Former Residence of Liu Jisheng

Former Residence of Liu Jisheng

The residence at 675 Julu Road is a false four-story building with a brick-concrete structure and a total floor area of 1,666.5 square meters. Originally the home of renowned Shanghai entrepreneur Liu Jisheng, it now houses the Shanghai Writers' Association.

This building is a Renaissance-style classical garden residence, designed by the well-known Hungarian architect László Hudec in Shanghai. Hudec spent nearly 30 years in Shanghai, designing many notable residential buildings, including the Xieqiaolong Residence (Mai’s Garden), the Wu Tongwen Residence, and the Sun Ke Residence. After the design of this particular residence, the owner Liu Jisheng further engaged Tao Guilin, a close friend of Hudec and owner of the Tao Fuji Construction Company (who was also the builder of the renowned Park Hotel, a master in the construction industry), to carry out the construction. Their collaboration in both design and execution was seamless, adding great distinction to the residence.

The Liu Family Garden Residence was built in 1931 as a grand and solemn building imitating the European classical Greek style. Greece is the birthplace of European culture, and ancient Greek architecture pioneered the European tradition. Its structural system is based on posts and lintels, with early major constructions primarily using stone—walls were built from precisely cut and tightly fitted stone blocks. Although Greek architectural forms varied little and interior spaces were relatively enclosed and simple, many later architectural styles drew inspiration from Greek architecture, especially the columnar system, which was a creative contribution of the ancient Greeks to architectural art.

This residence exudes a palatial grandeur, with its form and columns serving as true models of classical design. It was inspired by the Greek mythological love story of Cupid and Psyche, hence also known as the “Garden of Love.” The designer infused elegance and charm into the solemn architecture, especially with the south façade featuring a two-story-high Ionic colonnaded portico with fluting, and a bluestone platform designed between the ground-floor entrance and columns. The second-floor colonnade includes an open semicircular balcony with ornate wrought-iron railings, particularly eye-catching and luxurious, expressing a light, graceful feminine beauty. The floor plan consists of a central hall flanked by side rooms, with symmetrical facades divided into three sections. The south façade, apart from the portico, uses exposed brick walls, with some parts on the upper floor finished in white plaster. Window decorations include flat arches, round arches, and triangular shapes, while the eaves are adorned with dentil moldings. Other refined details include a Western-style hall with stained glass, a grand hall with a large crystal chandelier, a uniquely curved staircase, and majestic massive columns—all exquisite features of the residence.

The south portico serves as the main entrance to the residence, featuring a triple-arched gateway. Inside is a spacious main hall, where the Liu family hosted large banquets and balls. The ceiling of the main hall is exceptionally beautiful—so stunning that many foreigners have looked up in awe, exclaiming they had never seen anything so magnificent. To the east is the living room, to the west the dining room, along with a kitchen and washrooms for convenience. The entire ground floor is fully functional, well laid out, and beautifully appointed. The second floor contains bedrooms, a sitting room, and a study, while the third floor consists of bedrooms and storage rooms among other practical spaces.

The residence is fully equipped with auxiliary facilities and offers a highly secure living environment, complete with a boiler room and a central heating system supplying both heat and hot water. Each floor has two bathrooms with full sanitary fittings. The Liu family’s servants lived in a separate auxiliary building facing the street to the north, which also housed the garage. The large garden features flower stands, tree stands, and lawns, interspersed with ornamental stones such as stalagmites and Taihu rocks, all harmoniously integrated with the plants for a distinctive scenic effect. In addition, the garden includes amenities such as a tennis court and greenhouse, while landscape features like fountains, grape arbors, and stone benches greatly enhance the overall charm of the garden residence.

In front of the residence stands the Psyche Fountain, located on the central axis of the garden and serving as its focal point. Resembling a butterfly, the fountain features a central column supporting a basin, atop which sits the statue of Psyche. At her feet are four cherubs and four fish. Some cherubs are shown riding or embracing the fish. Water spurts from the fish mouths onto the statue, then falls into the basin and flows into the pool. Around the pool are four lifelike stone frogs. The cherub statues are life-sized, lively, and adorable. The entire sculpture is made of white marble, with delicately sculpted faces resembling those of modern Italian women, full of rhythm and movement, conveying an intoxicating beauty. Hudec himself funded the creation of this statue in Italy as a gift to the Liu family. The renowned architect wanted to thank Liu Jisheng for giving him the opportunity to create a garden architectural model inspired by the story of Psyche—he considered the Liu family garden the fulfillment of his long-cherished dream and a destined mission in his architectural career.

The concept of this “Garden of Love” is related to the famous painting Psyche Bathing by the British academic painter Frederic Leighton. In the painting, Leighton depicts the moment when Psyche is removing her sheer gown in preparation for a bath, reaching back with one arm, standing gracefully—the artistic imagination behind the figure is remarkable. Many key details of the Liu family garden can be found in Leighton’s painting, such as the Ionic columns, steps, pool, gilded capitals, and even stone paths of similar width. The idealized image of Psyche in Leighton’s painting reflects the kind of perfect beauty that Hudec sought to realize.

This perfectly designed residential building has withstood over 70 years of wind and rain and still stands proudly today. Two generations of owners have stood the test of time, preserving this European classic for the modern international city of Shanghai.

The home’s owner, Liu Jisheng, was born in November 1889 in Dinghai, Zhejiang (now Zhoushan), and was a dropout from St. John’s University in Shanghai. He was the younger brother of the famous patriotic industrialist Liu Hongsheng from old Shanghai. The Liu Enterprise Group led by Liu Hongsheng, along with the Rong family’s cotton textile group, the Guo family’s Wing On group, and the Jian family’s Nanyang Tobacco group, were known as the “Four Great Titans” of the industrial and commercial world in both old Shanghai and China. Liu Hongsheng was known as the “King of Coal,” “King of Matches,” and “King of Cement.”

At age 18, Liu Hongsheng first worked as a salesman for the British-owned Kaiping Mining Company, later being appointed as its No. 1 comprador in Shanghai. He then traveled with his younger brother Liu Jisheng through cities and rural areas such as Nantong, Jiangyin, Nanjing, Wuhu, Suzhou, Zhenjiang, and Yixing, setting up coal agencies and even going down into individual lime kilns to promote the benefits of using coal instead of firewood—achieving huge success and eventually monopolizing the coal market across the lower Yangtze River and regions along the Beijing-Shanghai railway line. From then on, coal sales surged, reaching up to 2.5 million tons in the peak year, bringing the Liu brothers an average annual income of over 200,000 yuan. In less than 10 years, Liu Hongsheng, not yet 30 years old, became one of the wealthiest and most prominent figures in 1920s Shanghai. Liu Jisheng was his elder brother’s right-hand man during those initial ventures built on coal. Over the following decade, Liu Hongsheng further realized his vision of a match industry trust, founding the East China Coal Mine, Shanghai Cement Plant, Zhanghua Woolen Mill, Huafeng Enamel Factory, and establishing enterprises such as China Wharf. Liu Jisheng held shares in almost all these enterprises and was appointed by his brother as Executive Director and General Manager of the Bank of China Enterprises, which managed the Liu family’s finances. He also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Match Factory, a board member of Peicheng Girls' School, and director of over ten companies including the Great China Match Company and Shanghai Cement Company. This shows the close relationship between the brothers, as well as Liu Jisheng’s pivotal role within the Liu Enterprise Group.

In 1947, the Liu family moved to Hong Kong, leaving only their second daughter Liu Lianzhi to look after the house. Liu Jisheng passed away in Hong Kong on October 8, 1962. In 1952, the residence was taken over by the real estate department and later converted into the Shanghai Writers' Association. In 1999, the building was listed as a Shanghai Municipal Protected Historic Building.

Liu Jisheng, from Dinghai, Zhejiang (now Zhoushan), was born on November 19, 1889, and was the younger brother of the famous patriotic industrialist Liu Hongsheng from the Republican era.

During the late Qing Dynasty, the first-generation immigrant of the Liu family, Liu Weizhong, ran entertainment businesses in Shanghai’s concessions, laying the foundation for the family’s development. The second generation, Liu Xianxi, served as a comprador for the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company and enjoyed a relatively comfortable middle-class life. The third generation, represented by Liu Hongsheng and Liu Jisheng, wrote the most glorious chapter in the Liu family’s entrepreneurial history, elevating the family to the ranks of Shanghai’s foremost aristocratic clans.

Both Liu Hongsheng and Liu Jisheng attended the prestigious … Liu Jisheng’s detailed information++