Formerly known as a gastronomy paradise, Shanghai's Huanghe Road used to be home to over 100 restaurants, many of which served high-end fare that only the rich and famous could afford.

But everything started to change in the mid-1990s when a spate of changes sapped the lustre out of this bustling street.

New safety regulations, for example, saw the iconic neon signs that gave the street much of its character torn from the buildings. Fried snakes, a delicacy that many intrepid gourmands sought after, were also banned. The Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and the SARS pandemic in 2003 subsequently resulted in many restaurants closing down.

But the area is now experiencing a revival of sorts, with throngs of people armed with cameras flocking to it in search of nostalgia and historical clues.

Wang Yongfen, who has been living in a shikumen lane house on Huanghe Road for the last 35 years, said she has never seen such crowds before.

The reason behind this phenomenon is Blossoms Shanghai, a new television series by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai that was released on December 27, 2023.

Adapted from Chinese writer Jin Yucheng's award-winning novel Fan Hua (Blossoms), the TV series takes audiences back to 1990s Shanghai when the city was experiencing unprecedented economic growth and prosperity.

"The TV series did a great job in portraying Shanghai in the 1990s. Although the names of the restaurants and shops in the drama were made up, the scenes got me reminiscing about the many old-school restaurants and bars here," said the 60-year-old.

Many others have also lauded the accuracy of the details depicted in the show, such as how many restaurants used to be open from lunchtime to dawn, and how people needed to make reservations up to two weeks in advance.

"Restaurants here were the pioneers in introducing Hong Kong cuisine to the city. Many top chefs from Hong Kong used to work in the restaurants here," recalled Wang.

"Hong Kong dishes quickly became popular as pop songs and movies from Hong Kong were highly sought after here in the 1990s. It was common to see photos of restaurant owners posing with famous movie stars and singers from Hong Kong."

A security guard surnamed Zhang who works at an office building along the road told China Daily that the area has been overflowing with visitors since the launch of the new show.