Gaoqiao Yangxian Hall

Gaoqiao Yangxian Hall

Gaoqiao Yangxian Hall is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Gaoqiao Yangxian Hall is located at No. 81–93, East Street, Gaoqiao Town. Built in the early 1930s, it covers a construction area of about 1,000 square meters, with a base area of approximately 440 square meters and a main building area of around 640 square meters. It features a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles with a brick-and-wood structure. It now serves as the "Gaoqiao Historical and Cultural Exhibition Hall" and is open to the public free of charge. The house was built by Shen Jinfu, also known as Youchen, a local resident born in 1886. Coming from a poor family, he became an apprentice at the age of 14. Later, with financial help from his father-in-law, he bought a sewing machine. His wife worked as a tailor to accumulate capital, and through community fundraising, they ran a "Five Foreign Goods Store." The shop was located at Gongyi Wharf in Shanghai's Nanshi District and was named "Jintai Store." Shen became wealthy by trading with clients from the river-network region upstream of the Huangpu River. He then purchased land at the Diandang Bridge on East Street and built a new residence, naming it "Yangxian Hall." The contractor was Cai Shaoqi, Shen’s relative by marriage. Shen insisted on sturdiness in every aspect and pursued perfection in materials and workmanship, striving for ever-greater strength. His pursuit of high standards exhausted him, and he fell seriously ill and passed away before the construction was completed.

From the front, it appears as a traditional Chinese courtyard with a central hall and two side wings. Viewed from the back across the river, its spacious, layered balconies exhibit the style of a Western-style villa. The main building is a three-story structure with five bays and two side wings. The ground floor has a large central hall consisting of three bays, with a front courtyard in front of the hall and side rooms on either side. The second floor includes one hall room, two side wing rooms, and two smaller rooms, totaling five rooms. The southern part of the second floor features a wide corridor and a riverside balcony.

The top floor of the main building is a faux third floor, divided into five rooms with four skylights projecting from the roof for lighting. The exterior walls are entirely covered with cement plaster. To the east of the main building is a two-story study with a basement below and a rooftop terrace. There is a rear courtyard to the south of the main building, and 1-meter-wide passageways run along both sides of the main building, with walls built outside the passageways and the front and rear courtyards. Along the northern street-facing side are six two-story commercial buildings. The structure employs Western building materials and architectural styles, while the layout follows traditional Chinese design, using a Western framework. Structurally, the main building is supported by a reinforced concrete frame, topped with traditional Chinese blue tile roofing. Western-style patterns are sculpted onto the gable walls. The riverbank revetment is very solid. The interior decoration is exquisite, making it the first residence in town to include a basement, and the materials used were of high quality. It offers beautiful waterside views and is designed as a riverside-friendly structure.

On April 4, 2014, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government officially designated and announced Gaoqiao Yangxian Hall as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit (Shanghai Government Document [2014] No. 29).

Gaoqiao Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Pudong New Area, Shanghai. During the Song Dynasty, it belonged to Linjiang Township, Kunshan County; during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was part of Yiren Township, Jiading County; in the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era, it was governed by Baoshan County; and before 1949, it was part of Gaoqiao District, Shanghai. In 1956, it was assigned to Dongjiao District, in 1958 to Pudong County, in 1961 to Chuansha County, and in 1993 it became part of Pudong New Area. Gaoqiao Ancient Town got its name in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties due to a bridge within its territory called "Gaoqiao" (High Bridge). Located in the northern part of the district, it is shaped like a "convex" character, wedged between Waigaoqiao and Donggou Town, with seven additional exclaves. It connects eastward to Yanggao North Road, borders Gaoqiao Port to the south, and lies west of the Huangpu River. The area spans 0.6 square kilometers... More details about Gaoqiao Town++