Editor's note

This year is the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Shanghai metro. The subway has facilitated more than 13 billion journeys during its 20 years, and half of Shanghai citizens cite the metro as their favored mode of transport. To commemorate the anniversary, each week the Global Times will take an in-depth look at one metro station and its surroundings. In the case of downtown stations, we will focus on points of interest within walking distance; while for suburban areas, we will cast our net a little wider.

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This week's metro column brings us to Luban Road Station on metro Line 4, tapping into the city's oldest shipyard, largest photography equipment center and a newly opened shopping plaza. Located in the former Luwan district, the road was named after China's greatest craftsman, Lu Ban (507-444BC).

Jiangnan Shipbuilding Museum Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT

Jiangnan Shipbuilding Museum

Opened in December 2004, Jiangnan Shipbuilding Museum is Shanghai's only industrial museum that records a history dating back to the 19th century. The museum's 1800-square-meter exhibition space displays 459 photos, 77 objects (most of them replicas), 21 ship models and three interactive devices.

The predecessor to the Jiangnan Shipyard was the Jiangnan Machinery Works operated by the Qing (1644-1911) government.

In 1865, the founder of the Jiangnan Machinery Works wrote in a report to the emperor that "a foreign-owned factory in the Hongkou district of Shanghai is capable of producing guns, bullets, cannons and ships." He suggested that the emperor buy out the factory and make munitions so that they would be prepared in the event of war.

The Jiangnan Machinery Works was first opened in Hongkou district and moved to the former Luwan district in 1867. The factory soon became the most famous industrial base in the Far East.

Referred to as the cradle of China's modern industry, Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard started to move their plants to Changxing island in 2006, completing the relocation in 2008.

The museum is housed on two floors in the largest plant of the shipyard's former site in downtown Puxi, retaining most features of the factory. The exhibits on the second floor mainly introduce the history of the Jiangnan Machinery Works and the third floor exhibits tell the history of China's modern shipbuilding industry.

The museum is open to the public for free from Monday to Friday. Since the museum is hidden in an office building, it is closed if there are no visitors. Make sure to go to the reception desk in the lobby and ask the staff to turn on the electricity and open the door for you.

Address: 2/F to 3/F, 600 Luban Road

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 11 am and 1 pm to 4 pm

Call 6301-9797 ext 5888 for detailed information

Xingguang Photography Equipment

Xingguang Photography Equipment

Founded in 1996, the state-owned Xingguang Photography Equipment is the city's largest one-stop shopping center for photography products.

The century-old Xingguang was opened by Shanghainese owner Wang Guo'an in 1887 in Hongkou district. Back then, it was a secondhand store called Wan Jin Ji, collecting cameras, telescopes and watches for foreign sailors.

The store was moved to 472 Avenue Joffre (present-day 472 Huaihai Road Middle) in the 1930s and became an agency for high-end imported cameras and optical equipment.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the store became an integrated shop for all kinds of optical products and was later renamed Xinguang Optical Equipment.

The current seven-story Xingguang sells cameras, lenses, tripods, photoflood lamps and other gear for both amateurs and professional photographers. Both new and secondhand cameras can be found in the market.

Shop 405 on the fourth floor in section A is the Shanghai outlet for Think Tank photo, a US-based manufacturer that designs and sells camera bags. A wide selection of camera accessories designed for use by professional and advanced amateur photographers and multimedia producers is available at the shop.

57PS, a training school for amateurs and startup photographers to learn how to use photo editing software, sits on the sixth floor of section A. The school even offers a special course for online shop owners in need of Photoshop skills to touch up pictures of their products. The four-week course costs 2,600 yuan ($427).

Address: 300 Luban Road

Opening hours: 9 am to 7 pm

Call 630-18248 for detailed information

Huijing Life Square

Newly opened Huijing Life Square is the only shopping center in the neighborhood that offers affordable eats and quick bites.

A branch of the popular Grandma's Kitchen (1/F, Building A4, Huijing Life Square), not to be confused with the ubiquitous Hangzhou chain Waipo Jia, serves reasonably priced Cantonese cuisine, indulging dim sum, roast meats and casseroles.

Named after Eileen Chang's last book, the small dessert cafe Xiao Tuan Yuan (1/F, Building A6, Huijing Life Square) is a perfect place for friends to hang out in the afternoon. The chic and modern interior design features wooden floors, wooden walls and wooden tables.

A few bestsellers are displayed in the corner for customers to peruse and the shop allows customers to write comments and reviews with a marker pen on its windows.

Popular dishes include purple sweet potato with rice cakes (24 yuan) and the Hong Kong classic mango pomelo sago in coconut milk (26 yuan).

Address: 988 Quxi Road

Opening hours: 10 am to 10 pm

Call 6301-7700 for detailed information