Liuli China Musuem is adorned with a giant stainless-steel peony.
A landlord rich in real estate around Taikang Road once told a mutual friend that he looked out for three types of tenants: foreign artists, foreign-trained Chinese artists and "beautiful local artists with rich patrons." Perhaps that was just his Shanghai swagger talking. But whatever future he envisioned for this creative hutong, or enclave - once a mess of dark alleys serving damp, narrow dwellings - the reality is that Taikang Road, like the rest of the city, has gone cosmopolitan.
Overzealous developers had other plans for this tiny community of 1930s shikumen stone townhouses. But five years ago residents fought to have it preserved, and the city compromised by rezoning it as a sort of artists' co-op. Secreted away behind the main road, in a forgotten corner of the French Concession, the village attracted humble ateliers, grassroots galleries and tea houses catering to the modest footfall, which grew as word got out about the wealth of affordable arts and crafts to be had.
Japanese papermakers, Danish fashion designers, Hong Kong photographers, even Aussie barmen bought in quickly (everything in Shanghai happens quickly), adding international polish to the patina. A luxury mall was sited across the street. Then, last week, the Liuli China Museum cut the ribbon on its new Taikang Road home: a glass and concrete cube fixed with a giant stainless-steel peony "corsage" designed by Taiwanese artist Loretta Yang.
Still, Old World flavour prevails in forgotten corners, where traders steal naps on ramshackle wooden chairs, tailors tack together traditional cheongsams (one-piece dresses for women). You can see it in "Chinglish" on sandwich boards, steaming dumplings and some of the last vestiges of vintage architecture in town.
A CITY-SIZE CORSAGE AND GIGANTIC DUCKS
Only in the construction capital of the world can a museum launch in a bespoke architect-designed building, then relaunch four years later in an entirely new, custom-designed location. The Liuli museum pulled it off with aplomb. The gallery is named for the colourful glass the Chinese have been crafting for two millennia, yet its new digs are strikingly modern. The peony flourish on the façade nods to the organic glass forms inside, housed in glowing recesses in the ebony walls. Contemporary works by Loretta Yang (also the museum's co-founder) and a roster of international artists balance out a collection of artifacts from every dynasty. The gift shop sells blue-and-white notebooks inspired by Ming porcelain, and sleek glass statuettes from $9. But the hottest ticket is a table overlooked by the giant porcelain ducks in the museum café, Xiao San Tang. 25 Taikang Rd.; 86-21-6479-0238; www.liulichinamuseum.com
WHERE PEOPLE ARE OUTNUMBERED BY FIGURINES
In some countries, people are outnumbered by sheep; in China, they're outnumbered by toy figurines. You can get SpongeBob and Hello Kitty dolls pretty much anywhere, but at We à the World, a retrofitted atelier the size of a powder room, figurines come in plain white ceramic with a packet of washable pens so you can create your own character. Evidently the Shanghainese have picked up on the Western fondness for DIY. No. 1, Lane 210; Taikang Road; 136-5162-4240; www.toygu.com
FROCK COUTURE
Former Parisian Elysée Yang is one of the enclave's coveted foreign-trained artists and a newcomer to this block, one of Taikang Road's few indoor lanes. Yang's bijou boutique is a stylist's fantasy, with tidy racks of colourful silk tea dresses and party frocks, plus simple jewellery and raffia handbags to match. Avoid the selection of designer shoes if your feet are any larger than size 6. If you're petite, though, you could pick up a pair of (so-called) Miu Mius for under $60. Rm. 903 Lane 248, Taikang Road
SIT, READ, SIP
Photographer Deke Erh opened this unusually quiet space - equal parts gallery, library, bookshop and café - as a place to absorb some of Shanghai's finest architectural photography and literature. At the Old China Hand Reading Room, you can buy exquisite coffee-table tomes by Erh and his peers at the front (Erh's latest, Shanghai: A Bird's Eye View, costs about $70) and browse black-and-white photos on display in back. Then order a cappuccino and sit down for a read on an antique settee. That is, unless one of the regulars has got there first and stretched out for a nap (don't put it past them). 27 Shaoxing Rd. 86-21-6473-2526
BUDDHA FOR YOU
Just a sideways glance on your way to the juice bar down the lane is enough to stop you in your tracks here. Duke Gallery nurtures provocative young Chinese artists who manipulate old political imagery to trigger a visceral reaction. Seen any giant ceramic babies wielding automatic weapons yet? Or squat statues of the Buddha sporting a Red Army cap? We think not, but Duke may have you convinced you absolutely must take one home. No. 8, Lane 274, Taikang Road; 135-6447-6358; www.dukegallery.cn/en/
BECOME A KOMMUNE-IST
You've probably had your share of straight-up Chinese cuisine by the time you get to Taikang Road, so why not enjoy a spot of kitsch? Kommune, smack in the centre of this labyrinthine village, plays up China's dubious political history with lots of jingoistic art on the Commie-red walls. But a less controversial menu reflects the Aussie ownership (big brunches and evening barbies on the patio). Down the warren of alleyways you'll also come upon Corner Asia, a lounge-like lunch spot that harks back to 1930s Shanghai with vintage lighting, deco wallpaper and yellowing cigarette ads - and a menu with similar colonial flavour. No. 7, Lane 210, Taikang Road; 86-21-6466-2416. No. 33, Lane 248; Taikang Road; 86-21-6431-7686
Special to The Globe and Mail
WHERE TO STAY
Taikang Residence The only bed and breakfast in Taikang Road covers the upper floors of a traditional shikumen townhouse. Antiques drive home the retro theme in the four simple guest rooms, which are otherwise adequately modern, with central air and crisp sheets. The ground-floor café is accented with silk cushions and novelty ceramics sourced from the EsyDragon gift shop in the next lane. From $73 a night, including sandwich and drink. Residence@Tai Kang, Lane 210, 20 Taikang Rd.; 86-134-8242-8599; www.tkresidence.com
Ruijin Hotel The Taiyuan Villa at the Ruijin Hotel, a 1920s French-style manor set behind classical gardens and a natural wall of trees, has excellent provenance: It housed American General George Marshall after the Second World War, and Madame Mao thereafter. A dozen immense guest rooms are swathed in Oriental rugs, with century-old wood furnishings and Tiffany lamps by the bed. Rates from $133. 160 Taiyuan Rd.; 86-21-6471-6688; www.ruijinhotelsh.com/en/taiyuan.html
E.H.