Waterside wonders

M50 Creative Park

Tucked away in an old industrial area along Suzhou Creek, this structure used to house a cotton mill and a textile factory between the 1920s and 1990s. When the factory was shut down, the site was turned into a space for the arts in 2000. Today, the space is home to a thriving contemporary artist community, which is comparable to the 798 art zone in Beijing. People can visit established galleries, including ShanghART and small studios showcasing works by emerging artists. The name of the park is short for its address, 50 Moganshan Road.

Mengqing Garden

This garden, which was built for environmental education, uses part of the former Shanghai Union Brewery as a museum to showcase the decadelong project that addressed the pollution of Suzhou Creek. In the park, water body-restoration technologies, including natural energy aeration, microbial treatment and aquatic plant purification, are demonstrated to visitors. Mengqing in Chinese means "the dream for lucidity".

East China University of Political Science and Law

The downtown campus of the East China University of Political Science and Law sits in the historical complex of St. John's University, which was founded in 1879 by US missionaries and regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China. The campus is home to many well-preserved historical buildings that incorporate Chinese and Western architectural elements.