Former Site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce

Former Site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce

The Former Site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

The Former Site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce is located at No. 470 Beisuzhou Road. This site was originally the location of the Qing government’s Envoy Office. In modern times, Shanghai had already become a hub of maritime activity. Most Chinese envoys dispatched abroad set sail from the Port of Shanghai. To ensure safe voyages, following the tradition of fishermen in southern Fujian who built "Mazu temples" or "Tianhou Palaces" to worship deities for protection, in the 10th year of the Guangxu reign (1884), 8,000 square meters of land were allocated here to construct both the Tianhou Palace and the Envoy Office. The ceremonial gate of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters was designed in the style of a Roman triumphal arch, featuring a pair of composite columns that exude grandeur and solemnity. The new headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce became a gathering place for prominent business and industrial figures of the time, where they strategized for wealth and prosperity, establishing it as a central hub for private economic organizations.

Starting in 1914, the Chamber of Commerce successively established a Commodities Exhibition Hall, a National Products Mall, and a Commercial School, and launched the publication “Commercial Monthly.” In 1915, it moved into the newly constructed site of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, built on the former location of the Envoy Office, covering an area of 3,300 square meters. The main gate along Suzhou River was adorned with Western-style columns and floral decorations, with a plaque inscribed with the five large Chinese characters “上海市商会” (Shanghai Chamber of Commerce). Upon entering, there is a passageway, at the northern end of which a small garden is located to the west, featuring a monument commemorating the Four Boy Scout Martyrs (Boy Scouts Luo Yunxiang, Mao Zhengxiang, Ying Wenduo, and Zou Zhengwu, who were killed by Japanese forces while rescuing wounded soldiers at the front during the January 28 Incident). The main buildings are the South Building and the North Building, both three-story reinforced concrete structures in the classical architectural style. The buildings were designed by Thomson & Co. (also known as Tonghe Foreign Firm), with a total construction cost of over 120,000 taels of silver. The South Building has a floor area of 4,100 square meters, with the ground floor serving as a meeting hall and the second and third floors as offices. The North Building covers 3,016 square meters and houses the Commodities Exhibition Hall, the National Products Mall, and a Commercial Night School. The exterior walls of both buildings feature exposed red brickwork, with Baroque-style decorations on pilasters, windows, and doors. The meeting hall is flanked by corridors and box seats, showcasing an elegant style with exquisite carvings.

In 1929, the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce was renamed the Shanghai Special Municipality General Chamber of Commerce, and the following year it reverted to being called the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, with branch offices established in Nanshi, Jiangwan, Pudong, and Wusong. After the liberation, it was reorganized into the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce. In 1979, it moved to No. 51 Hong Kong Road, and the buildings on Beisuzhou Road were rented out to entities such as the Electronic Components Research Institute. The original buildings have now aged and undergone significant interior alterations, though the old Western-style gate still evokes memories of that glorious era.

On April 4, 2014, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government officially designated and announced the Former Site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce as a Protected Cultural Heritage Site of Shanghai Municipality (Document No. Hu Fu Fa [2014] No. 29).