Xingguo Road Residence

Xingguo Road Residence

The Xingguo Road Residence is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The Xingguo Road Residence is located at No. 72 Xingguo Road. Built in 1934, it covers a construction area of 1,647 square meters, has two floors, faces south, and features a brick-concrete structure. The architectural style is British Palladian, remotely designed by Scottish architect Clough Williams-Ellis from the UK. During the Italian Renaissance of the 15th century, architect Andrea Palladio meticulously studied the ruins of ancient Roman architecture, established strict proportions for classical orders, and successfully created the “Palladian motif” — a method of column combination — while overseeing the comprehensive reconstruction of a 13th-century Gothic building. In 1750, he published *The Four Books of Architecture*, which became the foundation of classical architecture. In the 17th century, the design of London’s Whitehall adopted Palladio’s classical style, giving rise to Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism broke free from the rigid imitation of Italian Renaissance and Roman styles, championing functionality, nature, and authenticity. With clear conceptualization, it achieved structural simplicity through orderly composition, symmetry, and precise proportions.

In the mid-1930s, at 1 Xingguo Guesthouse (today’s No. 72 Xingguo Road), located on what was then Race Course Road (now Xingguo Road), lived a British senior manager of Butterfield & Swire named Brock Walter. This was a garden villa specially built by the company for its senior staff. It is an example of neoclassical-style architecture and is commonly known as the “Copper House” because its façade was covered with copper. The building has a white exterior finished with cut stone, and its gently sloping, copper-roofed roof is adorned with smooth, flowing lines. The front features five wooden dormer windows aligned in a row, with a pair of chimney stacks nearby. The floor plan of the residence consists of a main building and an auxiliary building arranged in parallel. The main entrance is located at the center of the north side of the main building, with a protruding grand porch and driveways on both sides. The main building façade is simple and elegant. The south-facing front is divided into symmetrical vertical sections: left, middle, and right. The interior decoration is exquisitely refined, and the east-west corridor in front of the staircase makes the interior space feel particularly spacious. At the second-floor gable above the north entrance, there is an oval glass carving decorative pattern. From this spot, one can observe the dynamic interplay of sunlight and shadows. The entire interior decoration carries Renaissance characteristics, appearing simple, elegant, and stately. A large expanse of green lawn in front of the house allows it to blend harmoniously among various rare trees and flowers. The courtyard is filled with evergreen trees and blooms with fragrant flowers in all seasons. Among the nearly 100 species of trees are two of the only remaining king pines in southern China, a century-old camphor tree, five-needle pines, pagoda maples, cedars, dragon cypresses, as well as fruit trees such as ginkgoes, torreya trees, and kumquats. The scenery is serene and the environment delightful. This is a representative work of Neoclassical architecture, notable for its excellent design, fine construction, and well-maintained preservation.

During World War II, the operations of Butterfield & Swire in Shanghai were severely impacted. Although business recovered somewhat after the war, the company was unable to regain its former prominence in Yangtze River shipping. After 1950, the company wound up its accounts and withdrew from mainland China. Today, Butterfield & Swire remains active in the UK, USA, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong SAR of China. After the liberation of Shanghai, the residence served as an internal guesthouse for the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, hosting many central leaders during their visits to Shanghai. After the reform and opening-up period, it was converted into Building 1 of Xingguo Guesthouse and opened to the public. In the 1980s, Butterfield & Swire held board meetings here. Reflecting on the dramatic changes over the years, the board members were deeply moved.

In 1989, the residence was listed as part of the fifth group of cultural heritage protection units in Shanghai.