Modern spaces located within old buildings reflect the gentrification process taking place in Shanghai. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The Wukang Road area in Shanghai’s Xuhui district can without doubt be ranked as one of the hippest locales in the city where gentrification has seemingly gone about unabated, with contemporary interior design breathing new life into many old buildings that are more than a century old. Many decades ago, the buildings in the area were actually used as a neighborhood kindergarten, a glove factory and office spaces.

This neighborhood is also home to Ferguson Lane, named after the American missionary John Ferguson who built the compound in 1907. Comprising several restaurants and cafes serving artisanal fare as well as home decor and fashion outlets catering to hipsters, this cosy complex used to be home to prominent diplomats in the country.

One of the latest additions to the Wukang Road stretch is the relatively new Grains cafe which opened last year. Owned by one of Shanghai’s most well-known restaurateurs Franck Pecol, the airy space is furnished with color-washed wood, contemporary lights and rustic metal stools upon which customers savor the establishment’s artisanal ice creams and specialty coffees.