Guo Dihuo Residence

　　The residence at 893 Huashan Road was built in 1948. It has two floors, a reinforced concrete structure, and covers a construction area of approximately 800 square meters, with a rather large south-facing garden. Originally the private residence of the ethnic industrialist Guo Dihuo, after the liberation it once served as the office building of the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce, and is currently used by Shanghai Mingyuan Industrial Group Co., Ltd. In 1994, it was listed as a protected unit of Shanghai’s outstanding modern architecture.

　　This residence features a modern architectural style. Its exterior design deliberately pursues trendy geometric forms, with an asymmetrical floor plan and interlocking convex and concave volumes.

　　The interior includes wide hallways, with the stairwell facade featuring a semi-circular glass brick wall. The curved grand staircase is partitioned by a glass screen, creating fluid integration among various spatial areas. The decorative cast bronze railings from this period are S-shaped, exquisitely crafted with fine detailing. The residence's design is clearly influenced by the Western modern architectural concept of "flowing space," emphasizing the freedom of the floor plan and the flexibility of the spaces.

　　The north façade of the residence is a combination of curved and rectangular forms, with a simple shape, smooth lines, and a prominent modern style that pursues a perfect three-dimensional exterior effect. The north entrance leads through a hallway into the interior. The ground floor facing south contains four rooms, and the steel windows and doors on the façade overlooking the southern garden are large, bright, and airy. Standing in front of the low window sills is like standing on a scenic lookout — sunlight, nature, and the lush greenery of the garden spread out before your eyes.

　　On the ground floor to the left is an exquisitely designed dance hall, with a Tectona grandis parquet floor, teak wainscoting, a bronze granite fireplace, and a ceiling embedded with acoustic speaker rings, centered around a massive bronze decorative chandelier. Through the door on the east side are two elegantly arranged small rooms, functioning as a study and a reception room respectively. The north room serves as a cloakroom, adjacent to a 100-square-meter dining room and pantry. The east room on the second floor was the bedroom of Guo’s sons, Guo Zhiwei and Guo Zhixin, while the west side housed the rooms of his daughters Guo Zisi, Guo Zichao, and Guo Zizhen. The large central room facing south was the bedroom of Guo Dihuo and his wife Ma Jinchao, and the west-side wing room served as the living quarters for the maids. A large upright clock placed in the hallway shares a similar age with the residence, having witnessed over half a century of historical changes and worldly transformations.

　　In summary, the flat roof, white-painted walls, glass bricks, corner windows, cylindrical stairwell, and large curved balcony all showcase the characteristics of modern architectural style.

　　

　　Guo Dihuo (1904~1986)　　Guo Dihuo (1904–1986) Also known as Jing Tang, he was from Zhuxiuyuan Village in Huancheng. He was a Chinese industrialist. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, he returned to Hong Kong with his family in the fifth year of the Republic of China (1916). As a youth, witnessing foreigners bullying Chinese, he developed a strong aspiration to strive for self-improvement and to serve the country and its people. After returning to China for his education, he graduated from Lingnan University in Guangzhou in 1923, and in the same year went to the New Bedford Textile Institute in Massachusetts, USA, to study textile engineering. He graduated in 1927, earning the top academic honor in his college and receiving a medal awarded by the American cotton spinning industry association. After graduation, he returned to China and joined the Shanghai Yongan Textile... Details+