Old Shanghai

I really loved this part of town which is around the Yuyuan Gardens, one of the most beautiful of ancient gardens in China. 
What is there to like?  For one thing, I am very enamored with the pagoda.  It has such graceful lines, and while the inside may be sparsely furnished and have little in the way of storage space, the way it fills the air is truly graceful.  The other is the additional ornamentation.  All the lanterns and lovely paper sculptures that grace the sky above our heads walking through the crowded market place is festive.  It is hard not to feel celebratory in such environs.  Finally, the narrow alleyways and small stores all crowded together is something that I love.  My favorite was the medinas in Morocco, but Shanghais are well worth exploring.
The old parts of Shanghai are quietly and quickly disappearing and high rises that are well outside the means of the folks who currently live there are replacing them.  So if you want to see old Shanghai, you better be quick about it.