Tianzifang

Shanghai

Entertainment

Tianzifang (田子坊) located on Taikang Road 210, Shanghai, which used to be a small alley in Dapuqiao Area. Before 1998, it just was a street fair. Since September, 1998, it was redesigned and rebuilt, and all the booths were put into the stores. And a special street construction was also operated. As for its name, it actually was a refined name that Huang Yongyu (黄永玉), a painter of Shanghai, gave this old alley area. In accordance with the historical record, Tianzifang used to be ancient painter of China, but it was not written as'田子坊' but '天子方', both of which share the same tone . So in the aspect, the basic theme and atmosphere of this area have been fixed.

Tianzifang has a strong atmosphere of local resident's life. In the alleys, the most highlighted part is the diverse cafes, apart from the creative stores, galleries and photographing displays. It is perfect site of Shanghai to enjoy a leisure and relaxed life after a weeklong work.

Walking down the narrow lane of Tianzifang at Taikang Road (Art Street), you will be forgiven for wondering if you were really in cosmopolitan Shanghai. At a glance, Taikang Road looks to be a mix of old and refurbished brick houses. However, do not be fooled by the traditional old lanes or wet clothes hanging on bamboo poles above your head. Taikang Road sure deserves a second look. These days, many artists and local designers have set up boutiques and laid- back cafés that have been drawing crowds of yuppies, fashionistas, designers and expatriates.

At the heart of Taikang Road are many art studios and galleries. This area has been home to many artists seeking a reprieve from the threat of demolition of artist's villages and communities by property developers in recent years. These studios which are mostly situated at Buildings 3 & 5, feature many contemporary works of design, painting and photography. There is no cover charge to view the works and you can always purchase any of the beautiful pieces created by the local artists in Shanghai. A long standing art center at lane 210 is Deke Erh Art Center, which was opened by Deke Erh himself. This influential art center holds his catalogue of published books on Shanghainese interior design and art decoration as well as Western architecture in Shanghai.

Every shop has different hours of operation. It is approximately within 10:00-23:00. Some bars will close later.

田子坊是由上海特有的石库门建筑群改建后形成的时尚地标性创意产业聚集区，也是不少艺术家的创意工作基地，人们将这里称为第二个'新天地'。但是和已经商业化的新天地有所不同，田子坊依然没有褪去它的市井气息，石库门的楼下可以是设计师的精致咖啡馆，楼上则飘着现在还居住在里面的居民阿婆刚洗好的床单、衣服。这里有卖复古眼镜和老式八音盒的小店，也有来自香港的潮牌服装店，所有奇特的小店都一股脑的挤进来，令人目不暇接。当然，如果你是一个吃货，那这里更有多家有趣新奇的创意料理店满足你的味蕾。

你可以花上半天时间回味一下老上海的弄堂生活场景，随意漫步在老弄堂里，看看房顶的老虎天窗、屋顶上细细排列的红瓦、山墙上的裂纹和绿苔，听到露天酒吧外坐着的老外们说着不同国家的语言，旁边夹杂着当地居民的清脆上海话。停下来找一个街头艺术家为自己画一幅肖像画。

如果走累了，你可以找一家咖啡馆坐下来，就着弄堂里的习习凉风，品味一顿美味下午茶。同样你也可以找家餐厅，这里有东南亚风情的莲池餐厅，店里柔软宽大的沙发，散发着异域情调的装饰，绘满佛像的壁画，让人有种回归旅途的冲动。当然这里也有一些时尚新兴的创意餐厅，比如便所欢乐主题餐厅，马桶造型座位、洗手盆造型的桌子，还有酷似'便便'样子的美食都让喜欢猎奇的顾客为之振奋。

入夜时分，这里更是很多夜猫族的时尚聚集地，露天的酒吧坐满了一张张不同肤色的脸孔，是一份清新雅致，伴随着布鲁斯音乐，慢慢享受着夜上海。