Photo adjustments
Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Explore the region
About Nanjing Road
The eastern section connects the Bund with People’s Square, while the western section continues toward Jing’an through another major commercial district.
The eastern pedestrian street preserves the role of a long-established shopping corridor within the former International Settlement. West Nanjing Road developed from the older Bubbling Well Road. A visit is clearer when one section is chosen deliberately: the full road name describes an extended urban route, not a single short shopping lane.
The road's history dates to 1845, when a stretch from the Bund to He'nan Road was known as Park Lane. It was extended to Zhejiang Road in 1854 and to Xizang Road in 1862, the year the Municipal Council, which administered the International Settlement, formally named it Nanking Road; in Chinese it was usually called the Main Road (大马路). The former Bubbling Well Road, built outside the settlement proper, met it at the northern edge of the Shanghai Race Club. After the International Settlement was annulled in 1943, the post-war government renamed Nanking Road as East Nanjing Road and Bubbling Well Road as West Nanjing Road, and the combined route, now called Nanjing Road, totals five kilometers.
What to look for
- The East Road pedestrian section connects the riverfront with the civic centre.
- The transition at People’s Square separates the road’s two historical sections.
Location & getting there
Getting to Nanjing Road
Choose either the Bund end of Nanjing East Road or the People’s Square end as the starting point for the eastern pedestrian section; West Nanjing Road is a separate onward section.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.
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Nanjing East Road at the Bund
Begin at the road’s meeting with the historic waterfront.
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Eastern pedestrian shopping street
Continue through the established commercial corridor.
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People’s Square人民广场
Finish at the civic junction between East and West Nanjing Road.
This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.
Find Nanjing Road
南京路 · 黄浦区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center 上海城市规划展示馆
Less than 1 km awayShanghai’s Urban Planning Exhibition Center stands beside People’s Square. Its subject is the city itself: models, drawings and displays explain how the built-up area developed and how planners represent its future.
View guide →People's Park 人民公园
Less than 1 km awayPeople’s Park occupies the northern part of Shanghai’s former racecourse, between Nanjing Road and People’s Square. A large pond and planted paths form a green space within the central shopping and museum district.
View guide →People's Square 人民广场
Less than 1 km awayPeople’s Square occupies part of Shanghai’s former racecourse in Huangpu. Its transformation into a civic centre brought museums, theatres, fountains and public space into the middle of the city.
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Nanjing Road” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1352969860.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, listing “Nanjing Road” · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Nanjing Road", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1352969860.