Huaihai Road or Huaihai Lu (;

Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the Districts of Shanghai, central districts of the Shanghai, City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as ...

: ''Wahae Lu'') is a road in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China. The central section of Huaihai Road is one of the two major shopping streets in central Shanghai; the other is

Nanjing Road Nanjing Road (; Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified ...

. Compared with the more touristy Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road is more upscale, and is the preferred destination of local residents. Huaihai Road comprises three sections, the main section being Middle Huaihai Road in the former

French Concession of Shanghai The Shanghai French Concession; ; Shanghainese pronunciation: ''Zånhae Fah Tsuka'', group=lower-alpha was a concessions in China, foreign concession in Shanghai, Republic of China (1912–1949), China from 1849 until 1943, which progressively ...

. Middle Huaihai Road is also well known by its former French name Avenue Joffre (;

: ''Iafi Lu''). Huaihai Road East was in the original French Concession and was formerly known as Rue Ningpo (寧波路), while Huaihai Road West was an

extra-settlement road {{No footnotes, date=January 2021 300px, A map of the western districts of Shanghai in 1933, showing the extra-settlement roads area in the upper left. The extra-settlement roads ( zh, 越界築路) in Shanghai were roads constructed by the Shangh ...

built by the

Shanghai International Settlement The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction ...

and formerly known as Jordan Road (喬敦路)

Location

Today's Huaihai Road comprises three sections, which were formerly three distinct streets. West Huaihai Road, formerly called Jordan Road, is long and forms part of the boundary between

Changning District () is a district of Shanghai. It has a land area of and had a population of 620,000 . The district government is located at 1320 Yuyuan Rd. Zhongshan Park is located in the district. Economy Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is located i ...

and

Xuhui District Xuhui District is a core urban district of Shanghai. It has a land area of and a population of 982,200 as of 2008. The Xuhui District is named after its namesake, the historic area of Xujiahui. Xujiahui was historically land owned by Ming dyna ...

. East Huaihai Road, formerly Ningbo Road, is long and was the boundary road between Huangpu and Nanshi districts before the two districts merged. Middle Huaihai Road, the main section, is long. Most of this section lies in the former

Luwan District Luwan District (; Shanghainese: lu1uae1 chiu1, pinyin: Lúwān Qū), formerly romanized as Lokawei, was a district located in central Shanghai until its merger with Huangpu District in June 2011. It had an area of and population of 350,000 as o ...

(which was also merged into Huangpu in 2010), and extends west into Xuhui and Changning districts.

History

Middle Huaihai Road

Middle Huaihai Road was built in 1901 as Rue Sikiang (), after the

Xi River The Xi River (; ) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Qujing ...

. The eastern portion of the road east of Chungking Road (now Chongqing Road) was built first in the expanded French Concession, while the western portion was an

built as an extension to the initial Rue Sikiang. Five years later it was renamed Route Paul Brunat (). In 1914 a further expansion of the French Concession took in the remainder of the road. It was renamed again in 1915 to Avenue Joffre to honor the French general

Joseph Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroup ...

, who visited Shanghai and attended an official renaming ceremony in 1922. The eastern portion of the road had a large concentration of

shikumen Shikumen (, Shanghainese: ''zaq⁸ khu¹ men⁶,'' IPA: ᴀʔ¹¹ kʰu¹¹ mən²⁴ is a traditional Shanghainese architectural style combining Western and Chinese elements that first appeared in the 1860s. At the height of their popularity, ...

residences, while the western portion was, by the 1920s, mostly lined with large houses and modern

mansion block An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are man ...

s. In the 1920s Avenue Joffre became an enclave of a large community of Russians fleeing the

Communist revolution A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution often, but not necessarily, inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism. Depending on the type of government, socialism can be used as an intermediate stage ...

in their homeland, which led to the middle section of the street becoming a commercial centre, lined with European-style shops, cafes and restaurants. The Japanese occupied Shanghai during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, taking over the foreign concessions in 1941. In 1943 Avenue Joffre was renamed Taishan Road () after

Mount Taishan Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being ta ...

. The name only lasted two years, and after Japan was defeated the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

government renamed the street Lingsen Road in honor of

Lin Sen Lin Sen (; 16 March 1868 – 1 August 1943), courtesy name Tze-chao (子超), sobriquet Chang-jen (長仁), was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the National Government of the Republic of China from 1931 until his death. Early l ...

(Ling Sen), the former President of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

who had died in 1943. However, the Communists in turn defeated the Kuomintang in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

, and took over Shanghai in 1949. A year later the Communist government gave the street the current name, to commemorate its victorious Huaihai Campaign.

East Huaihai Road

The relatively short East Huaihai Road was built between 1874 and 1898 as Rue Ningpo. The road ran immediately north of the moat to the north of the city wall of the

Shanghai old city The Old City of Shanghai (; Shanghainese: ''Zånhae Lo Zenshian''), also formerly known as the Chinese city, is the traditional urban core of Shanghai. Its boundary was formerly defined by a defensive wall. The Old City was the county seat for t ...

. The road name comes from the fact that the road runs through land that was previously the property of the ''Siming Gongsuo'', the fraternal association of residents with family origin in

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

, who established premises and a graveyard at this location in 1797. This area was granted to the French as part of the original French Concession in 1862, and the French authorities' attempt to resume land and relocate graves to build the road led to violent confrontations in 1874 and 1898. As part of the terms settling the dispute, the road was named after the association's home city. Rue Ningpo was renamed "East Huaihai Road" in 1950, thus avoiding the duplication of name with "Ningpo Road" in the former International Settlement.

West Huaihai Road

West Huahai Road was built as Jordan Road, an

, by the

Shanghai Municipal Council The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British Concession (Shanghai), British and American Concession (Shanghai), American list of former foreign enclaves in China, enclaves in Shanghai, i ...

(the governing authority of the

). The road was mostly lined with high-end apartment buildings and large houses owned by Chinese and foreign elites. In the 1930s it was renamed Rockhill Avenue (), then West Huaihai Road in 1950.

Shopping

The long Middle Huaihai Road has a large number of shops lining its route, from small boutiques to major department stores and shopping malls, as well as hotels and restaurants. Major buildings include

IAPM Mall IAPM Mall, or iAPM Mall, () is a shopping mall located at 999 Huaihai Road in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. This upscale mall houses big-name boutiques on the first two floors, including Prada, Gucci, Miu Miu and Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCar ...

Lippo Plaza Lippo Plaza is a 38 floor tower in the Luwan District of Shanghai, China and was completed in 1998. It was built by architect Frank C Y Feng and Associates Limited. See also * List of tallest buildings in Shanghai References

{{coord, 31 ...

, Shui On Plaza, Central Plaza, Shanghai Square, Shanghai Times Square, Hong Kong Plaza, and K11, most hosting shopping malls or department stores on the lower floors with offices on top. The eastern section of Middle Huaihai Road near the popular

Xintiandi Xintiandi (, Shanghainese: ''Shinthidi'' lit. "New Heaven and Earth",Warr, Anne: ''Shanghai Architecture'', The Watermark Press, 2007, fig. "New World") is an affluent pedestrian zone, car-free shopping, eating and entertainment district of Sh ...

precinct has recently seen an influx of a large number of Western luxury brands, including

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

Rolex Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

Coach, Inc. Tapestry, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Luxury goods, luxury fashion holding company. It is based in New York City and is the parent company of three major brands: Coach New York, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitz ...

Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A., rebranded in September 2022 as Ferragamo, () is an Italian luxury goods company headquartered in Florence. It specializes in designing and manufacturing footwear and leather goods, which together account for over 86% o ...

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( ) is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to C ...

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...

Moschino Moschino () is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino in Milan known for over-the-top, campy designs. The company specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, and fashion accessories. History Founding and 1990s Franco Mosc ...

Valentino SpA Valentino S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and part of Valentino Fashion Group. Since October 2008, the creative director is Pierpaolo Piccioli, jointly with Maria Grazia Chiuri from 2008 to 20 ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmetic ...

Miu Miu Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Paris, France. History Miu Miu was established in 1992 by Miuccia Prada. The name ...

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

, UGG, Tiffany & Co.,

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrance ...

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

Hermès Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since ...

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...

Giorgio Armani SpA Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and h ...

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

and

Ermenegildo Zegna Ermenegildo Zegna (; born 30 September 1955), often simply known and referred to as Gildo Zegna, is an Italian entrepreneur and manager. He is Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group. Early life and education Gildo is a grandson of Ermeneg ...

. Many of the stores were opened in 2010 to coincide with the

Shanghai Expo Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the tr ...

Transportation

A section of

Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to: Public transport Africa * Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria * Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt Asia China * Line 1 (Beijing Subway) * Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit) * Line 1 (Changsha Metro) * Line 1 (Changzhou Metro) * L ...

of the

Shanghai Metro The Shanghai Metro (; Shanghainese: ''Zaon6he5 Di6thiq7'') is a rapid transit system in Shanghai, operating urban and suburban transit services to 14 of its 16 municipal districts and to Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Served as a part of Shangha ...

runs underneath Middle Huaihai Road with three stations:

Changshu Road Changshu (; Suzhounese: /d͡ʐan¹³ ʐoʔ²³/) is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. It borders the prefecture-level city of Nantong to the northeast across the Yangt ...

(interchange with Line 7), South Shaanxi Road (interchange with Lines 10 and 12), and South Huangpi Road, all named after streets that intersect with Huaihai Road. The area is also served by Middle Huaihai Road Station on Line 13 while the western parts of the road are served by Shanghai Library Station (Line 10), Jiaotong University Station (Line 10 and 11) and Hongqiao Road Station (Line 3, 4 and 10). East Huaihai Road is served by the Dashijie Station on Metro Line 8.

References

External links

Huaihai Road (Chinese)
{{coord, 31, 13, 04, N, 121, 27, 40, E, type:landmark, display=title Culture in Shanghai Landmarks in Shanghai Shopping districts and streets in China Streets in Shanghai Tourist attractions in Shanghai Huangpu District, Shanghai Xuhui District