Dongmen Street
Encyclopedia
Dongmen Street, located in Huangpu District
, Shanghai
, China
, extends west from Zhonghua Road and east to the Bund
of Huangpu River
, and is crossed by the South Zhongshan Road, one of the main traffic roads in downtown Shanghai.
, around 1700, when Shanghai became a small city for the first time, this street came to exist. The wall of the old city was built as a circle, totally on the west side of the Huangpu River. There are six gates to the outside--one north gate, one west gate, two south gates and two east gates. Among them, the east gate located on the west end of the Dongmen Street was the most important one in the old city.
Furthermore, at that time, river transportation was served as the most regular way to make purchase with other cities. The biggest dock in Shanghai, called Shiliupu, is near this east gate. So, the Dongmen Street which connected the East Gate and the Shiliupu Dock is surely to be the main street of old Shanghai, with shops alongside, goods in and out, and traffic across frequently.
The wall and all the gates including the East Gate were destroyed around 1920 to make the traffic in and out more conveniently. And nowadays, The Shiliupu Dock is no longer for transportation use but only for trip of the Huangu River instead. Dongmen Street, as a result, becomes a normal street of 20 meter wide, carrying four drives side by side. Shops are not as many as before. However, Dongmen Street is not far from Yuyuan Garden, an elaborate traditional garden in the Jiangnan
style, and one of the tourist sites of Shanghai. As a result, the north side of the street now serves as a parking center where many tourist buses park.
Huangpu District, Shanghai
Huangpu District , is one of Shanghai's 18 districts and makes up the eastern part of Shanghai's traditional urban core. Today's Huangpu District is sometimes referred to as "new Huangpu" to distinguish it from the pre-merger Huangpu District which existed before 2000. In 2000, the pre-merger...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, extends west from Zhonghua Road and east to the Bund
The Bund
The Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District...
of Huangpu River
Huangpu River
The Huangpu River is a -long river in China flowing through Shanghai...
, and is crossed by the South Zhongshan Road, one of the main traffic roads in downtown Shanghai.
History
Dongmen Street is a street with a long history. The word “Dongmen” means “east gate” in Chinese. In the end of the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, around 1700, when Shanghai became a small city for the first time, this street came to exist. The wall of the old city was built as a circle, totally on the west side of the Huangpu River. There are six gates to the outside--one north gate, one west gate, two south gates and two east gates. Among them, the east gate located on the west end of the Dongmen Street was the most important one in the old city.
Furthermore, at that time, river transportation was served as the most regular way to make purchase with other cities. The biggest dock in Shanghai, called Shiliupu, is near this east gate. So, the Dongmen Street which connected the East Gate and the Shiliupu Dock is surely to be the main street of old Shanghai, with shops alongside, goods in and out, and traffic across frequently.
The wall and all the gates including the East Gate were destroyed around 1920 to make the traffic in and out more conveniently. And nowadays, The Shiliupu Dock is no longer for transportation use but only for trip of the Huangu River instead. Dongmen Street, as a result, becomes a normal street of 20 meter wide, carrying four drives side by side. Shops are not as many as before. However, Dongmen Street is not far from Yuyuan Garden, an elaborate traditional garden in the Jiangnan
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta...
style, and one of the tourist sites of Shanghai. As a result, the north side of the street now serves as a parking center where many tourist buses park.