Famous Shanghai street market to go
By Diao Hongmei and Xu Xiaomin
Wujiang Road is a hot topic these days. The 400m road famous for its night market and street food will soon be no more.
The east section of Wujiang Road, home to shabby but popular small restaurants and food stalls, will soon make way for office buildings and a hotel next to Shanghai's most popular shopping street, Nanjing Road.
During a recent visit in the late afternoon, everything seemed the same as before - people wandering in the narrow street wondering which restaurant to pick, others still queuing in long lines at popular snack stores, different smells of deep fried food and curry pervading the air and store staff busy preparing food.
"I am not sure when we need to move but the coming National Day holidays will be a good opportunity for business," says one store keeper.
When news about the Wujiang Road development was released this summer, it was greeted by harsh opposition in the media and Internet chat rooms.
"There are lots of disputes about the Wujiang Road plan - it has given me a terrible headache," says Liu Baolan, deputy director of the news office of Jing'an district. "Many people wonder why such a popular place should be moved."
The section of the road that will be torn down is known as "Old Wujiang Road" and opened in 2000. In the summer, it is home to crowds of midnight revelers, rivaling the popularity of places like Hengshan Road.
What attracts so many people to this shabby street? The answer is cheap but delicious foods and goods like bags, shoes, clothes, CDs, and the charm of an open-air market.
Here you can try Shanghai's salty and sweet cuisine, Cantonese fried rice or just a bowl of hot noodle soup for 10 yuan (S$2). Or you can play cards with friends, have a cup of tea and linger for hours. Or how about 50 yuan (S$10) for two nice pairs of shoes!
Gong Xiaohui, 25, is a regular visitor. "The street is very dirty, noisy and crowded - but the food is good," she says.
"Sometimes neat and tidy boutiques are not the best places to kill time with friends," says Jane Xu, 32, a Shanghai woman who moved to Canada but still likes Wujiang Road. "The street has its unique charm - because of its dirt and crowds, everyone can relax totally. You can eat a lot and talk loudly, it is totally free."
People opposed to the street also have something to say.
"The street is convenient to some people but to me it is too dirty. If it's removed, it's nothing to me," says Meng Hao, 26, a doctor.
Dirty is certainly the word. If you go there at night, you will step onto at least two oily plastic bags, plenty of white lunch boxes and countless barbeque sticks. "Wujiang Road is so close to Nanjing Xi Road," says Liu, the official.
"The district government doesn't want a huge gap between these two neighbouring roads. There are lots of office buildings in the area, so we need a better shopping and dining environment to match."
With that in mind a newly renovated Wujiang Road western section was officially opened two months ago. What is different now is the new section, called the new Wujiang Road and home to some fancy brands like Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Subway, Levi's, DHC Skincare, Yoshinoya Japanese restaurants and Cefiore frozen yogurt. This new section, full of refurbished houses with huge windows, looks very neat and tidy, but attracts fewer visitors than the old section.
"During dinner time, many people still meet in the old section of Wujiang Road," says Jane Geng, manager of Futian Restaurant, a big and clean restaurant that opened in the new section in June.
Fans of old Wujiang Road are worried their favorite food will also be gone, including dumpling restaurant Xiaoyang Shengjian. Shengjian, or pan-fried dumpling, is a famous Shanghai snack.
"I agree with the reconstruction but I am against cleaning out the restaurants here," says Wang Yao, 28, a businessman. "I like Xiaoyang Shengjian most. I think it's representative of Shanghai."
On one day recently, the queue for the take-away in front of Xiaoyang Shengjian was more than 10 m long by 5 pm. Some were eating on the street. All three floors were crowded and some were waiting for tables.
Due to its popularity, the restaurant has become the only one to survive the renovation.
"We are very busy everyday," says Gao Juan, the manager of Xiaoyang Shengjian. "At peak time, the queue extends to the gates of the neighbor restaurant and triggers complaints!
"The cooks and waitresses are so busy they have no time to eat, even to speak a word."
Xiaoyang Shengjian has now agreed to move to the new Wujiang Road and will be neighbour to other restaurants like McDonald's.
Some may not like it but its good location by a subway station means business shouldn't be affected.
"Business has exceeded our expectations," says Xia Ming, from the Yoshinoya Japanese restaurant which opened in the new road just three months ago. "There are about 500 customers per day. Most of them are white-collar workers, and we get couples and families at weekends."
It is not, however, the loss of business that has people worried - it is the loss of a down-to-earth and energetic lifestyle.
More open-air shopping and dining areas
The City God Temple: features small handicraft stores, restaurants and food stalls
Qibao Old Street: lots of wine shops, restaurants, snack stores and century-old stores. Located in Minhang district.
Yunnan Nan Road: located between Huaihai Dong Road and Yanchang Dong Road. The street is famous for stocking regional specialities. The most popular restaurants are Xiao Shao Xing, Xiao Jin Ling and Chang'an Dumpling House.
Changli Road: Located in Pudong, this small road is crowded with vendors. It is called the "Pudong Nanjing Road". There are various kinds of vendors selling CDs and other items.
Qipu Road clothing market: It is the biggest clothing market in Shanghai. With low prices and trendy labels, it is also called "cheap road".
Top photo: Customers queue for pan-fried dumplings, a popular Shanghai snack.
This article was first published in The China Daily on Oct 1, 2008.
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