Former Residence of Wang Boqun

　　   Situated at No. 31, Lane 1136, Yuyuan Road, it was once the private home of Wang Boqun, former Minister of Communications of the Nationalist Government. The structure was built in 1930 and completed in 1934, and now houses the Changning District Youth Palace.

　　   This luxurious garden villa was designed by the Xielong Foreign Firm, covering an area of 7,200 square meters with a construction area of 2,330 square meters and three floors, built with a reinforced concrete structure. The building features an exterior in the Gothic style of the British Victorian era, resembling a castle, but with certain facades exhibiting Spanish architectural elements, making it look like a fairytale palace — extraordinarily splendid.

　　   The main building is divided into central, eastern, and western sections. The central part protrudes at the front in a semicircular shape, while the eastern and western parts are symmetrically arranged at 45-degree angles, adding variety. The eastern section is larger than the western one, with its own staircase connected to the corridor of the central part, but separated by a door that, when closed, makes it an independent unit. The middle front section features an outdoor grand staircase that spans over the basement level, allowing direct access to the second-floor lounge from outside — very imposing. The second and third floors of the central part have corridors arranged logically. Bedrooms, studies, and similar rooms are mostly located on the second floor. The interiors are paneled with teak wood, while the exterior walls and surrounding fences are made of brown cement bricks, giving an elegant and rustic appearance. The main roof is a hip roof with dormer windows on the front. The gable serves as a decorative roof element, adding a romantic touch. The balcony is adorned with Roman-style railings, both splendid and lyrical.

　　   The entire building contains over 30 various-sized halls and rooms. The living room is decorated in traditional Eastern artistic styles, with painted beams and ceilings, murals, and inlaid teak flooring in a mat-like pattern. The sitting room features classical Spanish decor. The stair railings are also made of teak, and the staircase is adorned with bronze castings in antique floral patterns. The study and bedrooms adopt different modern styles, and there is also a special boudoir parlor for the lady of the house to entertain close friends — luxury infused with refinement.

　　   To the south of the main building lies a spacious garden lawn, 130 meters long and 100 meters wide, bordered by trees and flowers such as camphor, cedar, and magnolia. The lush greenery features beautiful and layered tree canopies. Pavilions, rockeries, small bridges, and flowing water dot the landscape, all enclosed by castle-like walls that blend seamlessly with the main building. A wide, straight driveway leads to Yuyuan Road, and a massive iron gate separates the secluded courtyard from the outside world, creating a private oasis in the shade of trees.

　　   The owner of this villa, Minister of Communications Wang Boqun, was a high-ranking official in the Nationalist Government at the time and also served as chairman of Daxia University, a well-known Shanghai institution. Unfortunately, he became a widower in middle age. Soon after, he met Bao Zhining, the “campus belle” of Daxia University and the niece of the then Shanghai Education Bureau Chief — a woman who caught his eye instantly, and whom he pursued earnestly. Bao Zhining, raised in a diplomat’s family, was a famous fashionable socialite and a refined young lady from a noble family — so desirable that many handsome suitors were left far behind. Legend has it that she set three conditions: first, $100,000 had to be deposited in a foreign bank as her “insurance” for future life; second, the betrothal gifts, dowry, and wedding expenses needed to amount to tens of thousands of francs; and third, a particularly luxurious and beautiful garden villa had to be built. For Wang Boqun, the first two conditions were not a problem and entirely manageable, but the third was somewhat challenging. As fate would have it, at that time, the Ministry of Communications of the Nanjing Government was constructing its office building, and the contractor, boss Xin Fengji, understood the situation and volunteered to solve Wang’s dilemma. He quietly “gifted” this beautiful villa on Yuyuan Road to Wang Boqun. In 1935, Wang Boqun, full of ambition, held his wedding with Bao Zhining in this elegant and beautiful villa. But the good times didn’t last long — the couple lived in the villa for less than three years before the outbreak of the War of Resistance, forcing them to flee in haste and leave the place. It was then placed under the management of Bao Zhining’s uncle, Shanghai Education Bureau Chief Bao Junjian. But misfortunes never come singly: shortly after arriving in Chongqing, Wang Boqun was exposed for taking bribes from Xin Fengji, causing an uproar. He lost his position, was dismissed from office, and his heyday was gone forever. He died in depression before the victory of the War of Resistance.

　　   On May 6, 1939, Wang Jingwei, who had betrayed his country and defected, along with his puppet entourage, fled Chongqing, traveling from Hanoi through Hong Kong to Shanghai. The Japanese ship they were on, the Kiri Maru, anchored at Wusongkou, and the Japanese military, citing security concerns, prohibited them from disembarking that day. The next day, Wang Jingwei stayed at the Shigemitsu Special Agency’s Zhongshengtang on Dongjiangwan Road. A few days later, he moved in with Zhou Fohai, Mei Siping, and others to a small villa on Xijiangwan Road. In fact, Wang Jingwei had his own “Wang Mansion” at 570 Fulu Road (now West Jianguo Road) in the French Concession, and other puppets also had residences in Shanghai, but they were like homeless dogs with nowhere to stay, knowing that the Military Statistics Bureau had already deployed assassins waiting for them. In the end, under the protection of a large number of Japanese military police, Wang Jingwei moved into this garden villa at No. 31, Lane 1136, Yuyuan Road. This area was originally beyond the official city limits, not far from the puppet intelligence headquarters at 76 Jessfield Road, ensuring their safety.

　　   After moving in, Wang Jingwei actually had all the residents of the entire lane driven out and replaced with his own subordinates. Among those who lived here were puppet leaders such as Zhou Fohai, Zhu Peide, and Mei Siping, guarded day and night by armed sentries. Not long after moving in, Wang Jingwei, at the instigation of the Japanese invaders, launched the so-called “Peace Movement.” He convened the First Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the puppet Kuomintang here, laying the groundwork for forming a puppet government. In March 1940, the puppet Nationalist Government was established in Nanjing, and Wang Jingwei moved to reside on Yihe Road in Nanjing, though this place remained his Shanghai villa. After Wang Jingwei died in Japan, the residence was used successively by Chen Gongbo, acting chairman of the puppet Nationalist Government, and Zhou Fohai, head of the puppet Executive Yuan and mayor of the puppet Shanghai Municipality.

　　   After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Wang Boqun had already passed away. When Bao Zhining returned to Shanghai, she found that the property had been taken over by the Nationalist Military Statistics Bureau. With the help of her relative He Yingqin interceding on her behalf, she managed to reclaim it. However, Bao’s financial situation was no longer what it once was, and she could no longer maintain the opulent residence. In July 1947, she rented the villa to the Cultural Section of the British Embassy, earning a considerable sum of rent. Soon after, Bao Zhining moved to settle in New York, USA.

　　   After the liberation of Shanghai in May 1949, the villa was initially used by military agencies, later serving as the office of the Changning District Committee. On January 1, 1960, the Changning District Youth Palace was established here, and since then it has become a “nursery” and playground for nurturing the nation’s youth.

　　

　　Wang Boqun (1885～1944)　　   Wang Boqun (1885–1944), from Xingyi, Guizhou, was a pioneer of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, a forerunner of China’s modern democratic revolution, and a statesman and educator. In 1906, after graduating from Bishan Academy in Xingyi (now Xingyi Normal College for Nationalities), he studied in Japan, attending the Political Economy Department of Hongwen Academy, as well as Central University and the Central Research Institute. During his time in Japan, he joined the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance at the call of Sun Yat-sen. In 1915, he participated in the National Protection Movement, holding positions such as Minister of Communications of the Guangzhou Military Government. In 1920, he followed Sun Yat-sen back to Guangdong to restore the military government, serving in Guangzhou as a senior advisor to the military government and concurrently as its Minister of Communications. 19...... More Details+