Creativity, individualistic and artsy atmosphere brim in the narrow lanes of Tianzifang (田子坊). Built in traditional shikumen architecture, the neighborhood in the French Concession exudes a charming nostalgia and it is the perfect place to get lost in the small lanes.
The neighborhood is a bit of a maze with crisscrossing lanes and various entrances.
This is one of the entrances into Tianzifang.
The old houses from the 1930’s still have the basic red brick design with an infusion of eclectic elements.
There are lots of unique stores such as the Scent Library. The cotton balls in the glass bottles are not the typical scent of floral perfume, but they are scent of things in every day life like grass, linen, rain and mud. So it was pretty fascinating to see how these scent are captured and showcased. The scents are also available as perfume.
This fairy-tale-like tiny walkway leads to a music box store upstairs. The music boxes are of exquisite designs with ballerinas and carousels.
Pork slices may seem a bit odd in artsy Tianzifang but they are in fact stones that resemble pork !
These candies are packaged humorously with labels that read “Get-Rich-Pill” and “Breast-Enhancement-Pill” – a different way to tease your friends !
Another resplendent candy store attracts the crowd with candy-making-on-the-spot.
Crafty trinkets like customized key chains and jewelry are aplenty.
If you love being hands on, you can join pottery classes and learn embroidery from the Miao ethnic group too.
The abundance of cafes and small eateries will ensure you are recharged after a bit of exploring around. The Teddy Bear Cafe is a popular one with lots of plush teddy bears in the cafe, a teddy bear museum next door and even the chair is in the shape of a teddy bear.
Check out more photos below :)
**Thanks to Spring Airlines of China for making this post possible. Spring Airlines now have direct routes for Singapore – Shanghai with excellent rates ! Just 5 hours away, Shanghai is not all that far away with plenty of things to do, plenty of things to eat and plenty of places to visit :)
More Info
Tianzifang Official Website
Getting there : Take Metro Line 8, exit at Dapu Station (打浦路).
