Historic eras may have come and gone, but they always leave a trace of themselves for future generations to find. When walking along the old roads in Shanghai's Hongkou district, you can easily find fragments of the past. If you don't know where to start, here is a brief introduction to Hongkou district's most famous roads.

Duolun Road

Although Duolun Road only stretches about 550 meters, it used to be where great literature masters, such as Lu Xun (1881-1936), Mao Dun (1896-1981), Guo Moruo (1892-1978), Su Xuelin (1897-1999) and Ye Shengtao (1894-1988) lived, pondered and wrote about the world. The street's distinctive architecture will fill you with a sense of wonder.

At the corner of Duolun Road stands a clock tower built with red bricks. Its name, Xi Shi, comes from one of Lu Xun's soft prose collections entitled Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, which poetically reflects the flow of time.

It is the perfect place to grab a book from the nearby stores and immerse yourself in a realm of literature.

The interesting architecture on Duolun Road. [Photo/WeChat account: hongkouly]

Changchun Road

With the Sassoon complexes located on one side and the British apartment building North End Court standing on the other, Changchun Road becomes a unique integration of decorative classism and modern simplicity.

Here you can find the former site of the Wood Carving Institute, which is the starting place of China's wood carving movement.

Changchun Road is bordered by the Sassoon complexes on one side and North End Court on the other. [Photo/WeChat account: hongkouly]

Kunshan Road

As one of the oldest roads in Hongkou district, this 400-meter-long street is lined with historical buildings.

Young Allen Church, a Methodist church in Hongkou named for missionary Young John Allen, stands out with its golden roof and Victorian architecture. Not far away from the church is the former site of Soochow University's School of Law, a cradle of legal talent.

If you visit the road in spring, you can enjoy the sight of beautiful cherry blossoms that seem to dance in the wind.

The golden roof of Young Allen Church on Kunshan Road. [Photo/WeChat account: hongkouly]

Tanggu Road

Tanggu Road is home to the Hongkew Market, Shanghai's first modern comprehensive indoor food market.

Also along this road is the Pearce Apartment, which is similar to the Monster Building in Hong Kong. Its stereoscopic facade continues to attract many tourists to this day.

Other amazing architectures include the former site of St. Francis Xavier's College.

Shanghai Beef and Mutton Company, established in the 1980s, has been operating its store on Tanggu Road for over 40 years. During sanfu, known as China's "dog days of summer," which comprises three 10-day periods predicted to have the hottest days of the year, and when people are preparing to stay healthy and put on weight in autumn, there is a constant flow of customers coming to Tanggu Road to purchase beef and mutton.

Huangpu Road

Built in the middle of the 19th century, Huangpu Road has witnessed the ups and downs of modern Shanghai like an old friend sitting.

Due to its convenient location, Huangpu Road is host to many consulates. Also located here is the Waibaidu Bridge, which is also known as the Garden Bridge.

A photo of Huangpu Road. [Photo/WeChat account: hongkouly]

Even though you can walk through all the roads and streets in less than an hour, visitors can still get a taste of Shanghai's rich history.

Sources: "hongkouly", "SHLife0021", "chuanbeijiedao", "hongkououyang" WeChat accounts, shhk.gov.cn