Tianzifang is located at Lane 210, Taikang Road, in Huangpu District — a web of interlocking alleys that gradually evolved from traditional "shikumen" residential housing into a lively arts district starting in the late 1990s. The late Chinese artist Chen Yifei played a key role in this transformation early on, converting an abandoned factory in the area into an art studio.

Today the district's narrow lanes are packed with hundreds of art studios, craft shops, small cafes, restaurants, and galleries, giving it a spontaneous, lively character quite different from the more carefully planned Xintiandi nearby.

Visitors are encouraged to wander without a fixed route, enjoying the discovery of small shops and artistic corners tucked between old brick walls — offering a shopping and photography experience unlike anywhere else in modern Shanghai.