Caojiadu is located in the northwest of the territory and southeast of Suzhou Creek. In the 18th year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty (1892), Chinese businessmen bought land to build oil trucks, and then set up silk reeling factories and flour mills, so that a large number of workers settled nearby and built houses and opened shops on both sides of the road. Due to its proximity to Wusong River and convenient water transportation, wealthy businessmen and tycoons have set up foreign yarn mills, weaving mills, feather mills, oil mills, light bulb factories and Hong Chengtai and Xu Tongchun grain stores, and the market has gradually developed. Later, due to frequent wars, the number of residents who moved here to take refuge increased sharply, shacks developed rapidly, and businesses extended from north to south and from west to east, forming a commercial market town in western Shanghai. A large number of shops such as rice, oil sauce, firewood and small department stores have been opened in the region. Spring Garden Tea House, Bath Pool Bathroom, Huxi Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant, Wukunshan Flower Shop and Qiantaixin grocery store have been opened one after another, and the Huaguang Theater of Huxi Cinema has been opened, making the business market prosperous.

After the liberation of Shanghai, a large number of working people lived in Caojiadu area, and commercial outlets gradually expanded to surrounding areas. Caojiadu is located at the junction of Jing 'an, Changning and Putuo Districts, among which the Wujiaochang is the intersection of five roads, where people and cars gather and distribute, naturally forming a busy city with concentrated commercial and catering services in western Shanghai. In this area, Yuyao Road starts in the east, Huayang Road in the west, Caojiazhai in the south and Suzhou River in the north. In the meantime, there are 114 shops under the jurisdiction of Jing 'an District (excluding self-employed). Casual snacks and popular snacks are its characteristics, serving wonton, noodles, cakes, fried dough sticks, soybean milk, rice, vegetable bags, fried steamed bread and so on. The shops that supply daily necessities are mainly middle and low grade, and the industry categories are relatively complete, including department stores, clothing, hardware, electric power, daily groceries, tobacco and paper groceries, miscellaneous cereals and oils, watches and glasses, silk and woolen fabrics, and repair services.

Since the reform and opening up, the commerce in Caojiadu area has developed to multi-level consumption. Kaikai Industrial Co., Ltd. set up a glasses store and a gold and silver jewelry store here to supply brand-name glasses and gold jewelry. After renovation, the original Volkswagen Shopping Mall became the Jinsha River Branch of Kaikai Company. The original Caojiadu grocery store was transformed into an Asian shopping center with self-service shopping malls, restaurants and entertainment. Newly opened gold shops include Chunjiang Gold Shop and Dancing Gold and Silver Jewelry Store. In the early 1991s, Caojiadu's catering industry, which mainly focused on snacks, dim sum and home cooking, developed in various directions. By 1993, there were 29 restaurants, restaurants, fast food restaurants, etc. Among them, there were Baiwei Chicken Fast Food opened by Jianmin Bathroom, Chunyuan Restaurant converted from a teahouse, the newly-opened Meiyimei Fast Food Restaurant and Yushan Restaurant in Taiwan Province, and the Shanghai-Hong Kong joint venture Chaoqun Bakery with a storefront of 11, which supplied fast food and bread. With a long history, the Zhuangyuan Building in West Shanghai carries forward the characteristics of Ningbang Lai, highlights housekeeping and attracts customers, and has been transformed into a new look after its storefront. Caojiadu, once known as "Xiazhijiao", has become one of the commercial centers in Jing 'an District.