Shanghai/Hongkou

Hongkou is on the northeast side of Shanghai. The district is most known for Hongkou Stadium, Shanghai University's campus and Lu Xun Park.

Understand

Hongkou ghetto sign

Jewish Heritage

There have been Jews in China for a long time. The first synagogue was built in Kaifeng in 1163 and there had certainly been a small community of Jews (Silk Road traders) settled there for at least a few hundred years before that.

As Shanghai grew after it opened to foreign trade in the 1840s, Jewish traders arrived; by the early 20th century, Shanghai had a substantial Jewish population and many of them lived in Hongkou. More Jews, and quite a few White Russians, arrived fleeing Russia, before or shortly after the 1917 revolution. Then when the Japanese took Manchuria in 1931, many people from the fairly large Jewish community in Harbin fled south. Also, as life in Germany became untenable for Jews in the 1930s, many more Jewish refugees came to Shanghai.

After the Japanese took the city in 1937, a ghetto was created in Hongkou. The sign in the photo commemorates that period.

After the end of the Second World War came a Chinese Civil War, ending with the Communist victory in 1949. Most of the Jews left Shanghai in this period, mainly going to either Hong Kong or Israel, but some remained.

Get in

The district is served by metro lines  3 ,  4 , and  8 . Line 4 has a roughly circular route around downtown Shanghai; from Hongkou it goes west to Shanghai Railway Station in Zhabei or east and south to central Pudong. Going north from Hongkou, lines 3 and 8 both extend into the northern suburbs. Going south, line 3 runs next to line 4 around the western edge of downtown, then veers off to end at Shanghai South Railway Station. Line 8 goes right to the center of town at People's Park then across the river into the southwestern part of Pudong, and it ends in Pujiang, a part of Minhang that is east of the Huangpu river.

See

• 1 1933 Shanghai (1933 Laochangfang), 10 Shajing Rd (Hailun Rd Metro Station, line  3 . Not too close to the metro station, so a taxi is advised), ☏ +86 21 6888 1933. 10:00 - 22:00. An abattoir with impressive architecture, built in colonial times, has been renovated into an artist centre, with a theatre, shops, cafes, restaurants and creative design buildings. 
• 2 Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (上海犹太难民纪念馆), 62 Changyang Road (长阳路62号) (Tilanqiao Metro Station, Line  12 ), ☏ +86 21 65126669, info@shjews.com. Normal opening hours are 09:00-17:00. The museum is at the site of what used to be the Ohel Moishe Synagogue. The synagogue was built in 1928 by Russian Jews and was one of the principal places of worship for Jewish refugees in Shanghai during the Second World War. ¥20. (updated Aug 2020)
• 3 Shanghai Postal Museum (上海邮政博物馆), 395 Tiantong Road (天潼路395号) (just outside Tiantong Road Station at the intersection of Lines 10 and 12), ☏ +86 21 63936666. W Th Sa Su 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:00; closed M Tu F; on W Th only the 2nd floor is open. Occupies the historic General Post Office Building, a landmark building that was built in 1924. Free. (updated Aug 2020)

Do

Lu Xun Park is a large and popular green space for both respite and fun

• 1 Lu Xun Park (Metro line  8 / 9 , Hongkou Stadium). This park provides a quiet spot for reading, meditation, and exercising, yet on the eastern side are plenty of rides small kids would enjoy and a lake with boats for rent. Lu Xun — one of the most important Chinese writers of the 20th century — is buried here and has both a memorial statue and clock in his honor. Mao was an admirer and did an inscription for the tomb. There is a tea shop near the north entrance which often has people playing Go. Free, boats and rides extra.  
• 2 North Bund and Shikumen Houses. A pleasant walk would start from International Cruise Terminal metro station, line  12 . Visit the Baiyulan Square Shopping Center to admire its architecture. Then head towards the river and a bit to the right, where you can climb and jump in the adventure park, both adults and children. Walk along the river bank towards east, you will find old pictures and stories about the wharf and see ships being loaded, as well as a yacht park. Turn your head to the north when you're near Xinjian Road, to see the Music Gate building. A long portion of the river bank is nicely arranged for visitors, till Yangshupu Road station, line  4 . The you can walk along Lintong Road to see the old Shanghai. The National Anthem Gallery is at Dalian Road station, lines  4  and  12 , where you can end your walk. The gallery is free and it's described in the Yangpu District article. (updated Nov 2019)

Buy

• 1933 Shanghai, listed under #See, has many artists' studios and some galleries with various works available for purchase.

Eat

• 1 Red Square, 3rd floor, 1933 Shanghai, 10 Shajing Rd, Hongkou. Russian restaurant with authentic Russian dishes. Good atmosphere, OK food and slow service. 

Sleep

Budget

• Sleeping Dragon Hostel (上海歇龙国际青年旅社), 394 Zhoushan Rd (舟山路394，虹口区，上海) (Metro Line 4 Lingpin Rd), ☏ +86 21-65351562, sleepingdragon.yh@gmail.com. Youth hostel rooms and showers are very clean. There is a street market just outside of the hostel. The hostel is in a traditional Chinese area of Shanghai with a Jewish history from the early 20th century. Services, available in English, include travel planning, plane and train ticket booking. No curfew, laundry, reasonably priced drinks, books and DVDs for borrow, international calls from the front desk, free internet, CD/CVD burning, free breakfast and additional menu for other food. ¥55, privates ¥75-180. 

Mid-range

• Jiu Long Hotel Jin Jiang, 601 Liyang Rd, ☏ +86 21-61226688 Ext 7800 (reservations). The location is great to explore Shanghai’s cultural treasures and other places of interest. Shopaholics will be thrilled to know that this hotel is adjacent to an 8-story shopping mall. 
• New Asia Hotel Jin Jiang, 422 Tiantong Rd, ☏ +86 21-63242210. Offers 328 guestrooms, all of which have air-conditioning, satellite TV with in-room movies, and high-speed Internet. Some of its amenities include sauna, health/fitness center, and massage service. Best rates on official website start at ¥228+. 
• South China Harbour View Hotel (中南海滨酒店), 53 Huangpu Rd, ☏ +86-21-56660808. Close to Waibaidu Bridge, on the Huangpu River. 
• Shanghai Yinbo Hotel, 135 Tiantong Rd, ☏ +86 21-63566288. Three-star hotel near Shanghai’s city conveniences and popular landmarks. It offers cozy accommodation and friendly service. 
• Swan Hotel, 2211 N Sichuan Rd, ☏ +86 21-56665666. 3-star hotel. All rooms are air-conditioned and feature high-speed Internet access, cable TV, safe, and IDD telephone. It also houses conference rooms that can accommodate up to 100 persons, and nine restaurants. 

Splurge

• Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel Shanghai (上海宝隆美爵酒店), 180 Yixian Rd, ☏ +86 21-35059666, toll-free: +400 8182688 (reservations), fax: +86 21-56632710, info@grandmercurebaolong.com. Close to major shopping areas, points of interest and cultural centres, including local attractions such as Lu Xun Park, historic Duolun Rd and Fudan University.