Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Pedestrian zone in central Shanghai, China
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is a major commercial street in central Shanghai, running from the Bund in the east to Yan'an East Road in the west. It is divided into an eastern and a western section, each with a different mix of shops, buildings, and activity.
The street began as a small lane in Shanghai's English Settlement and was officially named Nanjing Road in 1865. By the 1930s it had become one of the most active commercial streets in Asia, with large department stores opening one after another. In 1999, part of it was converted into a pedestrian zone.
The pedestrian zone sits in central Shanghai and can be reached by several metro lines, with stops at Nanjing East Road and People's Square serving the eastern section. The street is easiest to walk in the morning or on regular weekdays, as it gets crowded during evenings and public holidays.
Some of the department stores that opened on Nanjing Road in the 1930s were among the first in Asia to install escalators and air conditioning. These features were so unusual at the time that they drew people in just to experience them.
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