The city's past lives on in unexpected ways, He Qi reports in Shanghai.

Editor's note: China Daily reporters leverage local expertise to devise diverse itineraries that showcase a blend of historical landmarks and natural wonders in highly recommended cities and sites, offering practical guidance to experience the country.

Set at the mouth of the Yangtze River and shaped by the Huangpu River, Shanghai is one of China's largest economic hubs and a leading international center for finance, trade and innovation. More than a century after its port opened, the city remains a meeting point of Chinese and Western cultures.

Its innovative spirit keeps it at the forefront of development, while historic heritage blends seamlessly with contemporary life. The result is a living book best explored on foot.

Lined with plane trees, Huaihai Middle Road captures the enduring charm of Shanghai's century-old neighborhoods. Here, heritage buildings are anything but dusty museum pieces. Queues outside time-honored eateries speak to generations of food memories, while homegrown designer labels and trendy boutiques have found new homes in old garden villas.

Everyday street life and cutting-edge style thrive side by side, giving familiar facades a fresh lease on life.

Across clusters of shikumen stone-gate houses and garden villas, the city takes on a different mood as the day unfolds.

At Sinan Mansions, regular reading sessions and weekend markets bring art and literature into historic surroundings. In Xintiandi, Shanghai Fashion Week transforms age-old lanes into a showcase for Chinese design.

After dark, Fuxing Park becomes a lively destination for light installations and live music. Historical spaces adapt to the city's day-and-night rhythm, welcoming art, fashion and youthful energy.

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The winding Huangpu River ties together a broader urban tapestry. The Bund's iconic waterfront architecture bears a century of history. Beneath Lujiazui's skyscrapers, annual coffee festivals draw global roasters and enthusiasts alike. On the West Bund, former industrial relics have been reborn as public leisure waterfronts, where running paths, skate parks and pet-friendly spaces return the city's finest riverfront to ordinary residents.

From tree-shaded historical streets to riverside promenades, from century-old food stalls to cutting-edge creative spaces, exploring Shanghai on foot reveals more than its sights. It offers a glimpse of a city where new ideas and ways of life continually take root in a historic urban fabric, and where every step uncovers a new layer of its character.

Contact the writer at heqi@chinadaily.com.cn