A storyteller from nature

The shape of plane tree leaves are similar to those of the maple tree. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Shaoxing Road has for decades been famous for the publishing houses located along it. Most of the buildings were constructed around 80 years ago and over the decades, generations of writers and editors have worked within. The smell of the air here is a distinct blend of the scent of tree leaves, ink and paper.

Located at No 27 Shaoxing Road is a huge villa built in 1936 that has been repurposed into a garden restaurant specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. It is a popular venue for wedding receptions because of its beautiful garden, which can be viewed from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby.

Du Yuesheng, the crime lord who ruled the gangs on the Bund in Shanghai in the 1930s and '40s, once bought this three-story house for his third concubine Yao Yulan, a Peking Opera actress from Beijing. His daughter, Du Meiru, once said on a television show that the family had employed 17 servants. Such is the size of the villa.

But these iconic plane trees are not exclusive to historical venues only as they can also be found in numerous other streets in Shanghai, including those that were built in recent years.

The Golden City Pedestrian Street in the Gubei community in Changning district is one example. Walking or cycling along such a street in the evenings is considered by the locals as one of the greatest pleasures of living in Shanghai.

Here, the road is flanked by old and new buildings, elegant cafes and quaint alleys between garden homes where residents jog and walk their dogs. Life in this part of the Shanghai seems to slow down a few notches, and the idyllic scenes along the street almost feels like an antidote to the bustle of city life.