Huaihai Road Commercial Street

This guide to Huaihai Road Commercial Street in Shanghai traces its start as Avenue Joffre, when White Russian emigres fleeing the 1917 revolution filled the French Concession boulevard with cafes, bakeries and taverns after 1920. It follows the street's repeated renamings under French, Japanese, Nationalist and Communist rule before it settled on Huaihai in 1950. You'll hear why locals once called it the Oriental Nevsky Prospect. Look for what still lingers beneath the plane trees.