Donjiadu Lu (street) is in the South East part of Shanghai, near the Nanpu Bridge. The street is primarily known for all the various clothing stores that make clothes to order, using (heavily advertised) materials such as wool, cashmere, and silk.

Bargaining is required, and depending on your skills (and whether you are a foreigner or not), you could get a new pair of wool slacks custom made for $20, or a cashmere jacket measured to order for $70. Why so inexpensive (at least by US standards)? We were able to peek into the working conditions for some of the tailors, and the pictures speak for themselves. Combine that with the generally stated average salary in Shanghai of several hundred US dollars, and it starts to make sense. Labor is cheap.

Although this street is primarily known for its clothing stores/tailors, the majority of the people who work here also live in the area. This creates an interesting community that is partially reflected in the pictures below.