Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street

I. Core Positioning

"China’s No.1 Commercial Street — A Living Chronicle of Shanghai’s Centennial Commercial Civilization"

Located in Huangpu District, Shanghai, Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street stretches from Xizang Middle Road in the west to Zhongshan East-1 Road (the Bund) in the east. It measures 1,528 metres in total length, 18-28 metres in road width, with a total land area of roughly 30,000 square metres. The full-time pedestrian street officially opened on 20 September 1999. Its core highlight lies in its unbroken commercial vitality dating back to its opening in 1848. It bears witness to Shanghai’s full trajectory: from the treaty-port era and foreign concessions, through the Republican period and the founding of New China, to the reform-and-opening-up era and its rise as an international metropolis. It encapsulates nearly all defining moments of modern and contemporary Chinese commercial civilization.

For overseas visitors, Nanjing Road presents a unique juxtaposition: 19th-century arcaded buildings stand side-by-side with 21st-century glass curtain-wall structures. Signboards of time-honoured Chinese brands glow alongside neon lights of global flagship stores. The fabled “Ten-Li Nanjing Road” means far more than shopping. It is a walk-through biography of the city of Shanghai.

II. Core Appeal — Physical Testimony to a Century-Long Commercial History

Historical Timeline: from “Park Lane” to “China’s No.1 Commercial Street”

Nanjing Road traces its origin to 1848 (the 28th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty), originally known as Garden Lane (also called Park Lane). In 1865 (the 4th year of the Tongzhi reign), the British concession authorities formally named it Nanking Road. Tram service was launched here in 1908 (the 34th year of the Guangxu reign). Over the following two to three decades, small stalls and shops gave way to grand department stores, among which the “Four Great Companies” became landmark edifices.

In 1945, the Republican government renamed it East Nanking Road. Starting in 1995, weekend-afternoon pedestrian-only trials were introduced, drawing spectacular crowds of up to one million visitors. In 1998, the Shanghai Municipal Government approved construction of a round-the-clock pedestrian street, which opened officially on 20 September 1999. The 2019 eastward extension seamlessly connected Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street with the Bund.

The “Golden Strip” and Street-scape Design

The pedestrian street adopts an asymmetrical layout, threaded through by a 4.2-metre-wide “Golden Strip”. Concentrated along this spine are benches, kiosks for shopping and tourist information, billboards, sculptural installations, street lamps and 34 varied flower-beds. At each end of the thoroughfare stands a dark-red marble stele inscribed with six Chinese characters — Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street — in the calligraphy of President Jiang Zemin.

III. Historic Architectural Landmarks — The Four Great Department Stores & Time-Honoured Brands

Wing On Department Store — Site Where Shanghai’s First Liberation-Era Five-Star Red Flag Was Raised

Founded in 1918 (the 7th year of the Republic of China) by the Australian-Chinese Guo clan, Wing On Department Store (No. 635 Nanjing Road, southwest corner of Zhejiang Road) ranks among China’s earliest national department-store enterprises. A prime example of early-20th-century Eclectic architecture, it is listed as one of Shanghai’s first-batch Outstanding Modern Heritage Buildings and designated a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

Perched atop the central roofline facing Nanjing Road sits the Qiyun Pavilion. It was here in 1949 that the first five-star red flag was hoisted along Nanjing Road upon Shanghai’s liberation. Comprehensive restoration in 2004 reinstated its original European-Classical aesthetic.

Sincere Department Store — The First Chinese-Initiated Department Store on Nanjing Road

Construction of the Sincere Building began in 1914 and the store opened in October 1917 at the intersection of Nanjing Road and Zhejiang Road. It was Nanjing Road’s very first department store founded by Chinese nationals. Its name derives from a phrase in The Doctrine of the Mean: “sincerity as the starting-point”. Overseas-Chinese entrepreneur Ma Yingbiao raised 2 million silver dollars across three fund-raising campaigns to erect it.

Its ground-floor arcaded verandas opening onto the street were highly unusual for Shanghai in that era. It pioneered a rooftop garden and teahouse for the city. The multi-storey corner tower tapers upwards from square to circular, featuring Renaissance-style massing accented by Baroque ornamentation.

Century Square — The Cultural Heart of Nanjing Road

Bounded by Nanjing Road (south), Hubei Road (east), Jiujiang Road (north) and Fujian Road (west), Century Square covers 8,404 square metres. At its centre lies an open-air stage for performances, product launches and large-scale public events. On 3 December 2002, the square hosted Shanghai’s official celebration of its successful World Expo bid.

To its west lies nearly 400 square metres of green space. West of the flower-beds stands the 3.08-metre-tall Oriental Bronze Ding, an archaistic bronze-style sculpture of solemn form. On the east side stands the Hour-Chiming Clock, a gift from the people of Switzerland to Shanghai marking the 50th anniversary of China-Switzerland diplomatic relations. It chimes melodies of Chinese folk songs on every full hour.

Shanghai Shimao Plaza — Nanjing Road’s Sky-line Landmark

Shanghai Shimao Plaza sits at No. 819 East Nanjing Road, the western terminus of the pedestrian street. It commands eastward views toward the Huangpu River and westward vistas over People’s Square. Its main tower rises 333 metres: 60 storeys above ground plus three basement levels. Floors 1-6 house retail spaces, while floors 7-60 accommodate hotel facilities.

Whiteaway Laidlaw Department Store — One of Shanghai’s Earliest Large-Scale Department Stores

Dating back to 1904 (the 30th year of the Guangxu reign), the British-run Whiteaway Laidlaw & Co. opened its Shanghai branch on Nanjing Road with over 3,000 square metres of sales-floor, making it one of Shanghai’s earliest major department stores. The business was transferred to state-owned Chinese entities in 1955. It was inscribed on the China Time-Honoured Brands list in September 2023. A pioneer in cash-register adoption, it once imported premium overseas goods and carried Shanghai’s broadest merchandise assortment.

Zhen Lao Da Fang — A 173-Year-Old China Time-Honoured Brand

Founded in 1851 (the 1st year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty), Zhen Lao Da Fang boasts a 173-year heritage. Following its 2023 renovation, its retro-elegant façade harmonises with the overall character of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street and Century Square. Its premises expanded from 130 sq m to 186 sq m across five floors. The ground floor retains signature offerings such as fresh-pork mooncakes, smoked fish and smoked eggs; floors 2-3 host traditional-Chinese pastry shops and Shanghai-style restaurants; the fourth floor houses a pastry workshop; and the fifth floor features an intangible-cultural-heritage studio.

Lao Jie Fu — The Silk Emporium That Tailored Shirts for Charlie Chaplin

Established in 1860, Lao Jie Fu originally operated on Jiujiang Road before relocating in 1936 to the ground floor of the Nanking Building at No. 257 East Nanjing Road. It became Shanghai’s largest and best-capitalised silk-and-satin shop of its time. In the 1930s, the house custom-made sixty silk plaid shirts for screen legend Charlie Chaplin, and supplied silk fabrics to the Cathay Hotel. Recognised as a China Time-Honoured Brand in 2011, the premises became home to Huawei’s world-largest flagship store in June 2020.

Park Hotel — Shanghai’s Former Tallest Building

Near Xizang Road on Nanjing Road, the Art-Deco-styled façade of the Park Hotel remains compelling. For decades it reigned supreme as Shanghai’s tallest building, dominating the city sky-line.

IV. Modern Commercial Wonders — Flagship Stores & Trend-setting Venues

Contemporary Legacy of “World-renowned Commercial Hub”

Nanjing Road reached its heyday in the 1930s with the rise of the Four Great Companies, earning renown as a world-class commercial hub. This legacy carries on today. The thoroughfare now hosts flagship locations for global brands including Apple, ZARA and UNIQLO, alongside highly-visited experiential venues such as M&M’s World, Pop Mart Global Flagship Store and the Lego Flagship Store.

Rebirth of Time-Honoured Brands

Nanjing Road’s China Time-Honoured Brands are undergoing modern-day transformation. Preserving historical heritage, legacy shops attract younger-generation consumers through venue renewal and brand upgrading. Illuminated vintage store-front signs for household names from Lao Jie Fu to Zhen Lao Da Fang still shine bright after dark.

V. Nanjing Road by Day & by Night

Daytime: Architectural Detail & Historical Texture

Daytime offers ideal light for appreciating fine architectural detail: the Eclectic façades of Wing On Department Store, the arcaded colonnades of the Sincere Building, and the sharp Art-Deco lines of the Park Hotel stand out under natural daylight. Bustling street-scapes deliver strong urban-folk atmosphere. Visitors may step into heritage shops to experience the living continuity of century-old commerce.

Night-time: Neon-lit “City That Never Sleeps”

Night reveals Nanjing Road’s alternate character. Giant vintage neon signs interplay with large-format plasma advertising screens. Street-lamps and festive tree-mounted lights weave ribbons of shimmering illumination. This constitutes the classic imagery of “China’s No.1 Commercial Street”. Ever since tram services commenced more than a century ago, Nanjing Road has never truly fallen silent after dark.