As we walked towards the end of Wujiang Road Leisure Street (吴江路休闲街), we saw a gate with the word "张园" on it across another street. We decided to walk over and have a look.
This place was a new discovery for us and we were glad that we decided to explore though it's totally unplanned. Zhang Garden is the largest, most exhaustive and diversified building complexes of its kind in Shanghai. Formerly known as Arcadia Hall, the site was first built in 1878 as a fairground for foreigners. Zhang Garden came to life later when the area was acquired by Zhang Shuhe in 1882, a businessman from the neighbouring city of Wuxi and was opened up to the public afterwards. Therefore, it carries on the local heritage of Shikumen (石库门 or Stone Warehouse Gate), a classic Shanghainese architectural style that combines Western and traditional Chinese architecture designs, which has been classified as type one “lilong” (lane houses) residences.
After four years of protective renovation, Zhang Garden (or Zhang Yuan in Chinese) has had a new lease on life. The western part of China’s first modern pleasure garden started welcoming visitors on 1 December 2022 with global luxury labels who had been eyeing the compound, including Bulgari Parfums, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Moёt & Chandon and Vacheron Constantin, rushing to grab a foothold in the neighbourhood sitting at the heart of West Nanjing Road in the metropolis of Shanghai.
It's an interesting place to visit with many small lanes and there are unique artworks at every corner.
Its larger eastern part, which is still under renovation, will mainly include hotels, apartments and creative office spaces; this section of Zhang Yuan is scheduled to open around 2027 when the restoration work is scheduled to complete.
Zhang Yuan is expected to become one of Shanghai's distinctive commercial and cultural landmarks in the city center after restoration.
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