Dating back ten centuries and formerly encircled by ramparts (the scant remains of which are still visible), the old city of Shanghai has the appearance of a huge network of alleyways. A distant echo of ancestral China, it lives according to the rhythm of its bird, plant and flea markets, as well as the religious rituals in its temples and mosque that are still part of daily life here. A canal runs through the district, a silent witness to the significant restoration that its traditional two-storey houses are currently undergoing.