The Old and New Wing On Company Buildings

The Old and New Wing On Company Buildings

The Old and New Wing On Company Buildings are Shanghai Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units.

The Old and New Wing On Company Buildings

The Old Wing On Company Building, now the Hualian Commercial Building, is located at 627 East Nanjing Road. It was completed in the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918), covering an area of 5,881 square meters with a total floor space of 30,992 square meters. The building has six floors, with parts having seven. The New Wing On Company Building, now home to the Overseas Chinese Store and the Seven Heavens Hotel, among others, is located at 635 East Nanjing Road. It was completed in the 22nd year of the Republic of China, covering an area of 1,400 square meters with a total construction area of 25,000 square meters, and stands twenty-two stories high. A pair of enclosed pedestrian bridges spans Zhejiang Road between the two buildings. Designed jointly by Palmer & Turner and Messrs. Hashd, the foundation was contracted to Jinshiji Construction and the main building work was carried out by Taoguiji Construction. The structure uses a reinforced concrete composite system.

Both the Old and New Wing On Company Buildings function primarily as shopping malls and also house integrated facilities such as offices, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Among these, the Tianyunlou (Heavenly Melody Tower) of the Old Wing On Company was once a famous amusement venue in Shanghai.

The New Wing On Company Building, standing 105 meters tall, features a trapezoidal form up to the eighth floor, which includes a basement. Above the eighth floor, it takes on a tower-like, square shape. The external design adopts the latest Art Deco style of the time, featuring large street-facing display windows clad in green granite, with the upper sections finished in light yellow face bricks, resulting in a clean façade.

Designated as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in 1989.

The Old Wing On Company was one of the “Four Great Department Stores” on Nanjing Road. The building was Shanghai’s earliest large department store to feature expansive open spaces and is styled in an eclectic manner close to classicism. Its ground-floor entrance is marked by Ionic double columns, and the top features a two-story tower called “Yiyun Pavilion.” The northeast part of the building has a curved plan, and along Nanjing Road, there are three cylindrical arched gateways. The structure is surfaced with terrazzo. In 1987, it underwent renovation, significantly altering its exterior appearance, though the overall outline remains largely unchanged.

The Old and New Wing On were originally privately owned by the Shanghai Wing On Co., Ltd., founded by nine overseas Chinese from Australia including Guo Le, Guo Quan, and Guo Linshuang. They operated a department store that gained a strong reputation both domestically and internationally. In 1956, it became a public-private joint venture, was renamed the Dongfanghong (The East is Red) Department Store in 1966, then the Tenth Department Store in 1969. In October 1984, the New Wing On’s upper section was converted into the “Seven Heavens Hotel.” The front tower of the New Wing On is one of the landmark commercial buildings along Nanjing Road.

Designated as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in 1989.