RIO Xie, a local resident, still remembers the favourite food of her childhood - a 1.5 yuan bowl of noodles sold in a small shabby store in a place called Taipingqiao (Peaceful Bridge).

"But now where the shop was, the price of a cup of coffee is 40 yuan (US$5)," she said.

The old shop's site is in the northwestern corner of one of the city's most fashionable addresses, Xintiandi.

In the 19th century, the area was a quagmire with a creek running through it. There was a bridge across the creek, which gives the area its name, Taipingqiao. In 1900, the creek was filled in and the bridge was pulled down.

The Taipingqiao area ran west to Jinan Lu, north to Shunchang Lu, east to Zizhong Lu and south to Xingye Lu. Before the development of Xintiandi, it occupied 52 hectares, with more than 70,000 residents and more than 800 enterprises.

In 1914, the former French Concession enlarged its area eastwards and of the now existing 193 lanes, 97 lanes were built in that period.

The Taipingqiao area connected the well-off residences and businesses of Huaihai Lu in the north with Zhaojiabang Lu in the south which used to be a slum area. It was a mixture of wealth and poverty and most of the residents were middle to lower class.

And the area does contain one big treasure - the site of the first Communist Party Congress in 1921.

(Star News)