A Crowded Shanghai Street by Shanghai, China - ca. 1885

A crowded street in the Old City of Shanghai, the former Nanshi district. Albumen print, mounted. 8 ¼ x 10 ½ inches. Manuscript caption in ink on mount: "Straat in Shanghai" This is a fine photograph of a bustling street in the Old City of Shanghai, the former Nanshi district. The Old City, also known as the Chinese City, is the traditional urban center of Shanghai. Defensive city walls built during the Ming Dynasty marked the district's boundaries until their destruction in the 20th century. Parts of the city walls remain. This early photograph shows a commercial street in the Nanshi district crowed with several rickshaws and large numbers of pedestrians. A man is pictured pushing a wheelbarrow carrying goods down the road. This photograph offers a glimpse of Chinese urban life in 19th century in Shanghai.