Get lost in Tianzifang’s labyrinth of boutique stores, bars, cafés and what appears to be Big Pink Instagrammable buildings and animal shaped steam buns.
Like Xintandi, Tizanifang is another shikumen housing area in the French Concession. But unlike Xintandi which has redeveloped the shikumen housing, Tizanifang’s have been preserved. Xintandi is focused on shopping and beauty, while Tianzifang showcases the best of the arts, crafts and boutique shopping—think boutique no-brand name shops. Tianzifang, also known as Taikang Road, is the “Soho” of Shanghai.
The are multiple entrances that lead to Tianzifang, but they are a bit hidden. The easiest one is located off of Jianguo Middle Road and is called Lane 210. Tianzifang was made famous by artists who took up residence back in the day due to the cheap rent. Today it’s rich in art galleries, handcraft stores, cafés and souvenir shops. It’s labyrinth streets flooded with people on sunny days reminds me of the streets of Mykonos, Greece.
Tianzifang has plenty of cafés, bars, and small restaurants to eat in. The area offers a variety of international cuisine from burgers, to Japanese food, Thai food, and of course Chinese. My favorite shop had to be this adorable stand called Shanghai Cake Shop that sold steamed buns and desserts in the shapes of animals and flowers! Ducks, Roosters, Penguins, Bears, Roses…the dumplings were too cute for me to eat.
One of the most interesting buildings I came across was Big Pink. To this day, I still have no idea what it is. Is it an arcade? Is it an Instagrammable space? Is it…something else? Even on Instagram, people say “What even is this place?” You are instantly attracted by the pink neon lights and arcade game that draw you into the first floor. Everything seems very Instagrammable. We took the stairs up to the second floor.
Here you find even more arcade games and Instagrammable signs, including a Money wall that with a pink neon sign that reads “Money Talks.” A window looks out onto the streets of Tianzifang with a, you guessed it, Pink Panther stuffed animal leaning against the window ledge. A huge sign reads Big Pink. What is this place?! I tried to walk to the third floor, but was stopped and told it’s for “paying customers only.” I tried to understand what was upstairs, but all the signs were in Chinese. I honestly think it was an arcade building built for Instagram, my mother thinks it was something else I will not mention (haha!). To this day, I will never know! But I do recommend you stop by and explore it, it is beyond interesting and full of surprises.
Drawing out a map of what there is to do and see in Tianzifang would be impossible. As I said before, it’s like trying to point out what to do and see in Mykonos. All you can do is dive right in and get lost for hours in those small and cute streets, jumping from boutique to art gallery, from café to food stand.
Get my look!
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