The old walled city: from the last stretch of wall to Yu Garden

Dajing Pavilion

大境阁Dàjìng Gé

Shanghai county built a wall around its town in 1553 to keep out pirate raiders. In 1912 most of it was pulled down for a ring road, but the short stretch around this pavilion was kept. The pavilion began as a Guandi temple on one of the wall's arrow platforms and was rebuilt with three storeys in 1815. Enter through the archway inscribed 'Dajing' on the inner side of the wall. After rebuilding, the pavilion opened to the public in 1995 and holds a temple and a small museum with photographs of old Shanghai.

Shanghai Confucian Temple

上海文庙Shànghǎi Wénmiào

Walk south through the old city to Wenmiao Road. The Confucian temple of Shanghai county was rebuilt on this site in the mid-1850s, after the earlier temple was largely destroyed; in the 1850s the Small Swords rebels used a hall of the old temple as a headquarters. In 1932 one of its pavilions became what is described as Shanghai's first public library. The temple closed for renovation in October 2021, so check before you go. Many stallholders from its Sunday second-hand book market moved to commercial buildings near Yu Garden; reports from early 2026 disagree on how many still trade there.

Shuyin Lou

书隐楼Shūyǐn Lóu

Turn east into the lanes for 77 Tiandeng Lane, a mansion and private library first built in 1763 and described as the only complete Qing-dynasty residence left in downtown Shanghai. Its name means 'concealed books'. Privately owned and split among 21 owners, it decayed for decades; a factory once worked in its main hall. In 2021, after officials spent about eighteen months persuading all 21 owners to transfer it to the government, the district announced emergency repairs. We have found no source saying it is open to visitors. What you can see from the lane are its tall fire-break walls; this is a residential area, so keep your voice down.

Shanghai City God Temple

上海城隍庙Shànghǎi Chénghuángmiào

Head north to the City God Temple, the main Taoist temple of the old walled city. In 1403 an older shrine here became the county's city god temple. The main hall burned in 1924 and was rebuilt in reinforced concrete, in a traditional style, in 1926–27. Look for the abacus hung in the second gate, carved with the words 'beyond human calculation', and behind the main hall the sixty Taisui figures arranged by zodiac animal. The temple was used by shops from 1966 and reopened as a temple in 1995.

Yuyuan Garden

Yu Garden

豫园Yùyuán

End at the garden Pan Yunduan began in 1559 for his ageing parents; the name Yu (豫) means pleasing. In 1853–55 the Small Swords Society made Dianchun Hall its headquarters, and the garden was badly damaged in the fighting. It was restored from 1956 and opened to the public in 1961. Inside, look for the Grand Rockery of yellow stone and the Exquisite Jade Rock, a porous stone about 3.3 m tall. The Huxinting teahouse and the zigzag bridge were left outside the garden when it was restored, so they are not behind its ticket gate.