Shanghai’s Preserved Heritage Roads

In 2007, the Shanghai government implemented a plan for the preservation of heritage roads within the city. A total of 144 roads, including lilongs, in 12 historic areas were identified for protection. These included 64 ‘first class roads’ which were ‘never to be widened’ in order to protect both historic buildings and trees.

Map detail showing the former French Concession’s preserved heritage roads, “Iconic Shanghai – Streets & Lanes” exhibition, Urban Planning Museum.

“Iconic Shanghai – Streets and Lanes Memory” an exhibition at the Urban Planning Exhibition Center in 2017, celebrated a decade of preserving not just buildings, but landscape. Maps, scale models, installations, stunning papercut artwork by Li Shoubai of landmark heritage buildings along preserved streets, and historical narratives combined to tell the multi-layered stories of these streets, and the result is a powerful message of why preservation matters in a fast-moving city.

According to Wu Jiang, Chairman of the Urban Planning Society of Shanghai and professor at Tongji University, this pioneering initiative “took Shanghai preservation to the next level.” Professor Wu, then deputy director of the Urban Planning bureau, and the driver of this plan, says that preserving urban historical roads is as important as protecting individual buildings: “A city is the most important means to convey human history and culture, and only by reading and appreciating the entire urban landscape will people truly feel the vitality and nature of a city.”

Papercut of the Picardie Hotel, along Hengshan Road/Avenue Petain, by Li Shoubai.

Yes, it’s imperfect: most of the 64 roads are in the former French Concession, leaving so many other historic treasures vulnerable. Preservation doesn’t seem to include interiors, which can still be destroyed at will.  Egregiously, historic buildings are still being demolished ‘by accident’.  But protection and preservation has to begin somewhere, and these 64 roads are a big part of the reason that – despite all the destruction – Shanghai is the best-preserved city in China.

The Shanghai 64

[Road Name (between which roads)]

1) 衡山路（天平路-桃江路）
Hengshan Road (Tianping Road – Taojiang Road)

2) 霍山路（东大名路-临潼路）
Huoshan Road (East Daming Road – Lintong Road)

3) 愚园路（定西路-乌鲁木齐北路）
Yuyuan Road (Dingxi Road – Urumqi Road)

4） 康平路（华山路-高安路）
Kang Ping Road (Huashan Road – Gao’an Road)

5） 思南路（淮海中路-建国中路）
Sinan Road (Huaihai Road – Jianguo Road)

6） 永福路（五原路-湖南路）
Yongfu Road (Wuyuan Road – Hunan Road)

7）　太原路（汾阳路-建国西路）
Taiyuan Road (Fenyang Road – Jianguo West Road)

8) 东平路（乌鲁木齐南路-岳阳路）
Dongping Road (Urumqi South Road – Yueyang Road)

9) 新华路（定西路-番禺路）
Xinhua Road (Dingxi Road – Panyu Road)

10) 皋兰路（瑞金二路-思南路）
Gao Lan Road (Ruijin Second Road – Sinan Road)

11) 舟山路（昆明路-霍山路）
Zhoushan Road (Kunming Road – Huoshan Road)

12) 高邮路（复兴西路-湖南路）
Gaoyou Road (Fuxing West Road – Hunan Road)

13) 余庆路（淮海中路-衡山路）
Yuqing Road (Huaihai Road – Hengshan Road)

14) 乌鲁木齐南路（淮海中路-建国西路）
Urumqi South Road (Huaihai Road – Jianguo West Road)

15) 雁荡路（淮海中路-南昌路）
Yandang Road (Huaihai Road – Nanchang Road)

16) 高安路（淮海中路-建国西路）
Gao’an Road (Huaihai Middle Road – Jianguo West Road)

17) 香山路（瑞金二路-思南路）
Xiangshan Road (Ruijin Second Road – Sinan Road)

18） 宛平路（淮海中路-衡山路）
Wanping Road (Huaihai Road – Hengshan Road)

19）新乐路（富民路-陕西南路）
Xinle Road (Fumin Road – South Shaanxi Road)

20）淮海中路（乌鲁木齐中路-重庆南路）
Huaihai Road (Urumqi Road – Chongqing South Road)

21） 桃江路（乌鲁木齐南路-岳阳路）
Taojiang Road (Urumqi South Road – Yueyang Road)

22）东湖路（长乐路-淮海中路）
Donghu Road (Changle Road – Huaihai Road)

23） 汾阳路（淮海中路-岳阳路）
Fenyang Road (Huaihai Road – Yueyang Road)

24）五原路（武康路-常熟路）
Wuyuan Road (Wukang Road – Changshu Road)

25）建国西路（衡山路-岳阳路）
Jianguo West Road (Hengshan Road – Yueyang Road)

26）武夷路（定西路-延安西路）
Wuyi Road (Dingxi Road – West Yan’an Road)

27）北京西路（胶州路-江宁路）
Beijing West Road (Jiaozhou Road – Jiangning Road)

28）复兴中路-复兴西路（华山路-重庆南路）
Fuxing Road – Fuxing Road (Huashan Road – Chongqing South Road)

29） 湖南路（华山路-淮海中路）
Hunan Road (Huashan Road – Huaihai Road)

30） 安亭路（建国西路-永嘉路）
Anting Road (Jianguo West Road – Yongjia Road)

31）永嘉路（衡山路-陕西南路）
Yongjia Road (Hengshan Road – South Shaanxi Road)

32）陕西北路（新闸路-南阳路）

Shaanxi North Road (Xinzha Road – Nanyang Road)

33）茂名北路（南京西路-威海路）
Maoming North Road (Nanjing West Road – Weihai Road)

34）甜爱路（甜爱公寓-四川北路）
Tian’ai Road (Tian’ai apartment – North Sichuan Road)

35）溧阳路（四川北路-宝安路）
Liyang Road (North Sichuan Road – Bao’an Road)

36）山阴路-祥德路（四川北路-欧阳路）
Shan Yin Road – Cheung Tak Road (North Sichuan Road – Ouyang Road)

37）武康路（华山路-淮海中路）
Wukang Road (Huashan Road – Huaihai Road)

38）兴国路（华山路-淮海中路）
Xingguo Road (Huashan Road – Huaihai Road)

39） 泰安路（华山路-武康路）
Tai’an Road (Huashan Road – Wukang Road)

40）延庆路（常熟路-东湖路

Yanqing Road (Changshu Road – Donghu Road)

41） 富民路（东湖路-巨鹿路）
Fumin Road (Donghu Road – Julu Road)

42） 南京东路-南京西路（黄陂北路-浙江中路）
Nanjing East Road – Nanjing West Road (Huangpi Road – Zhejiang Road)

43） 岳阳路（汾阳路-肇嘉浜路）
Yueyang Road (Fenyang Road – Zhaojiabang Road)

44） 汉口路（山东一路-西藏中路）
Hankou Road (Shandong Road – Tibet Road)

45） 福州路（河南中路-中山东一路）
Fuzhou Road (Henan Road – Zhongshan East Road)

46） 九江路（中山东一路-南京西路饔河路口）
Jiujiang Road (Zhongshan East Road  – Nanjing West Road, River junction)

47） 广元路（华山路-衡山路）
Guangyuan Road (Huashan Road – Hengshan Road)

48） 北京东路（河南中路-中山东一路）
Beijing East Road (Henan Road – Zhongshan East Road)

49） 南京东路 （江西中路-中山东一路）
Nanjing East Road (Jiangxi Road – Zhongshan East Road)

50） 华山路（常熟路-兴国路）
Huashan Road (Changshu Road – Xingguo Road)

51） 香港路（江西中路-圆明园路）
Hong Kong Road (Jiangxi Road – Yuanmingyuan Road)

52）大名路-中山东一路（武昌路-延安东路）
Daming Road – Zhongshan East Road (Wuchang Road – Yan’an Road)

53） 滇池路（四川中路-中山东一路）
Dianchi Road (Sichuan Road – Zhongshan East Road)

54） 虹桥路（环西大道-古北路）
Hongqiao Road (Inner Ring Road – Gubei Road)

55） 惠民路（杨树浦路-临潼路）
Huimin Road (Yangshupu Road – Lintong Road)

56）巨鹿路(常熟路-陕西南路)
Julu Road (Changshu Road – South Shaanxi Road)

57） 虎丘路-乍浦路（北苏州路-北京东路）
Huqiu Road – Zhapu Road (North Suzhou Road – Beijing East Road)

58）广东路（江西中路-中山东一路）
Guangdong Road (Jiangxi Road – Shandong)

59）四川北路-四川中路（天潼路-延安东路）
North Sichuan Road – Sichuan Road (Tiantong Road – Yan’an Road)

60）江西中路（南苏州路-广东路）
Jiangxi Road (South Suzhou Road – Guangdong Road)

61）华亭路（长乐路-淮海中路）
Huating Road (Changle Road – Huaihai Road)

62）北苏州路-黄浦路（河南北路-武昌路）
North Suzhou Road – Huangpu Road (Henan North Road – Wuchang Road)

63）长乐路（常熟路-陕西南路）
Changle Road (Changshu Road – Shaanxi Road)

64）圆明园路（南苏州路-滇池路）
Yuanmingyuan Road (South Suzhou Road – Dianchi Road)

Preserved roads: Contemporary names and pre-1949 names.