PhotoWalk_Homepage

Shanghai is a metropolis abounding in energy and excitement. Whether it's the café you posted up at every day searching online for flats when you first arrived in Shanghai or the neighbourhood shop around the corner you grew up with, we all know our cities are nothing without their restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, theatres, music venues, nightclubs, cinemas, art galleries – and all the other local, independently run places where people come together to eat, drink, laugh, think, create, cut loose and fall in love.

This issue of PhotoWalk aims to show you some of my favourite spots while I was living and traveling in Shanghai.

BOOKSTORE | THE MIX PLACE

📍880 Hengshan Road

Spanning three storeys and overlooking the greenery of Hengshan Lu, The Mix Place is the perfect enclave for readers of all kinds. Here, they stock a wide range of titles, from art and fashion to fiction novels and more in both English and Mandarin. Apart from books and visual art editions, the third floor is dedicated to magazines of all kinds, from fashion to lifestyle and design. There’s also a café on the first floor and plenty of window seating scattered around the store, so do come early to snag the best seats.

BOUTIQUE | HANDSHOP

📍270 Wuyuan Road

Handshop is filled with genuine French antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries, and even smells like the pages of a first edition book. For sale are antique pieces of furniture, jewellery and accessories, plus some more eccentric items like clown statues and music boxes. There’s a romantic garden and porch swing outside the shop, where many lovers come to take pictures.

RESTAURANT & BAR | People 7

📍805 Julu Lu, near Fumin Lu

People 7 is a large, low-key lounge and restaurant with a full Asian-fusion food menu. It's on the pricy side but the place is nicely designed, with visual tricks scattered around to beguile guests. Just finding the way to open the front door is a puzzle in itself.

CAFE | RAC

📍322 Anfu Road, by Wukang Road

RAC Bar is a French-style café and bar specializing in sweet crêpes and savory galettes, with a supplementary selection of breakfast buns, toasts, and all-day breakfasts. Fitted out with handsome communal wooden tables and a wine bar at the back, RAC funtions as both eatery and a place to relax between the breakfast and lunch rushes.

CAFE | Aunn Café & Co

📍1728 Nanjing Xi Road, by Huashan Road

Set in a large, airy space in the heart of Jing'an, Aunn Café & Co is a hip coffee shop selling a concise menu of coffees, cold brews, teas and juices alongside a selection of pastries and sandwiches. They're also becoming quite renowned for their cool takeaway coffee cups wrapped with real natural cork. With ample seating and enough space to clear your head, Aunn seems a perfect place to come for a few hours of study, work or relaxation, and thanks to the ample space between tables, you won't find yourself privy to your neighbors chatter and conversation.

RESTAURANT | Dian Tai Xiang Hotpot

📍3235-237, North Renmin Road

This hip Chengdu brand has brought its mouth-numbing, tongue-tingling mala hotpot to Shanghai. The vibe is distinctly Chinese retro – green-and-white tiled interior, sturdy metal stool set around tidy hotpot tables and harsh overhead lighting. Besides the usual hotpot suspects, try the restaurant’s house specialities: handmade brown sugar mocha and brown sugar jelly.

RESTAURANT | Polux by Paul Pairet

📍No. 5, Lane 181, Taicang Road, by Huangpi Nan Road

French café and casual bistro by Paul Pairet serving light fare with bistro service catering all day. It's a comfy space done in natural materials like wood and leather, with a bar that has lemonade, cider and wine on tap, and little retro touches here and there.

FLOWER SHOP | Lumos

📍100 Shaoxing Road

The brand name “Lumos” is taken from Latin, meaning light or lamp. Wizards and witches will also use this to create a beam of light at the tip of the wand, like a torch. This flower shop aims to illuminate peoples’ life like the tiny flickers at the tip of wand.