North Street, also known as ‘One-Line Street’, is praised as ‘the first street of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Shanghai’. It has a history of more than 400 years. With a total length of more than one kilometer, the more than 300 meters from Fangsheng Bridge in the east to Meizhou Alley in the west is where the essence of representative Ming and Qing architecture lies. Here, old-style private houses stand in close rows, with pink walls and grey tiles in an orderly arrangement. The narrow street winds its way in a secluded manner, and the flagstone path winds continuously. Old shops and famous stores stand on both sides, presenting a scroll of picturesque scenery of an ancient Jiangnan water town. North Street backs on Caogang River and is adjacent to Fangsheng Bridge. As early as the initial stage of the formation of the ancient town, it was convenient for both water and land transportation. Therefore, merchants gathered here, and ‘trade is superior to other towns’. Teahouses, restaurants, groceries from north and south, rice shops and butcher shops, with all kinds of businesses, have become an ancient commercial center that has been prosperous for a hundred years. There was once a reputation of ‘a three-mile-long street and a thousand shops’. Today, there is still the century-old store ‘Handalong Sauce Garden’ on the street, retaining its ancient charm. The century-old restaurant ‘Maosun Restaurant’ has reopened. The ‘Ancient Town Old Teahouse’ is the best in the suburbs of Shanghai. Traditional handicraft workshops have a complete range of categories. Antique stores, ceramic stores, flower and bird stores, calligraphy and painting stores, local specialty stores, handicraft stores, and specialty snack stores are too numerous to be seen. Shop signs all over the street flutter in the wind, and red lanterns are hung high, presenting a prosperous scene. North Street is only three or four meters wide, and at its narrowest point, it is only two meters wide. The small two-story buildings on both sides are of brick and wood structure, and the eaves almost touch each other, forming the unique landscape of ‘One-Line Street’. The dwellings on both sides have upturned eaves and corners, horse-head walls, and the facade is uniformly a floor-length lattice window. The old-fashioned vermilion lacquered panel doors exude a strong and simple and elegant atmosphere. The imitation ancient architecture group of ‘Yunqiao Fishing Fun’, one of the original ten scenic spots of the ancient town, has also risen on North Street and at the entrance of Meizhou Alley, shining again. Suggested visiting time: 1.5 hours. Opening hours: Open all day throughout the year. Specific hours are subject to the actual situation on the day.
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