Duyueshang’s Mansion

Duyueshang’s Mansion

The residence of “Shanghai celebrity” Duyueshang is located at No. 70 Donghu Road, with a construction area of 14,000 square meters and a garden area of 15,000 square meters. It was designed by Jian’an Surveying and Mapping Firm. The complex consists of six buildings. Buildings 1 and 2 are situated on the side of No. 70 Donghu Road, built in 1934 as two connected four-story garden residences, with a small Western-style house on each of the east and west sides.

In fact, Duyueshang’s new mansion on Donghu Road was built with over 300,000 US dollars by Jin Tingsun, who made a fortune through air lottery tickets, as a way to please Duyueshang with this magnificent garden residence.

This residence features a mixed architectural style. The main building is five stories high (the original structure had four floors, with one added after the founding of the People’s Republic), faces south, and is constructed of reinforced concrete. The floor plan follows a traditional Chinese layout of five bays with two wing rooms, using symmetrical and segmented classical composition techniques that create rich spatial layering. The façade is rigorously composed, with variations in solid and void achieved through the use of bay windows, recessed balconies, and the set-back design at the top of the building. Particular attention is paid to details, with decorative bands around window sills, railings, and eaves, giving the structure an exquisite appearance.

This new mansion also exhibits distinct Art Deco characteristics, being a product of the Modern Architectural Movement. Such buildings are characterized by the growing dominance of functional and economic factors, a significant reduction in elaborate revivalist styles, and an emphasis on decorative motifs in key areas. Decorative bands are often found around eaves and windows, with patterns typically consisting of geometric or natural floral designs. These additional ornaments were gradually phased out with the development of modern architecture. The main building has an external corridor above the second floor, with the fifth floor serving as a terrace. The two wing rooms feature solid walls with window openings, arranged symmetrically with a neat composition. The balcony railings are also in a classical style, featuring straight-panel designs. The roof is gently sloped, with arched roof eaves and exquisite decorations. Symmetrical colonnades are built on the east and west wings of the main building, forming polyhedral shapes. The south façade is supported by large bluestone pillars, with the wall base constructed from chiseled faux stone, making it very sturdy. A pair of stone lions flank the steps, guarding the “safety” of the residence. The interior layout is designed with Chinese-style suites, and the rooms are furnished with French furniture. The living facilities are comprehensive, and the decorative details are luxurious and noble, reflecting the aesthetic tastes of the affluent class at the time.

In front of the house, there is a courtyard landscape with stacked lake stones, rockeries, ancient pavilions, small bridges over flowing water, winding paths, and towering ancient trees—a classic Chinese garden where stone and greenery compete in beauty. Various precious flowers and trees are planted around, some of which are rare garden specimens seldom seen in Shanghai.

After the completion of the mansion, it remained unoccupied. Duyueshang had made specific arrangements: the ground floor living room could accommodate 50 banquet tables and was usually used for receiving guests, the east wing room served as the accounting office, and the west wing room as the dining room. The second floor was for his second wife, the third floor for his first wife. The western small Western-style house was for his third wife, and the eastern small Western-style house for his fourth wife. The furnishings in the main building were all French-style furniture, and the dining room, living room, and banquet hall were simple yet elegant, embodying both the style of southern Chinese courtyard architecture and the comfortable, refined characteristics of French villas.

Just as Duyueshang was preparing to move into the new mansion, the August 13th War of Resistance broke out, so he never spent a single day in this new residence.

At that time, besides the residence at No. 70 Donghu Road, Duyueshang also owned another home on Huage’ao Road (now Ninghai West Road). The Huage’ao Road mansion was said to have been given to Duyueshang by Huang Jinrong. In front of the mansion was a two-story traditional Shikumen stone building, with the second floor allocated to his first wife, Shen Yueying. She did not have any children but later adopted a son named Du Weiping (nickname Linbao). Because her adoption of him led to prosperous business ventures, Duyueshang treated Linbao as if he were his own child, doting on him immensely. The building behind was a Western-style structure, with the ground floor used as offices, accounting rooms, and the dining room, the second floor for his second wife, Chen Guoying, and the third floor for his third wife, Sun Peihao.

Duyueshang’s first three wives were all from Suzhou, while his fourth wife, Yao Yulan, was from Beijing. When Duyueshang married Yao, he faced opposition from his wives Chen Guoying and Sun Peihao. Later, Chen Guoying privately reached an agreement with Duyueshang, consenting to his marriage to Yao. Thus, Duyueshang rented a place on Laifei Lane (now Fuxing Fang on Fuxing Middle Road) and married Yao there. When Sun Peihao found out about this, she was furious and left the Duyueshang household with her two sons and the servants, moving to the United States. She did not return to Shanghai until after the victory of the War of Resistance.

In 1936, the famous Peking opera actress Meng Xiaodong cut the ribbon and performed briefly for the opening of the Huangjin Grand Theatre. At that time, she stayed at Yao Yulan’s residence. Duyueshang, a passionate fan of opera, began to have frequent contact with Meng Xiaodong. Before long, this young, beautiful, and wildly popular Yu School opera star became Duyueshang’s fifth wife.

During the Japanese puppet regime period, Wu Shaoshu once stayed here briefly. After the outbreak of the Pacific War on December 1941, Duyueshang moved to Chongqing, establishing the headquarters of the Heng Society and expanding his influence to the rear areas.

After the victory of the War of Resistance, Duyueshang’s Donghu Road mansion was temporarily occupied by the Kuomintang’s Military Statistics Bureau. Later, Duyueshang simply sold the property to the American News Service for 600,000 US dollars, and it was subsequently used as the American Consulate. He himself moved to the Hua Mao Apartments on Maoming Road. In 1948, in an attempt to resolve a severe financial crisis, Chiang Kai-shek sent his son Chiang Ching-kuo to Shanghai to “crack down on profiteers,” implementing currency reform and issuing gold yuan certificates. The public was required to exchange all legal tender, foreign currencies, and gold and silver for gold yuan certificates. Duyueshang’s son, Du Weiping, did not fully comply and was arrested by Chiang Ching-kuo on charges of speculation, later sentenced to six months in prison. After this incident, Duyueshang realized that his influence in Shanghai had waned. On May 1, 1949, Duyueshang and his family moved to Hong Kong, where he passed away on August 16, 1951, as a once-prominent “celebrity” of Shanghai.

After the liberation of Shanghai, Duyueshang’s Mansion was confiscated by the people's government. In 1950, it was repurposed as the Donghu Road Guesthouse of the East China Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, in 1954 as the Donghu Road Guesthouse of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and in 1982 as the Donghu Hotel, as it remains today.

Duyueshang (1888–1951), male, originally named Du Yuesheng, later renamed Yong upon the suggestion of Zhang Taiyan, with the courtesy name Yuesheng. He was from Chuansha, Jiangsu (now Pudong New Area, Shanghai) and was a member of the Green Gang in Shanghai during the modern era.

In 1902, Duyueshang entered the residence of Huang Jinrong, then the leader of the Green Gang in Shanghai, where he was responsible for managing the French Concession casino “Gongxing Club.”

In July 1925, Duyueshang established the “Sanxin Company,” monopolizing the opium transport operations in the French Concession. In April 1927, Duyueshang, along with Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin, organized the Chinese Common Progress Association.

1929…… More details about Duyueshang ++