You are learning french concession: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (neighborhood vocabulary), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
The Former French Concession (法租界, Fǎzūjiè) is Shanghai's most beloved neighborhood — plane-tree-lined streets, 1930s villas, independent cafés, and the highest density of excellent restaurants per block anywhere in China.
Wukang Road (武康路) is the most photographed street in Shanghai — a curved boulevard of plane trees, 1920s and 30s villas, and small independent businesses that somehow survive between the luxury boutiques. At its north end, the Wukang Mansion (武康大楼), a wedge-shaped 1924 building that Shanghai has designated a cultural relic.
The stranger is walking slowly, phone in pocket, no destination. A local woman about his age is photographing the planes trees. He stops beside her.
「这条街太美了！梧桐树充满了历史感。」 She looks at him. Foreigner who speaks Mandarin and knows the word 梧桐树. She is pleased. 「是啊！这里是法租界最美的一条街。」
「附近有没有好的咖啡店？我想散步顺便喝杯咖啡。」 She thinks. 「武康大楼下面有一家，露天的，可以看到大楼。」 Perfect.