Historic Area sights in Asia
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Shāmiàn Island
The leafy oasis of Shāmiàn Island , which was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars, is a peaceful respite from the city. Back in the 19th century, the British and French were granted permission to set up their warehouses on this 'sand surface island'. The sandbank was connected to the mainland by several bridges, with iron gates that prohibited any Chinese from entering the island. Major renovation has restored some of the buildings to their original appearance, transforming them into chic restaurants and hotels.
Shamian Dajie is a tranquil stretch of gardens and trees. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, built by the French in …
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Xīnhépǔ
Ambling along the tree-lined streets in the neighbourhood of Xīnhépǔ (新河浦) on the southern edge of the historic Dōngshān area (东山区; Dōngshān Qū) is a pleasant retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Here, a cluster of colonial villas and churches built by the missionaries at the beginning of the 20th century are beautifully restored. During the republican era, the houses were private dwellings for the Kuomintang's high-ranking officials; now, they're private residences for local bigwigs. Only the three-storeySpring Garden is open to the public. It was the former headquarters of the central committee of the CCP in 1923, and Mao Zedong also sojou…
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Old Town
Běihǎi's enchanting old town used to be a trading hub of old Běihǎi but is now a sleepy home of the city's older residents, who while away the hours playing mah jong and Chinese chess. It spreads east away from Sichuan Lu, with recently restored 19th-century qilou buildings (Chinese arcade houses) straddling the streets and alleys.
A few buildings of note include the attractiveformer post office, which now serves as a simple museum devoted to relics of the Qing-dynasty postal system; and the Maruichi Drugstore, a site in the disguise of a pharmacy that allowed the Japanese to carry on espionage activities in the 1930s, which now houses a tiny national security museum (…
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Old Town
After checking out the monastery, everyone just wanders about the old town, specifically Square Street (Sifang Jie); from this branches a spider web of cobbled lanes and renovated buildings (some say tacky, others say cool). You'll also see white stupas everywhere. Hidden within the old town is the Scripture Chamber (古城藏经堂; Gǔchéng Cángjīng Táng), a reconstructed temple that was previously used as a memorial to the Red Army. Guīshān Park (Guīshān Gōngyuán) is also nearby and has a temple at the top with some commanding views of the area.
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Old Town
If a waterside location indeed engenders good fortune, then Lìjiāng is lucky, lucky, lucky. The old town is dissected by a web of arterylike canals that once brought the city's drinking water from Yuquan Spring, in what is now Black Dragon Pool Park. Several wells and pools are still in use around town (but hard to find). Where there are three pools, these were designated into pools for drinking, washing clothes and washing vegetables. A famous example of these is the White Horse Dragon Pool in the deep south of the old town, where you can still see the odd local washing their veggies after buying them in the market.
The focus of the old town is the busy Old Market Squar…
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Old Town
Any Chinese city with any sense of history has its old town. Luòyáng's old town lies east of the rebuilt Lìjīng Gate, where a maze of narrow and winding streets rewards exploration, and old courtyard houses survive amid modern outcrops. Climbable for Y2, originally dating to 1555 and moved to this location in 1614, the old Drum Tower (鼓楼; Gǔ Lóu) rises up at the east end of Dong Dajie (东大街), itself lined with traditional rooftops. The square, brick Wénfēng Pagoda has a 700-year history, with an inaccessible door on the 2nd floor and a brick shack built onto its south side. A notable historic remnant survives in the two halls of the former City God Temple
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East of the Changyu Wine Culture Museum is an attractive but soulless cluster of restored concession buildings, housing a variety of business such as restaurants, clubs, bars and such. It's worth wandering through to have a look at Yāntái's efforts at 'doing' Shànghǎi.
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