The French Concession - more precisely the former French Concession - is a swath of real estate about eight kilometers ( 5 mi) wide that was controlled by France from 1849 to 1943. Much of the French flavor and architecture lingers along tree-lined boulevards full of cafes, boutiques and upscale malls. Now in the districts of Luwan and Xuhui, the neighborhood is divided roughly in half by Huaihai Zhong Lu, one of the city's major shopping streets and once the "Quartier Russe" of the White Russian community.