Sino-French Citywalk, an Open-air Lesson in History, Urban Changes

More than 40 teachers and students from China and abroad stepped out of the classroom and onto Jing'an's streets this week, joining a citywalk that turned Shanghai into an open-air lesson in history and urban change.

The group, from the SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT), a Sino-French engineering program co-founded by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and ParisTech, traced a route through the downtown district's historic streets and landmarks, including the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the shikumen-style complex Zhangyuan, and the historic Shaanxi Road N.

Along the way, they received multilingual maps in Chinese, English and French, outlining four curated citywalk routes across Jing'an that connect heritage sites, cultural venues, commercial streets and public spaces.

The initiative is part of "Urban Classroom," a program launched by SimpliCity, co-founded by Shanghai historian and cultural researcher Zhu Yining, which uses guided walks to turn the city into a platform for cross-cultural learning.

The aim is to make learning beyond the classroom, encouraging participants to read the city through its streets and buildings, and to understand how history, daily life, and urban development intersect in Shanghai's evolving urban landscape.