Why go
Qibao has been a market settlement since the Song dynasty, but what you see today is a single restored 'old street' a few hundred metres long, crossed by the Pudong branch canals. The famous bridges and houses are real, yet the reason people come is food.
The street packs in two parallel lanes of snack shops, from the town's signature white-sliced lamb and square rice cakes to stinky tofu, candied haw and duck-blood soup. On weekends it is shoulder-to-shoulder; on a weekday morning it is a relaxed, very Shanghainese stroll.
- The white-sliced lamb, square cake and tangyuan sold along the main street
- Qibao Temple, which gives the district its name
- A short canal stretch with stone bridges and a small boat ride
- The cotton mill and shadow-puppet house for quick heritage stops
Where to go
Start at the south entrance by the temple and walk the main street north, eating as you go. Detour into the side lane along the canal for the quieter bridges and the cotton-mill museum. Return via the north section, where the souvenir stalls thin out.
What to eat
The local trio is white-sliced lamb with soy dip, square cakes (square, layered rice cakes, often sold hot), and tangyuan dumplings. The lamb shops on the side lanes serve the real thing; the street-front stalls are more tourist-oriented. Bring cash or a phone-payment app — most stalls are small.
Getting there
- Metro Line 9 to Qibao station, exit 2, then a 5-min walk
- Origin
- Song-dynasty market town
- Length
- Old street ~400 m
- From city centre
- 40 min by metro
