Shanghai Corners - Block Prints by Nicholas Brown: Yonkang Series

The Yongkang Series

Yongkang Road has been the center for expat and local leisure entertainment for many years. Once known as the 'bar street', it has evolved into a hub for trendy, independent coffee shops and restaurants. The area also contains some of the last remaining old neighborhoods in Shanghai, making it a lively mix of old and new.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a street scene in Shanghai on Yongkang Road by artist Nicholas Brown, depicting people lined up for covid testing.

Yongkang Queue
hand printed linocut, limited edition of 100
image: 12" x 9" (30.5cm x 23cm), paper: 15" x 11" (38cm x 28cm)
©2022. All rights reserved.

Yongkang Road has been the center for expat and local leisure entertainment for many years. First known to expats as the "bar street", it has evolved into a hub for trendy independent coffee shops and restaurants. During lockdown and the period following it, the street was filled with long lines of people waiting in queue for their mandatory Covid tests. Thankfully today, the biggest lines are for people waiting for coffee or ice cream.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a view over the French Concession area of Shanghai near Yongkang Road by artist Nicholas Brown.

View Over Yongkang
hand printed linocut, limited edition of 100
image: 12" x 9" (30.5cm x 23cm), paper: 15" x 11" (38cm x 28cm)
©2022. All rights reserved.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a street scene in Shanghai at the intersection of Xianyang and Yongkang Roads by artist Nicholas Brown.

Jianbing Corner
hand printed linocut, limited edition of 100
image: 12" x 9" (30.5cm x 23cm), paper: 15" x 11" (38cm x 28cm)
©2022. All rights reserved.

Jianbing is a traditional Chinese street pancake that is usually eaten for breakfast. Its outer layer is a thin pancake, similar to a crepe, on which an egg or two is smeared while it is cooking, then fried dough, a special brown sauce and other optional items are added before it is folded up and cut in half for easy eating on the street. This print depicts the corner of Yonkang Road and Xianyang Road in the area of the former French Concession in which the window in the lower left center was where our favorite jianbing shop was. This corner of the block has now been emptied and is slated to be torn down to make way for a small park, but the jianbing shop has moved just down Xianyang so we can still enjoy these fabulous treats.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a street scene in Shanghai on Yongkang Road by artist Nicholas Brown.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a street scene in Shanghai on Jiashan Road depicting a wet fish market by artist Nicholas Brown.

Jiashan Road runs perpendicular to Yongkang Road in the former French Concession. This is one of the last areas where much of the old neighborhood has survived redevelopment and consists mostly of two story buildings with businesses on the first floors and residences above. On the right side of this image we see the gated entrance to the Xinxingshun Li residential area behind and to the left of that is the small fish market, where live fish are sold out of styrofoam boxes filled with water. To the left of that is a fresh fruit store and some other businesses. This area is very active with people walking and biking to their shopping or to socialize on the nearby Yongkang Road.

A black and white, linoleum block print of a street scene in Shanghai featuring a shikumen gate, on Jiashan Road by artist Nicholas Brown.