Former Site of Pushi Mansion

Former Site of Pushi Mansion

The former site of Pushi Mansion is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Shanghai.

Built in 1928, Pushi Mansion is a garden residence in the late French Renaissance style and is now the site of Taiyuan Villa. Both sides of Taiyuan Road are lined with mostly three- to four-story modern lilongs and garden residences, such as Tairan Villa, Shuangmei Village, Dalu Xincun, Yingrui Village, and Youning Village, built in the 1930s and 1940s. Strolling among them, you’ll find exquisitely designed small Western-style houses tucked away deep in the lanes—either standalone or in rows. Each house features a lush green lawn or a courtyard densely shaded by trees, and the buildings are varied in style and gracefully arranged. Shaded by trees, these old homes, aged to increasing beauty, never fail to amaze. Taiyuan Road seems to lack shops, so it has little of the usual bustling market atmosphere and seems worlds away from fashion. Walking along this street feels like stepping into a hidden paradise, instantly washing away the dust of the mundane world.

Taiyuan Villa consists of a main building and four auxiliary buildings, surrounded by gardens, covering a total area of 12,680 square meters, including 2,050 square meters of building area and 8,780 square meters of garden space. Originally the private garden villa of French lawyer Debec, known as Debec Garden, it was built in 1928 by Debec in imitation of the Palace of Louis XIV of France. It is a Renaissance-style French palace-type garden residence and is hailed as a classic example of French architecture in Shanghai. It is said that the main construction materials of the villa were all imported from France, and the furniture inside was also made in France.

The main building of Taiyuan Villa has three floors and faces southwest. This yellow-walled, blue-tiled structure sits quietly on an exceptionally well-manicured large lawn, making it particularly eye-catching. Scattered across the lawn are several snow-white wicker chairs and marble small round tables, exuding a strong French ambiance. The entrance at the ground floor level features a spacious porch supported by three majestic Doric columns, above which is a large open-air balcony. Inside, the floor-to-ceiling windows are flanked by walls with classical European-style fireplaces, their chimneys extending through the roof. The residence has a slightly steep four-sloped roof.

Five Baroque-style, Napoleon-helmet-shaped skylights are set along the front edge of the roof, and the northwest façade features a castle-like conical roof, adding a touch of solemnity and mystery to this urban villa. On both sides of the south colonnade stand a pair of guardian stone lions, incorporating elements of traditional Chinese architectural culture into this exotic-style building. In 2014, the former site of Pushi Mansion was designated as part of the eighth batch of cultural heritage conservation units.