First, it was Wujiang Lu’s alluring, dirty, crowded street stalls--like the notoriously greasy and delicious Yang’s shengjian buns and vendors of scrumptious, messy, garlicky roasted oysters--which CW recently reported are being kicked out in the name of progress.

Now, rumors are making the rounds that Tongchuan Lu’s sprawling seafood market is picking up and moving, tank, stock and barrel. So, for all you seafood lovers, I’ve compiled the freshest facts.

Oh no, where can I go for my fresh seafood fix now?

No need to panic just yet, the relocation has only just begun and there are still plenty of vendors at Tongchuan Lu for now.

The vendors are slowly making their move to two major areas:

The most convenient one to reach from downtown is the Jiangyang fishery market which just opened on September 2, 2008. There aren't many vendors there yet, but at least one third of them will eventually move to this location, as it's not too far away from Tongchuan Lu.

The largest new seafood market will be on Jungong Lu in Yangpu District. Unfortunately it’s quite a hike from downtown, near Gong Qing forest park. However, the digs are positively luxurious compared to the Tongchuan area. All stalls will be spacious and located inside a huge indoor market.

What’s the history of Tongchuan Lu?

In 1996, the street opened at first as a regular wet market, but it slowly grew thanks to an abundance of space due to its location on the city's outskirts. More and more vendors gathered there over time, until it grew to 1500 stalls.

When did Tongchuan vendors start to move?

The district government's decision to move Tongchuan Lu was released in early 2007, but as new buildings had not begun construction yet, the actual physical move didn't begin untill very recently, around the end of August.

What will happen to the area after the move?

The Zhen Ru area, where Tongchuan Lu is located, will be become another commercial center of Shanghai (like we need another) and also the most important commercial center of Putuo district.

What other culinary tragedies are on the horizon?

The Putuo government has decided to move all of its 12 huge wet markets (Tongchuan being one) into even more remote areas, so they can sell the land and build skyscrapers and shopping centers.

View all my latest articles on my dining blog - The Dish