Shanghai Sheng Xuanhuai Residence

Shanghai Sheng Xuanhuai Residence

The Shanghai Sheng Xuanhuai Residence is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

The century-old Huaihai Road showcases not only Shanghai’s vibrancy and fashion but also its classic elegance. Located east of the Shanghai Library at No. 1517 Middle Huaihai Road, there stands a beautiful and luxurious garden villa commonly referred to by locals as the “Sheng Mansion.”

This residence was originally constructed in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, 1900, funded by a German businessman named Wa Xi (phonetic translation). It covers a land area of 12,424 square meters, with a total built-up area of 1,775 square meters. When World War I broke out in 1914, the owner returned to his home country, and the property changed hands to Sheng Xuanhuai. After Sheng passed away in 1916, it was inherited by his son, Sheng Zhongyi. Later, it became the residence of Chen Diaoyuan, a prominent general under Chiang Kai-shek, and Duan Qirui, known as the “Tiger of the Beiyang Clique.” During the Anti-Japanese War, it was occupied by the Japanese for several years, who cut half of the vast garden to build what is now Shanghai New Village. After the war, Sheng Zhongyi managed to reclaim the house but soon sold it to the Rong family due to business failures. After the liberation, it came under state use... Over the half-century, the figures who lived here were all prominent personalities in modern Chinese history. In 1989, the residence was listed as a municipal-level cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The main building of the residence faces south and is rectangular in shape, symmetrically laid out horizontally in the center of the plot. The servants’ quarters are arranged vertically at the eastern and western corners of the site. The main structure integrates the owners’ and servants’ areas, while the gatehouse is located at the northeastern corner of the plot. The residence is fronted by a large garden planted with trees and flowers such as holly, cedar, and dragon juniper. The garden features a marble fountain adorned with a Greek statue (destroyed during the Cultural Revolution), as well as rockeries and pavilions. The lawn spans 1,668 square meters, with a tennis court and lounge situated at its southeastern corner. The lawn is enclosed by high walls and a double-gated ornamental entrance, forming an exclusive courtyard. The entrance includes a turnaround driveway, with a garage and utility rooms at the northeastern corner, ensuring clear functional zoning. The garden combines European-style lawns with traditional Chinese courtyard elements to create a spacious, tranquil, and comfortable environment.

The main building has three floors, with the entrance on the west side. It features a grand and spacious “gate”-shaped foyer supported by four round columns on each side, which uphold a recessed balcony with colorful stained glass ceilings. Upon arrival, guests would descend from their carriages and ascend the steps into the foyer, flanked by cloakrooms and reception rooms. A second foyer leads to the dining room and living room. The eastern side of the main building houses a large lounge with columned arcades and large windows, while the southern side features a grand foyer with columns and steps. The northern side consists of auxiliary buildings with kitchens and servants’ quarters. The upper floors contain living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms, all equipped with complete amenities. The interior is lavishly decorated, featuring ancient Greek statues in various poses, floral silk and wallpaper, and teak wood used for flooring, staircases, and doors/windows. The white exterior contrasts beautifully with the green lawn, creating an elegant and harmonious living space.

The architectural façade exhibits a neoclassical style. Classicism adheres to the architectural principles of ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing uniformity and strict symmetry. Neoclassicism retains classical characteristics but breaks free from dogmatic constraints, advocating functionality and nature.

The southern porch of the main building is the focal point of the architecture. The architect intentionally enlarged its proportions, using massive Tuscan columns and thick cornices, with elaborate reliefs on the cornice. The porch is flanked by large balconies supported by arched colonnades. The western entrance porch features grooved square Tuscan columns and arches supporting the balcony. The roof is covered with square iron sheet tiles, enclosed by a continuous parapet wall. Artistically, it reflects the modern Shanghai cultural traits of “inclusiveness, pragmatism, and innovation,” also known as the “Haipai” (Shanghai-style) architectural characteristics. This is a noble and well-preserved mansion, with both its overall structure and intricate details representing the finest of modern Shanghai architecture.

The original owner, Sheng Xuanhuai, was a native of Wujin, Jiangsu Province, and a leading figure of the late Qing Self-Strengthening Movement. He served as the Minister of Posts and Communications. He founded enterprises such as the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, the Telegraph Administration, the Huasheng Textile Mill, the Imperial Bank of China, and the Railway Corporation, as well as Nanyang Public School (the predecessor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University). He passed away in 1916. Although he did not reside here for long, due to his prominence at the time, the residence is commonly called the “Sheng Xuanhuai Residence.”

After the Republic of China was established, Yuan Shikai sealed off this property, prompting the Sheng family to move to Xieqiaolong in Wujiang Road (now the intersection of Wujiang Road and West Nanjing Road). Meanwhile, the sealed-off house on Middle Huaihai Road was confiscated by the Nationalist government in 1929 on charges of embezzlement of public funds. Later, it was occupied by Chen Diaoyuan, the then Governor of Anhui Province.

In 1933, amid Japan’s invasion of Northeast China and further encroachment into North China, the Japanese sought to co-opt Duan Qirui, a “dying centipede not yet stiff,” through various channels, pressuring him to become the head of a puppet regime in North China. At the time residing in Tianjin, Duan had no intention of taking the collaborationist role but feared retaliation from the Japanese, causing him great distress. The Nanjing government, equally concerned that Duan might fall into Japanese hands and jeopardize the resistance, tried to bring him south. Since Chiang Kai-shek had been Duan’s student (at the Baoding Military Academy), their relationship remained cordial. Chiang personally wrote a confidential letter inviting Duan to come south to Shanghai to stay for a few years, away from the turmoil in North China — an offer Duan readily accepted. Thus, in the spring of 1933, Duan Qirui, along with dozens of family members, left Tianjin by train under the careful arrangement of the Nationalist military intelligence and was personally welcomed by Chiang Kai-shek at Shanghai Railway Station. Duan then moved into the former Sheng family residence.

The compound featured a vast lawn and lush trees, particularly a large umbrella-shaped pine tree that remained green year-round, offering a serene and refreshing atmosphere. There was also a Western-style fountain with little white cherubs poised as if ready to take flight... Having spent most of his life amid the turbulence of the north, Duan Qirui hoped to spend his remaining years in peace here. However, trouble found him relentlessly. Fortunately, Duan resolved not to engage with the Japanese any further and publicly declared his stance, thereby preserving his integrity. On October 30, 1936, this influential figure of modern China passed away peacefully in this tranquil garden. His remains were transported by special train to Beijing by his descendants and interred temporarily at Biyun Temple until 1964, when his former subordinate Zhang Shizhao arranged for his final burial at the Wan’an Cemetery in Beijing.

Sheng Zhongyi, the fifth son of Sheng Xuanhuai and commonly known as “Old Fifth Sheng,” inherited the property after his father’s death. Known for his prudence, Old Fifth Sheng engaged in real estate business in Shanghai and once rented the house to local officials. It was occupied by the Japanese during the war. After the war, it was appropriated by Nationalist officials as enemy property. Feeling aggrieved, Sheng Zhongyi tried every means to reclaim the house. Despite presenting various documents proving his ownership, the Nationalist government refused to return it, citing his absence in Chongqing during the war and suspicions of collaboration in Shanghai. Left with no choice, Sheng resorted to enlisting the help of his sister, Sheng Guanyi. Thanks to Soong Ai-ling (Madame Chiang Kai-shek), who had once been Sheng Guanyi’s tutor and maintained close ties with the Sheng family, the Soong sisters were generally willing to assist. Sheng Guanyi approached Soong Mei-ling, who, acknowledging the official stance, tactfully suggested, “It may not be appropriate for Sheng Zhongyi to live here, but you can. No one will object if you move in.” With those words from Soong Mei-ling, the house was swiftly obtained. In truth, everyone understood that Sheng Guanyi’s brief stay was merely symbolic, effectively returning the property to Old Fifth Sheng. However, misfortune struck when Sheng’s eldest daughter, Mingyu, died young in the garden. Only 21 years old, her tragic passing deeply grieved Sheng, who commissioned a statue of a little girl in overalls in her memory — though its whereabouts are now unknown. Saddened by his daughter’s death and struggling with post-war business setbacks, Sheng sold the house to Rong Hongsan of the Rong family shortly before the liberation.

Sheng Aiyi, the seventh daughter of Sheng Xuanhuai, was a modern woman of strong character. After her father’s death, her elder brother Sheng Enyi (known as Fourth Master Sheng) inherited the position of General Manager of the Han-Yeh-Ping Company. Around that time, T.V. Soong had just returned to China and worked as an English secretary at Han-Yeh-Ping, allowing him frequent visits to the Sheng residence. Over time, he got to know and fell in love with the Seventh Miss. Captivated by her beauty and elegance, Soong offered to be her English tutor and regaled her with tales of the wonders abroad, showcasing his knowledge and quickly winning her affection. However, their families’ vastly different statuses made the match unacceptable to Seventh Miss’s mother, Madam Zhuang, who firmly opposed the marriage. As Sun Yat-sen launched the revolution in Guangzhou, urgent telegrams summoned Soong south. Reluctantly, he bid farewell to the Seventh Miss. Before leaving, he invited her and her eighth sister (Sheng Fangyi) to Hangzhou, presented them with three boat tickets, and urged them to join him in the revolution. The young ladies, sheltered in their privileged seclusion, feared public scandal and declined. But the Seventh Miss promised to marry him upon his victorious return, giving him a generous gift of gold leaf (a more refined alternative to gold ingots) as travel expenses.

Unexpectedly, after the revolution succeeded, Soong returned to Shanghai with his wife, Soong Ailing. The Seventh Miss fell gravely ill and did not marry until she was 32, wedding Zhuang Zhujiu, her maternal cousin. After the war, the Sheng siblings often gathered at Sheng Zhongyi’s Huaihai Road residence. Once, the Seventh Miss visited upon receiving a call from Sheng, only to find Soong Soong already there. Stunned, she realized it was a prearranged “meeting,” leaving her displeased. She exchanged only cursory pleasantries before excusing herself, claiming, “No, my husband is waiting for me,” leaving Soong utterly embarrassed. Perhaps Soong hoped to rekindle old feelings and express remorse, but the Seventh Miss gave him no such chance.

In the early years after liberation, the residence briefly served as offices for the Municipal Women’s Federation and the Shanghai Higher Education Bureau. After the establishment of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in the 1970s, it became the site of the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai. In recent years, the consulate has relocated to the Hongqiao Development Zone, and the garden has been renovated to serve as the residence of the Consul General.

Sheng Xuanhuai (1844–1916), courtesy names Xingsun, Youxu, Xingsheng, and Xingsheng, art names Ciyi and Boulou, also known as Yuzhai, and in his later years as Zhisou, was a native of Wujin, Jiangsu. Born into a bureaucratic landlord family, he entered the service of Li Hongzhang in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign (1870) of the Qing Dynasty. He held positions such as Director of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, General Manager of the Chinese Telegraph Administration, Director of the Huasheng Textile Mill and the Imperial Chinese Railway Administration, and founded the Imperial Bank of China. He rose to the rank of Minister of Posts and Communications, with the first-rank noble title. Shanghai was the hub of his activities. Recognizing the importance of foreign language proficiency and technical expertise in the Self-Strengthening Movement, he advocated for “self-strengthening...” More detailed information on Sheng Xuanhuai ++