After 16 years in Jing'an, enjoying the spoils of central Shanghai, I've moved to Kangqiao. This is the true uncharted frontier, resting in the gentle lands between Lujiazui and Disneyland. It's a vast landscape with loose borders, a few kilometers south of the airport and north of Longyang Lu (the Maglev station). While not exactly a gold rush, it does offer one vital expat resource: international schools. That's what brought a visible handful of expat families and teachers—myself included.

I'll be honest: I don't love Kangqiao, but I also don't mind it. It's not a destination, but there are some vibes. You get more bang for your buck, you're close to schools, and the community is strong. As the expat wagon-trail pushes forward, it brings pizza, a couple of decent happy hours, and a good cheese plate. But it depends on where you are.

Most of the Kangqiao vibe centers around Xiuyan Lu, between Kangqiao Station (Line 18) and Xiuyan Lu Station (Line 11). That puts you two stops from Disneyland, about 45 minutes from C's Bar, which is cool. But also sucks. Between 5–11 pm, Line 11 is a war zone of strung-out kids in Disney cosplay. Feral. But four stops to Longyang Lu isn't bad—that gets you everywhere in 30 minutes.

Housing

Xiuyan Lu is also home to the Holiday Inn, housing international businesspeople visiting nearby auto factories. They bring a transient foreign vibe—dense one day, gone the next. The area's leaning into it: new coffee shops, new restaurants. I hope one is Korean BBQ. Also: sick pool at the Holiday Inn. No brunch, though.

You'll see packs of foreigners. The herd is still thin, but there's a clear migration to cheaper pastures and schools. The epicenter is the Cambridge housing compound, which dominate Xiuyan Lu. For 16k, you can get a shiny three-bedroom house. Silicon Valley suburban: bikes, kids, barbecues, community. It's super chill. I want to live there.

I live across the street in the Cambridge Apartments. Not the houses. 10k got me three bedrooms, two balconies, and space. Plus, I'm surrounded by decent food. Not downtown-decent, but solid second-tier. Like Suzhou-decent.

Another great spot: Cambridge Kangqiao Villas—not to be confused with plain-old Cambridge Apartments (where I live). These are brand new and massive, with full sporting facilities—basketball courts, running track, and ping-pong tables. They were asking 8k for a three-bedroom. One room was basically a walk-in closet, but still. VIP vibes daily.

Eating and Drinking

Kangqiao has two solid foreign-ish bars: The Blue Fig and Lavo Boho. Both are on Xiuyan Lu, near the Holiday Inn and Cambridge Compounds. I like them both, and that's coming from a Jing'an food snob.

The Blue Fig runs a daily two-for-one Sapporo happy hour (45 RMB). Good pour, clean taps. Great baked brie cheese plate, decent pizza. On any given day, it's semi-full with overworked teachers, drowning sorrows in a pop playlist. Fridays are busier—basically the only real party spot in Kangqiao. You'll see me there.

[Editor's note: Jan 30, 2026: Just 4 days after we published this article, the Blue Fig seems to have closed. Win some, lose some. Cosmic ballet. ]

Next door: Lavo Boho. Best waffle I've had in China. Hard outside, soft inside, perfect grid-to-ice-cream ratio. Plus a happy hour with more beers on tap than the Fig.

Across the street is a gem of a Xinjiang place. Streetside seating, massive BBQ skewers. Feeds the family for 80 RMB. Grimy look, exceptional food: fresh naan, well-cut meat, 10 RMB beers. Last time, a band showed up on e-bikes and started jamming. Not part of the restaurant. Just a vibe.

Also: a German bakery doing excellent cold-cut sandwiches (rare even downtown). They've got pizza and bread. Nearby, a sushi place and a decent yakitori joint with irresponsibly cheap highballs.

Groceries? Not one, but two Aldis.

Things are coming up Kangqiao.

Schools

This might be the real draw. Kangqiao puts you close to Nord Anglia, Canadian International, Shanghai United, Shanghai Pudong Private, and maybe Wellington.

That's why we're here. No more 5:30am alarms. It's 1987 out here. Kids bike to school. A girl jogged past me in neon shorts with a poodle. I saw a payphone. Packs of middle schoolers wandering home. A suburban sense of community, where kids can be kids.

My 11-year-old and a friend went out for sushi alone and walked home at 7pm. That's a big move. Shanghai is safe. Living near your kid's school changes everything. You can walk to your friend's house. There are barbecues. I'd been here three weeks before getting invited to a birthday party. It was great. Good people, good vibe. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Recreation

No clubs. Bars are soft. KTV in a mall. But outdoor space? Tons.

Every hundred meters: tennis or badminton. An indoor skatepark where they train Olympic skaters. It's run by a champ. Basketball courts everywhere. The big park near Cambridge Apartments is three city blocks, has a river, and hammocks. Chill.

There are two decent malls, one ghetto one. But one has Uniqlo, so you can still buy elastic jeans and feel like an adult.

If you're old-ish, have kids, and want to chill among low-rises, Kangqiao is a good choice. The trade-off is a 45-minute Didi downtown and limited waimai options. But the community vibe and barbecues are real.

I've always been downtown ride-or-die. Peter Pan in Jing'an. But after a month in Kangqiao, I'm contemplating prosecco. I want to rewatch Melrose Place. A Friday two-for-one is enough bad decision energy for me. Sometimes I'm hungover, and I'm okay with that. Live bigger for less. Walk everywhere. Cook at home.

In the immortal words of Master P: "Let the kids grow."

Kangqiao forward.