Roadside booths selling delicate specialties were the order of the day on the road.
For many years, old Wujiang Road has been one of my favorite streets.
It is, or was, only about 500 meters long, twisty and narrow and arguably the most famous snack street in Shanghai.
So when I heard that the street's west section had reopened on June 27 after two years of renovation, I visited on the weekend with gusto only to be disappointed.
Wujiang Road is in the southeast of Jing'an District near People's Square. It is divided into two sections, east and west, by Shimen No. 1 Road.
While the street's east section is basically unchanged, the west section has been turned into a fashionable pedestrian street, with cafes, restaurants and boutiques on both sides. It is well-organized and spotless.
However, the street's unique charm is lost. Now it's no different from many other commercial pedestrian streets.
The west section is filled with brands like Starbucks, Levi's, Nike, and ONLY, but no shops sell snacks like sheng jian (fried buns) or xiao long bao (steamed buns) that were so popular and characteristic of the once-thriving snack street.
Price is another problem. While in the east, you can buy a pretty decent meal or snack for less than 10 yuan (US$1.46), in the west that will barely buy you a drink.
Only the east section, no more than 200 meters long, retains its distinctive flavor. It is a great place to relax. Small restaurants and street vendors are clustered there, offering various snacks and small meals that are generally very cheap and very Chinese.