Duoloun Road Cultural Street, Hongkou.

Duolun Road Cultural Street


This pleasantly restored but sleepy street of fine old houses, just off North Sichuan Rd, was once home to several of China’s most famous writers (as well as several Kuomintang generals) when the road was known as Doulean Rd. Today it's lined with art-supply stores, curio and Burmese jade shops, galleries, teahouses and cafes. The main appeal of the street is its architecture, galleries and antique shops.

Wander down the street to find the 1928 Hongde Temple, its grey-brick interior adorned with pictures of the Stations of the Cross and simple wooden pews; upstairs is a lovely hall with a wooden ceiling. The church was built in a Chinese style as the Great Virtue Church.

The League of Left-Wing Writers was established down a side alley on 2 March 1930. Today the building serves as a political museum, worth a look for the architecture alone.

Duolun Rd ends in another Kuomintang residence, the Moorish-looking private Kong Residence, built in 1924.

If you need a break, try the Old Film Café, next to the 18.2m-high Xishi Bell Tower at the bend in the road.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Xishi Bell Tower

0.07 MILES

This bell tower at the bend of Duolun Rd is a main feature of the street, right next to the Old Film Café.

3. Hongde Temple

0.1 MILES

Also known as Fitch Memorial Church, this 1928 brick temple is an interesting structure for architecture fans. It was built in a Chinese style with…

4. Kong Residence

0.1 MILES

The Moorish-looking Kong Residence, built in 1924, is a former Kuomintang (the Nationalist political party) house on Duolun Road Cultural Street.

5. Lu Xun Former Residence

0.26 MILES

Writer Lu Xun's final residence was this three-floor domicile on lovely Shanyin Rd, where an excellent English-speaking guide can fill you in on his life…

6. Lu Xun Park

0.36 MILES

Particularly photogenic in spring and summer when the trees are in blossom, Lu Xun Park is one of the city’s most pleasant green spaces. It was originally…

7. Lu Xun Museum

0.46 MILES

An excellent museum, this modern hall charts the life and creative output of author Lu Xun with photographs, first editions, videos and waxworks. Detailed…

8. 1933

0.84 MILES

This vast concrete former abattoir is one of Shanghai's unique buildings, today converted to house a number of boutiques, galleries and restaurants …