Shaoxing Lu

Barely clocking in at 450 metres, one could easily saunter down Shaoxing Lu in less than five minutes, but if you’re not in a hurry, slow down so you don’t miss out on an exceptionally charming street. Arguably the most literary road in Shanghai, Shaoxing Lu boasts no less than six former publishing houses. You can while away the hours admiring the art-deco architecture of the shikumen houses, ducking into an art gallery or sipping pu’er at a local teahouse. TALK asked Rebecca Catching (pictured), curator of OV Gallery, to help us reacquaint ourselves with Shaoxing’s old favourites and uncover some of the street’s best-kept secrets. 

Vienna Café

We caught up with Catching at her “default meeting place”, Vienna Café. This tiny, old-world Austrian haven serves up authentic Viennese snacks and a mean cup of coffee, but it’s the tantalising scent of its fresh baked goods wafting down Shaoxing Lu that turns passersby into loyal customers. On a quiet day, you’ll find Catching soaking up some sun under the skylights in the sunroom, plum cake in hand if it’s on the day’s menu. “They’re all solid cakes, just like your Austrian grandmother would make,” she says.

No.2, Lane 25 Shaoxing Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 6445 2131

Luwan District Library

Next, Catching leads us to the corner of Shanxi and Shaoxing, insisting we take a quick peek into the historic library that her staff often borrows art books from. A spritely, septuagenarian librarian offered to take the two waiguoren on an impromptu tour, leading to an hour-long field trip that encompassed the limited foreign book section and the Community Centre just across the street, which boasts an impressive bilingual and pictorial history of the French Concession. Built in 1929 by the Harvard-educated Hu Mingfu, the library’s architecture is enough to warrant a stop, but don’t miss out on the history lesson while you’re there.

235 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Shaoxing Lu. Tel: 6437 0835

Shu

Bespoke leather goods are the bread and butter of Shu, but Catching prefers to buy off the rack. “I hate waiting for things!” she explains. Shu’s product line features shoes and purses strictly for the ladies, but pop across the street to its sister boutique, H. Yan Shoe Design, to find homemade footwear for the whole family. Catching managed to talk herself out of buying a pair of purple sandals while we were there. “I already have a lavender pair,” she reasoned with herself. “How many pairs of purple shoes does one person really need?”

Shu. 90 Shaoxing Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 6433 2795

Shaoxing Park

Across the street from OV Gallery is the smallest park in Shanghai. Built in 1950 and barely reaching 2,400 square metres, Shaoxing Park offers the typical morning exercise equipment, tai chi practitioners and jolly card-playing grandpas you find in most parks around Shanghai, but the man-made rockeries and shady benches are the real draw to this secluded green patch.

62 Shaoxing Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu

OV Gallery

Catching needs to drop by her gallery and grab her umbrella before the ominous Shanghai clouds unleash their fury on us, so we stop in and peruse the latest exhibit, 'Re-visioning History' (running until 15 August). This daring theme features Chinese contemporary artists Zhang Dali and Ren Hong, but also includes a handful of other local artists. “We try to take a democratic approach to art by picking a theme and sending an open call for proposals,” says Catching. “We appreciate work that’s challenging and pick issues that force people to think.”

19 Shaoxing Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 5465 7768

Takumi

Catching’s choice place to grab lunch is Takumi, a Japanese restaurant offering a bargain tempura donburi (RMB 40) with miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables on the side. When you walk in the Japanese style sliding doors, bottles of shochu and sake patiently waiting for their owners’ return invite you into the welcoming restaurant. Catching credits Takumi with converting her husband. “He never liked Japanese before,” she says. “Now we don’t need any excuses to come eat here.”

21 Shaoxing Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu. Tel: 6431 5746

Old China Hand Reading Room

This expat mainstay started the revitalisation of Shaoxing Lu when it opened it doors almost 15 years ago. Half-bookstore, half-coffee shop, this tiny store showcases the work of two of Shanghai’s favourite old China hands: photographer/owner Deke Erh and historian Tess Johnston. Grab a coffee table book filled with Erh’s gorgeous photos and Johnston’s rich descriptions and settle in among the antique tchotchkes and leather bound books for a trip down Shanghai's storied past.

27 Shaoxing Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu. Tel: 6473 2526