Shaanxi Road S.

Shaanxi Road S. starting at Huaihai Road, begins to quieten down and is ideal for an afternoon shopping stroll. The road is dotted with small shops full of fresh flowers and their perfumes cascade out onto the street. Decorator and household items'boutiques loom as you amble further along the street. Here is where it becomes quieter and displays a little bit of its history. Ideally, this area in Shaanxi Road S. is where to find individual items with which to decorate the home.

1. Decorator delights

In Life Shop has everything you need for decorating the home. It imports from India, Thailand and Vietnam and also maintains an in-house design team. There are 10 outlets in Shanghai and this one on Shaanxi Road is the flagship. The shop covers two floors, the first consisting of smaller decorator and home items from tablecloths, vases, candles, cushions, kettles, glasses and mugs. The second features Asian-influence furniture, ranging in price from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan, including couches, side tables, display cabinets and chairs. It's great for gifts with the cheapest a 9.90-yuan candle.

2. Colorful flowers

Shangpin specializes in fake flowers and has been in Shanghai for 10 years offering all types of flowers in many colors. Shangpin also does decorator items, vases and pot plants as tall as yourself and will tailor make a flower arrangement to your desire. Prices range from 1,000 to 5000 yuan and Shangpin is always bringing in new products so they are sure to eventually have something you like.

3. Asian variety

There are no shortages of Southeast Asian furniture stores around town, but few can beat Asian View in terms of space and the variety of products. The two-floor spacious store, which opened five years ago, has a wide selection of furniture pieces from India, Indonesia and Thailand. Here, you can pick up a 115 yuan (US$16.8) mirror frame or an ancient Indian door priced at 35,000 yuan. The exotic but stylish furniture pieces will not only reflect your personal taste, but also display product quality, durability and match your lifestyle. There is also a selection of antiques to buy.

4. Reading treasures

Luwan Library was established in 1959, at the corner of Shaanxi Road S. and Shaoxing Road. It incorporates a century-old Spanishstyle villa and thousands of ancient Chinese books, providing an elegant reading environment for residents. The library, built in the 1920s, was

opened to the public as Ming- Fu Library in 1931, on the former site of China Science Society. It displays more than 7,000 ancient Chinese books, some dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and including subjects such as Chinese culture and history, poems, biographies and ancient war strategies. It also stocks foreign language books and journals. Compared to the modern libraries scattered around the city, this one is more elegant due to its location and architectural style.