# Former French Concession, Shanghai

> The Former French Concession is Shanghai's old French-run district (1849–1943): plane-tree streets, villas, art deco flats, Fuxing Park, cafés and house museums. There's no gate or ticket — the streets are free and open all day; the house museums mostly close at 17:00 and on Mondays. Allow 2–3 hours. Metro: South Shaanxi Road, Lines 1, 10 and 12.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-french-concession

- City: [Shanghai](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai), China
- YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 2 h
- Opening hours: Streets open 24/7; Fuxing Park 5:00–21:00; house museums usually 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free — it's a city district with no gates or tickets
- Fuxing Park: Daily 5:00–21:00, free; 105 Yandang Road
- Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence: 7 Xiangshan Road; ¥20, students and seniors ¥10; 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays except public holidays
- Zhou Enlai's Former Residence: 73 Sinan Road; free; recent guides say 9:00–17:00, closed Mondays
- Metro: South Shaanxi Road (Lines 1, 10, 12); Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi (Lines 10, 13)
- Districts: Huangpu and Xuhui, south of Yan'an Road
- Time needed: 2–3 hours for the core loop; a full day with Tianzifang and Wukang Road
- Coordinates: 31.22300, 121.46900
- Facts checked: 04.11.2026

## Key facts

- **Free** — streets, Fuxing Park and Sinan Mansions — no tickets for the district (source: Shanghai government (Fuxing Park); Meet-in-Shanghai (Sinan Mansions))
- **1849–1943** — French administration, from the circuit intendant's proclamation to the 1943 handover (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Wikidata Q2571993)
- **South Shaanxi Road** — the main station — Lines 1, 10 and 12 under Huaihai Road (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide)
- **1902** — the French planted the London planes still known in Chinese as “French planes” (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **Avenue Joffre** — the old name of Huaihai Road, the concession's main street (source: English Wikipedia (Huaihai Road; Shanghai French Concession))
- **1909** — Fuxing Park opened — locals called it the French Park (source: Shanghai government; English Wikipedia)
- **From 1918** — Sun Yat-sen and Soong Ching-ling lived on what was Rue Molière (source: Shanghai government; English Wikipedia)
- **1946** — 73 Sinan Road housed the Communist Party delegation's Shanghai office under Zhou Enlai (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide)
- **8,260** — Russian residents by 1934, up from 41 in 1915 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **2 churches** — Russian Orthodox buildings survive, including St Nicholas on Gaolan Road (source: English Wikipedia; Azbuka Palomnika)

> **It's a neighbourhood, not a single sight** There's no entrance, no ticket and no hard boundary — guides draw it differently, roughly south of Yan'an Road from Xintiandi west to Huashan Road. Pick two or three anchor points and walk between them. The house museums close on Mondays, so on that day stick to streets, cafés and Fuxing Park.

## What to see in the French Concession

- **Fuxing Park** — the 1909 “French Park”: formal gardens, a lotus pond, a rose garden and a Marx and Engels statue. Mornings bring ballroom dancers, card players and tai chi. Free, 5:00–21:00.
- **Sinan Mansions and Sinan Road** — a restored compound of garden villas on Sinan Road, now cafés, a reading club and exhibitions. The courtyard is free to wander.
- **Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence** (7 Xiangshan Road) — the house where the founder of the Republic of China lived from 1918, with period rooms and an exhibition. ¥20, closed Mondays.
- **Zhou Enlai's Former Residence** (73 Sinan Road) — a three-storey 1920s house that was the Communist delegation's office in 1946–47. Free.
- **Huaihai Road** — the old Avenue Joffre, now a busy shopping street. The quieter side streets north and south of it are the real draw.
- **Anfu and Hengshan roads** — cafés, bars and boutiques under the plane trees in the west; liveliest in the evening.
- **St Nicholas Church** on Gaolan Road — a 1930s Russian Orthodox church, no longer in use; see it from outside.
- Further west is [Wukang Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/wukang-road) with the wedge-shaped Wukang Mansion; to the south, the lanes of [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang). Both have their own pages.

## A 2–3 hour walking route

- Start at Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi station and cut west through [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi) — about 10 minutes to Fuxing Park.
- Fuxing Park — 30 minutes under the plane trees, by the pond, among the morning dancers.
- Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence on Xiangshan Road is a couple of minutes' walk west of the park. Allow 30–40 minutes inside.
- Walk south down Sinan Road past the villas, Zhou Enlai's house and the Sinan Mansions courtyard — 30–40 minutes with a coffee.
- Then choose: about 600 m south (as the crow flies) to the Tianzifang lanes, or west along Fuxing and Gaolan roads to St Nicholas Church and South Shaanxi Road station.
- Still going? From South Shaanxi Road it's one stop on Line 10 to Shanghai Library for Wukang and Anfu roads.

## How to get to the French Concession

1. From the Bund, walk along pedestrian Nanjing Road to East Nanjing Road station (Lines 2 and 10) — about 10 minutes.
2. Take Line 10 towards Hongqiao Railway Station for 4 stops — Yuyuan Garden, Laoximen, Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi, South Shaanxi Road. About 10 minutes, no change.
3. At South Shaanxi Road, exit to Huaihai Road. Fuxing Park is about 300 m south-east as the crow flies — a 5–7 minute walk.
4. To start from Xintiandi instead, get off one stop earlier at Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi (Lines 10 and 13) — about 10 minutes' walk to Fuxing Park.
5. From Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station, Line 10 runs straight to South Shaanxi Road. From Pudong, take the Maglev to Longyang Road, Line 2 to East Nanjing Road, then Line 10.
6. By taxi or DiDi, give a landmark — “Fuxing Park” or “South Shaanxi Road station” — since the district has no single address.

## Is the French Concession worth visiting?

Yes, if you like old streets, architecture and cafés — it's the most pleasant part of Shanghai to wander, and a welcome contrast to Pudong's towers. The core loop of Fuxing Park, Sinan Road and the house museums takes 2–3 hours; add Tianzifang, Wukang Road and lunch and it fills a day.

Skip it if you have a single day and want the postcard views — the Bund and Lujiazui come first, and the concession makes a good second day. Don't expect headline monuments either: the appeal is the atmosphere, not any one building. Mornings, spring and autumn are best; midsummer middays are hot and sticky.

## What was the French Concession?

From 1849 to 1943 this part of Shanghai was governed by France rather than China. Today it's the greenest slice of the centre: plane-tree avenues, 1920s and 1930s villas, art deco apartment blocks, lilong lanes, cafés and boutiques. Ordinary Shanghainese still live here, so it feels like a neighbourhood, not a stage set.

French consul **Charles de Montigny** secured the original grant on 6 April 1849 — a small riverside plot that grew far to the west by 1914. The French ran it through their own municipal council, separate from the British- and American-run International Settlement next door. The concession was handed to the Wang Jingwei regime in 1943, and France formally gave up its rights in 1946.

**Huaihai Road**, then Avenue Joffre, was the main street. In the 1920s and 1930s it was the heart of a large Russian émigré community, with Russian shops, cafés and tailors. Today the area lies in Huangpu and Xuhui districts, and its western part is protected as the Hengfu (Hengshan Road–Fuxing Road) historic area.

## French Concession vs Xintiandi, Tianzifang and Wukang Road

|  | French Concession | Xintiandi | Tianzifang | Wukang Road |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | A large residential district: park, villas, house museums | A rebuilt shikumen block of restaurants and bars | Lanes of studios, cafés and souvenir shops | A street of villas and the wedge-shaped Wukang Mansion |
| Where | Huangpu and Xuhui | Eastern edge of the old concession | South of the district | West of the district, Xuhui |
| Entry | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Metro | South Shaanxi Road (1, 10, 12) | Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi (10, 13) | Dapuqiao (9) | Shanghai Library (10) |
| Time (YesGo estimate) | 2–3 hours | About an hour | About an hour | 1–1.5 hours |

Xintiandi and Tianzifang sit inside the old concession but are compact, busy blocks of their own; the concession proper is the quiet streets in between. You can cover everything except Wukang Road on foot in a day — take the metro there.

## Paying for things

Walking around is free, but cafés, the Sun Yat-sen museum and the metro aren't. Most cafés here expect Alipay or WeChat Pay by QR code: foreign Visa, Mastercard and other cards can be linked to both apps with your passport. Metro gates accept contactless foreign bank cards. Set up the apps before you travel, keep mobile data on, and carry a few small yuan notes in case a scan fails.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] It's not Monday — if I want the house museums
- [ ] Picked a starting point: South Shaanxi Road or Xintiandi
- [ ] Comfortable shoes — expect several kilometres
- [ ] Passport with me for museum tickets
- [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay set up, plus some cash
- [ ] Offline map of the area downloaded

## Shanghai's historic sights compared

Every historic place in Shanghai rated by YesGo.

- [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free
- [Oriental Pearl Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/oriental-pearl-tower) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥199 — two spheres
- [Shanghai Maglev](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-maglev) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ¥50, ¥40 with a same-day flight
- [Nanjing Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/nanjing-road) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Yu Garden](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/yu-garden) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥30–40 by season
- [Shanghai Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-museum) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥148 show; Museum East free
- [People's Square](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-square) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free
- [People's Park](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-park) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free
- [Shanghai Old City](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-old-city) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Former French Concession](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-french-concession) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [City God Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-city-god-temple) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free)
- [Wukang Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/wukang-road) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
- [Suzhou](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/suzhou) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Train ≈ ¥30–45, garden ¥70–80
- [Jing'an Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jingan-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ ¥50
- [Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-urban-planning-center) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Free, booking required
- [Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-jewish-refugees-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · CNY 20; students 10, 60+ 15
- [Jade Buddha Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jade-buddha-temple) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; Jade Buddha hall ≈ ¥10
- [Longhua Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/longhua-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free)
- [Zhujiajiao](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/zhujiajiao) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free entry; three sights ¥60
- [Xitang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xitang) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ≈ ¥95 by day, free in the evening

## Xintiandi, the concession and Tianzifang in half a day

From Xintiandi's shikumen through Fuxing Park and Sinan Road to the Tianzifang lanes, all on foot. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

1. [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
2. [Former French Concession](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-french-concession) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
3. [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free

## Good to know

France also held concessions in Tianjin, Hankou (Wuhan) and Guangzhou; this page is about Shanghai's. The International Settlement — the Bund and Nanjing Road — was the separate British-American zone next door. Guides also call it the French Quarter.

## Tips

- Be in Fuxing Park before 9am — dancing, tai chi and card games are the district at its liveliest.
- The prettiest streets aren't Huaihai Road but the quiet ones: Sinan, Gaolan, Fuxing and Anfu.
- House museums close on Mondays — make that a streets-and-cafés day.
- In spring and autumn the plane trees give shade and colour; in midsummer, take the midday break in a café.
- Treat Wukang Road and Tianzifang as separate stops — each deserves its own time.
- Don't try to cover it all at once: choose the east (Xintiandi, Fuxing, Sinan) or the west (Wukang, Anfu, Hengshan).

## Questions

### What is there to see in the French Concession?

Fuxing Park, the Sinan Mansions villas, Sun Yat-sen's and Zhou Enlai's former residences, Huaihai Road and the Anfu and Hengshan café streets. Xintiandi, Tianzifang and Wukang Road are on the edges.

### Is the French Concession in Shanghai worth visiting?

Yes for a relaxed half-day of streets, villas and cafés. On a one-day visit, the Bund and Lujiazui come first.

### How long do you need in the French Concession?

2–3 hours for Fuxing Park, Sinan Road and the house museums; a full day with Tianzifang, Wukang Road and lunch.

### Which metro station is the French Concession?

South Shaanxi Road (Lines 1, 10, 12) is the most central. Site of the First CPC National Congress · Xintiandi (Lines 10, 13) works for the eastern side, Shanghai Library (Line 10) for Wukang Road.

### Is the French Concession free?

Yes. It's a public neighbourhood with no tickets. Only Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence charges — ¥20; Fuxing Park and Zhou Enlai's house are free.

### How do I get to the French Concession from the Bund?

Walk to East Nanjing Road station and take Line 10 four stops to South Shaanxi Road — about 10 minutes, no change.

### Is Xintiandi part of the French Concession?

It sits on the old concession's eastern edge but is a separate rebuilt dining block. The quiet residential streets begin west of it, around Fuxing Park.

### Where should I start a walk in the French Concession?

Start at Xintiandi or South Shaanxi Road station and head for Fuxing Park; Sinan Road and the house museums are a few minutes away.

### Is the French Concession good in the evening?

Yes — the bars and cafés on Anfu and Hengshan roads stay busy after dark, though the house museums and many shops close earlier.

## How we checked

The core comes from English search results and related questions: what to see, walking routes, is it worth it, how long and which metro station. Fuxing Park and Sun Yat-sen museum hours and fares are from the Shanghai government portal; some guides say the museum is free or ¥10, so we show the official ¥20. Zhou Enlai's residence hours conflict — Wikipedia says daily, recent guides say closed Mondays — so it's marked “verifying”. Sources end the concession in 1943 (handover to the Wang Jingwei regime) or 1946 (France's formal renunciation); we show both. We give no district area or villa count — no reliable second source. Metro stations are checked on Wikipedia; travel times are estimates from stop counts, distances from Wikipedia coordinates.

## Sources

- English and Russian Wikipedia: Shanghai French Concession, Huaihai Road, Fuxing Park, Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen (Shanghai), Former Residence of Zhou Enlai (Shanghai), Saint Nicholas' Church, Shanghai, South Shaanxi Road and Xintiandi stations, Shanghai Metro Lines 1 and 10; Wikidata Q2571993
- Shanghai government (english.shanghai.gov.cn) — Fuxing Park; Shanghai Museum of Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence: hours, closures, fares
- Travel China Guide — district boundaries, metro stations, Sinan Road, Zhou Enlai's residence
- Meet-in-Shanghai — Sinan Mansions
- Azbuka Palomnika — St Nicholas Church, Shanghai
- Trip.com, Audiala — Zhou Enlai residence hours (unofficial)
- Shanghai government (english.shanghai.gov.cn) — metro contactless payment; travelto.ru — payments in China (unofficial)

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