shadow in Yu Garden, the real Shanghai play is hidden in the rhythm of the alternation between the ice American style in the convenience store and the jazz in the old western-style house, in front of the breakfast stall shared by the grandma in cheongsam and the teenager in the fashion brand. Follow the footsteps of the locals and decipher the code of life in this city.

If you have any questions or would like to customize your trip, please contact us!

{tour-id-1811276967909400577,1811676406104907777}

1.The Bund: Local Hidden Light and Shadow Studios

Morning exercise ceremony at 6am

When tourists are still asleep, the flood wall on the Bund has become a sports corridor. Uncle in quick drying clothes is practicing Tai Chi at Chen Yi Square, while the aunties' square dance music is an adapted version of "Jasmine Flower". The river gull brushes over their heads, carrying the first ray of sunshine on the Huangpu River. It is suggested to join the "Bund Running Group" (foreign runners join in every Wednesday morning), run along the flood wall to Garden Bridge of Shanghai, and see the amber morning light at the intersection of Suzhou Creek and Huangpu River - this is the morning meditation exclusive to Shanghai people.

Jazz Private Enjoyment at midnight

After the neon lights of the sightseeing cruise ship faded, warm yellow street lamps lit up on Yuanmingyuan Road at the source of the Bund. Pushing open the wooden door of the "JZ Club", local jazz musicians were improvising "Rose, Rose, I Love You", while an aunt wearing a cheongsam at the bar was holding whiskey and chatting with her neighbors about the past of Old Kler. Order a glass of "Bund Mist" (gin+osmanthus honey+lime) and pay attention to the old photos hanging on the wall: the Bund beach in the 1940s, now a favorite late night jazz den among locals.

Lujiazui: Life Experiment Under the Clouds

The underground world during lunch break

As financial elites flock into the elevators of the Global Financial Center, locals are entering the "Old Shanghai Alley Noodle Shop" from the underground corridor of the "Lujiazui Three Piece Set". Here, investment bank men in suits and leather shoes and noodle shop owners in aprons exchange greetings in Shanghainese. A bowl of spicy meat noodles paired with chilled bright milk bricks is the energy code for office workers in Lujiazui. After finishing eating, turn into the "Garden Stone Bridge Road Market", where the aunties sell osmanthus sugar lotus roots in LV shopping bags, which is the ultimate deconstruction of exquisite life by Shanghai people.

High altitude picnic at 7 pm at dusk

Locals will not tell you that the best way to open the sightseeing hall on the 118th floor of Shanghai center Building is to bring your own sandwich. When the setting sun dyed the peak of Jinmao Building into caramel color, took out the French stick bought in City'super, and matched it with a glass of Thai elephant bubble water bought in the convenience store - when the light show of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the distance began, the girl in the Han suit next door was recording this moment with a selfie stick. The romance of Lujiazui is hidden in the stubbornness of locals who refuse "tourist packages".

2.Wukang Road: Aesthetics of Life in the Deep Alley

Community Coffee Parade at 10am

Avoiding the Wukang Building where tourists gather, locals will crawl into the "Coffee Tree" on Tai'an Road. The boss, Lao Zhou, used the old Shanghai thermos bottle of the 1970s to fill coffee. The cup cover was a handwritten English poem: "The wutong leaf fell in the coffee cup, which is a love letter to Shanghai in autumn. After drinking, walk along the red brick wall of the Mitan apartment. The tailor shop at the alleyway can change clothes, and the neighboring hardware store also sells vintage vinyl - this is the correct way to open Wukang Road: don't take photos, just live

The alley dressing show at 3pm in the afternoon

In the alleyway of Wukangting, the clothes rack of the "An Ko Rau" buying shop hangs designer style Chinese standing collar shirts, and the owner's wife will teach you how to match them with pearl hairpins sold by the old lady in the alleyway. Turning into the "Autumn Sonata" vintage store, a local girl is trying on a 1980s Shanghai brand Clown shirt, paired with Uniqlo wide leg pants - the essence of this "New Shanghai style outfit" is to dress up grandma's old items in a trendy style.

{tour-id-1811688473729916930}

3.Jing'an Temple: a symbiotic community of incense and trends

Morning class time at 5 o'clock in the morning

When tourists were still checking in at the popular bow tie subway station, local grandmothers had already finished their morning classes at Jing'an Temple. Follow them clockwise around the temple, listen to the old monk sing the Heart Sutra in Shanghainese, donate incense, and go to the Su Zhai Hall in the temple to eat a bowl of Yangchun noodles, with the words "Namo Amitabha Buddha" printed on the bottom of the bowl. Turn right into "Ruiou Department Store" when you go out. A white-collar worker wearing yoga pants is buying Luneurs ice cream - this is the daily routine of Jing'an Temple: incense in the left hand and coffee in the right hand.

Weekend Afternoon Music Roaming

The "Blue Note" jazz club at Jing'an Kerry Center features local college student bands performing every weekend, with tickets hidden on the back of coffee cup covers. Passing through Nanjing West Road, the rustling sound of vinyl records wafted from the Shikumen of "Zhangyuan", while the old Krebs skated under the exterior wall of "Rockbundle Art Museum". Suggest buying a performance ticket for the "Shanghai Rainbow Indoor Choir". Their "Spring Festival Self Help Guide" adapted in Shanghai dialect is a popular cultural symbol among locals.

4.Yu Garden: anime Carnival in Ancient Rhythm

Hanfu Parade at Noon on Dragon Boat Festival

When tourists take photos at Jiuqu Bridge, locals set off from the "Sea Pear Garden" with Hanfu clubs. The girl in the Ming style horse face skirt carried a carp lamp through the old street of Yu Garden. At the Chinese medicine shop of "Tonghanchun Hall" at the corner of the alley, the shop assistants were making "antique perfume" (peppermint+agarwood+six gods toilet water) after 00. At the "Yu Garden Garden Night Market" on the fifteenth day of each month, Hanfu Niang and Luo Niang danced in the open space in front of the tea house in the Huxin Pavilion, and drones played the "Shanghai Old Linger" sign in the night sky.

Carbon Water Carnival at midnight

The "Fuyou Road Food Street" behind Yu Garden is a late night dining hall for local people. At two o'clock in the morning, the girl in pajamas came to eat "slap Wonton" on her slippers. The anime teenager at the next table was discussing the new version of Time Agent. Buy a Nanxiang Xiaolongbao, and pay attention to the gesture of the boss when he packs the pleats - a handicraft that has been handed down for a hundred years, and now it has been made into a stop motion animation by the UP owner of station B.

5.Disney: Local Hidden Fairy Tale Details

Off peak magic on weekday mornings

Local people never squeeze into the amusement park on weekends. They choose to wait for the steamship at the amusement park hotel pier at 7am on Tuesdays. When the first group of tourists rushed into Mickey Avenue, the real players had already booked exclusive follow-up shots in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" queue area using "LePaiTong" - Captain Jack would say "Hello" to you in Shanghai dialect. In the afternoon, hide in the "Pinocchio Rural Kitchen" and order a Shanghai spicy meat noodle set. Look out the window at the small boat of "Crystal Colorful Voyage" carrying tourists through the scene of "Mulan".

Hidden Easter eggs before closing the garden

When the fireworks show ends, locals will leave behind Easter eggs such as the "Garden of Wonders": when the starry sky is projected onto the exterior walls of the castle, carefully observe the shadows on the walls - sometimes the outline of an old western-style house in Shanghai will appear. When you leave the park, take a detour to the "Little Chef" restaurant in "Disney Town". The waiter will give you an almond shaped pastry with Mickey Mouse on it and remind you in Shanghai dialect, "Come back to Baixiang in the Ming Dynasty (come back tomorrow to play)

{tour-id-1811700448463667201}

The 'local gameplay' hidden in countless Shanghai guides is nothing more than Shanghainese turning their lives into poetry: behind the glass curtain wall of Lujiazui, there is still the smoke and fire atmosphere of the alleyway, and in the fairy tale world of Disney, there is the attention to detail of Old Kler. The true charm of this city lies in the fact that every Shanghainese is a poet of life, and you may be fortunate enough to read their prose poems written on the streets and alleys with your footsteps.