Xinle Road was once known as the “Oriental Paris” of old Shanghai and the “Street of Movie Stars,” exuding a strong Shanghai-style charm. It also features the prominent Holy Mother of God Orthodox Cathedral, one of the few Russian-style buildings in Shanghai. Address: Xuhui District, Shanghai Transportation: Line 1 & 10, South Shanxi Road Station…
Xuhui Middle School (originally named Xuhui Public School) was founded in 1850 as one of the earliest schools in Shanghai established according to the Western educational model. It has been hailed as "the first Western-style school" or "the first school to bring Western learning to the East." The school was founded in the 30th year of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang reign (1850) by Catholic missionary Father Naniglo. Because it...
The former site of the Xujiahui Observatory (Shanghai Meteorological Museum) was first built in July 1872 by the Catholic Jesuits. Meteorological observations began on December 1 of that year, making it China’s first coastal observatory and earning it the title “No. 1 Meteorological Observatory in the Far East.” For over 100 years, it has conducted uninterrupted meteorological observations of Shanghai. The existing...
The Xu Guangqi Memorial Hall is located at No. 17 Nandan Road. It was relocated and reconstructed from the Ming Dynasty residence “Nanchunhua Hall,” covering an area of over 400 square meters, with an exhibition space of more than 220 square meters. The exhibition is divided into four sections: Global Vision, Scientific Spirit, Patriotic Sentiment, and Noble Character. The museum houses precious collections such as portraits of Xu Guangqi, his manuscripts, handwritten notes...
The Notre-Dame Convent was initiated by Jesuit missionary Xue Kongzhao and construction began in Hengtang, Qingpu in 1843. In the third year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), it was relocated to Wangjiatang near Xujiahui. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign (1868), congregations such as the Sisters of Charity and the Daughters of the Presentation successively established convents near the Jesuit residence in Xujiahui, collectively known as the Xujiahui Notre-Dame Convent…
The site of the former XuJiahui Grand Monastery originated from the Jiangnan Monastery of Catholicism, the first monastery established by the Catholic Church on the Chinese mainland. In 1877, the Grand Monastery was relocated from Dongjiadu to XuJiahui. In 1913, a large plot of land between the Observatory and Tushanwan was chosen as the site for constructing both the Grand and the Small Monasteries. By the end of 1929…
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is one of the origins of modern higher education in China, with a history dating back to 1896 when Nanyang Public School was established by the Qing government. It is one of the first two universities founded by Chinese people in modern times. The early buildings of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, as important historical sites and representative architecture of modern Chinese higher education, are currently...
The former site of the Chongsi Building at Xu Hui Middle School is located at No. 50 Hongqiao Road. The school itself, now known as Xu Hui Middle School (originally Xu Hui Public School), was founded in 1850 and has a history of one and a half centuries. It is the earliest Western-style school established by the Catholic Church in Shanghai and one of the first schools in China to adopt a Western educational model. Its founding almost coincided with the opening of Shanghai as a port, and it can be said to hold a unique place in the history of modern education in Shanghai and even China. Founded in 1850 by Jesuit missionary Father Nicolas Massa (Chinese surname Ye), the school was initially named Saint Ignatius Public School and admitted children from impoverished Chinese families. After the establishment of the Republic of China, the school was divided into middle and primary levels according to the new Chinese educational system, and a high school department was added in 1930. In 1932, it was renamed Xu Hui Public School.
The Catholic Major Seminary is located within the compound of the Xuhui District Government on Caoxi North Road, and is a religious building featuring European neoclassical architectural characteristics. This former seminary, which trained clergy for the Catholic Church, boasts a considerable scale, symmetrical layout, and imposing presence. Interestingly, the overall design does not adopt the Gothic style commonly used in Western churches...
The former site of Qiming Girls' School is located at No. 100 Tianyaoqiao Road, within the campus of the current Shanghai No. 4 Middle School (formerly Qiming Girls' School), and was built in 1917. The Xujiahui Notre Dame Convent was established in the early 20th century and, along with the then Chongde Girls' School, belonged to the Catholic Salvation Society. The two schools shared virtually identical educational missions, curricula, and teaching content, except that Chongde...
The Former Site of the Shanghai Special Municipal Government is located in the Fenglinqiao area of Xuhui District. The site consists of Building No. 3 and Building No. 7, which are connected by a second-floor corridor. The buildings feature plain red brick walls adorned with minimal antique decorative bands and simplified classical window moldings. Constructed in 1919, the site was originally the office of the Jiangsu Foreign Affairs Commissioner, and in 1927 it was repurposed as the office building for the Shanghai…
The former site of the Jiangnan Arsenal is located at No. 2577 Longhua Road. Built in the second year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, the surviving factory building is China's earliest sand-casting workshop used for manufacturing modern firearms and ammunition. The roof trusses are entirely made of iron, supported by twenty-four iron columns. In the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862), Li Hongzhang established the Shanghai Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in Shanghai. The Jiangnan...
The Monastery Apartments are located at No. 62 Fuxing West Road and were built in 1930. Originally named the Monastery Apartments, the name was chosen merely for its reference to "monastery" (the character 道院), but the building actually has no connection to any monastery. The apartments were originally the residence of the owner of the British-owned Mifeng Knitting Mill. The property now belongs to Shanghai Xu Housing (Group) Co., Ltd...
79 Fenyang Road Residence This is a French Renaissance-style building with a brick-concrete structure and a floor area of 1,496 square meters. The exterior is white, hence the name "Little White House by the Sea." The building originally served as the official residence of the President of the Shanghai French Concession Municipal Council. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, the United Nations World Health Organization used it as the first regional office in the Asia-Pacific region...
No. 9 Dongping Road, in French architectural style, was purchased by T. V. Soong when Dongping Road was still called Rue Gaston Kahn and part of the French Concession. He bought this garden villa along with its annex as a dowry for Soong Mei-ling and Chiang Kai-shek’s wedding. On December 3, 1927, Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling moved in right after their marriage. Chiang himself named it “Ailu” (Love Cottage)...
Longhua Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Site In April 1950, at one of the execution grounds of the former Shanghai Garrison Command Headquarters—now No. 1, Lane 2501, Longhua Road—based on clues provided by local residents, 18 complete sets of remains along with several partial remains including skulls, torsos, and limbs were unearthed. Some bones were still bound with shackles and ankle cuffs. At the same time, other relics belonging to the martyrs such as copper coins and silver coins were also excavated. Among them was an unspoiled woolen vest, which was later identified by multiple witnesses as belonging to Feng Kang, one of the “Five Martyrs of the League of Left-Wing Writers.” This confirmed that the remains were those of the Twenty-Four Martyrs. The remains and relics were later buried and displayed separately at the Shanghai Martyrs' Cemetery. The names of the martyrs that have been confirmed include Lin Yunan, He Mengxiong, Li Qiushi, Rou Shi, Hu Yepin, Yin Fu, Feng Kang (female), Long Dadao, Luo Shibing, Ouyang Li’an, Yun Yutang, Li Wen (female), Wu Zhongwen (female), Wang Qingshi, Cai Bozhen, Duan Nan (A’Gang), Peng Yanggan, Fei Dafu, Liu Zheng, He Zhiping, Tang Shilun, Tang Shilü, and Qian Geping. In 1981, the Shanghai Martyrs' Cemetery designated the site where the Twenty-Four Martyrs were executed as a memorial area, covering four acres. That same year, a monument titled “Execution Site of the Longhua Revolutionary Martyrs” was erected. On either side of the monument, galleries were built to display photos and biographies of 21 martyrs. Behind the monument stands a dead tree, its trunk riddled with bullet holes.
No. 45 Fenyang Road Residence (Customs College) No. 45 Fenyang Road, Shanghai Customs College Building 1, before liberation, was the official residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Shanghai Customs (Deputy Commissioner Ding Guitang), built in 1932. This beautiful Spanish-style small building has three floors, with red and yellow hues, and is roughly symmetrical on both sides. It stands in a...
Former Residence of Xia Yan, Building 2, No. 178 Urumqi South Road. This was the residence of Xia Yan from 1949 to 1956. Built in 1932, it covers an area of 750 square meters. The structure is a three-quarter-story brick-and-wood building in the style of a British country garden villa. Originally used as office space by a church, it now houses the Xuhui District Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Urumqi South Road...
The former residence of Zhang Lan is located in Jiyi Li, Lane 321 Yongjia Road, a modern residential compound built in 1939. No. 8, Lane 321 Yongjia Road, was the home of the renowned democratic figure Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan (1872–1955), male, courtesy name Biaofang, of Han ethnicity, was born in 1872 in Nanchong, Sichuan (today’s Lianchi Township, Xichong County). In 1941, he joined...
Lane 1273, Middle Huaihai Road (Xin Kang Garden), built in 1934. Designed by the British architectural firm Palmer & Turner. It is a Spanish-style garden building. The structure runs north-south between Middle Huaihai Road and Middle Fuxing Road. Originally built as dormitories for the British trading firm Xin Kang & Co., it consists of 11 two-story garden apartment houses and 4 five-story apartment buildings…