Chiang Ching-kuo's Residence

　　For Chiang Ching-kuo, Shanghai could be considered his second hometown. In his youth, he was taken care of here by his “Shanghai Mama,” Chen Jieru, attended Nan Shi Wan Zhu Primary School, graduated and enrolled in Pudong Middle School, and from there embarked on his journey to further his studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow...

　　As time passed, in July 1948, when Chiang Ching-kuo returned to Shanghai, he had already assumed the important post of Deputy Commissioner of the Shanghai Economic Stabilization Board and was a highly influential imperial envoy. He moved in with his wife and children, Xiaowen and Xiaozhang, into a garden residence located at No. 2, Yicun, 1610 Lane, Middle Huaihai Road, which was arranged for them by the then municipal Nationalist government.

　　No. 1–8, Lane 1610, Middle Huaihai Road, is a well-known garden-style lane residence in Shanghai—Yicun. This set of three-story Spanish-style houses consists of eight buildings, invested in by the Far East Enterprise Company founded by the real estate developer Pan Zhiheng at the time, and completed in 1942. The complex covers a land area of 4,893.36 square meters, with a built-up area of 4,267 square meters, and was constructed under contract by Qiao Yuxing of the Shanghai Xingye Trust Society.

　　This typical Spanish-style architecture features a bright, light creamy yellow exterior wall, gently sloping roofs covered with red barrel tiles, spiral-patterned columns between the windows, spiral-patterned small columns on the fence posts, and cast iron floral railings on the south balcony. Each private garden is planted with precious trees such as camphor, boxwood, metasequoia, dragon spruce, and magnolia, while plane trees within the lane provide dense shade in summer. After completion, Pan Zhiheng sold each house for 1.12 million old yuan.

　　The No. 2 residence faces south and is a three-story mansion with a graceful exterior, smooth lines, and an understated elegance that exudes stability and nobility, representing the once-popular Spanish-style architecture in Shanghai. The entrance design is cleverly conceived, compact, and refined, with highly elaborate main eaves decorations. The second floor has a south-facing open corridor and balcony, perfectly suited to Shanghai’s climate. The exterior facade is simple, coated with white plaster, but the window frames vary in shape, with twisted wire-patterned grilles around doors and windows, and twisted iron floral railings. The rear of the house contains auxiliary rooms, a garage, and more.

　　At the time, Chiang Ching-kuo kept the ground floor of this residence very simply furnished. On the south-facing wall hung a full-length portrait of his father, with a long table resembling a large dining table placed in the center, set with tea sets and surrounded by stools, and several semi-new sofas scattered along the walls. A room on the east side of the first floor served as the office for his aides, while the kitchen and dining room were located at the rear of the ground floor, with the central part of the ground floor housing the staircase. Ascending the stairs, the second floor contained the bedrooms and study of Chiang Ching-kuo and his wife, with an office on the west side where many orders related to price controls and the “anti-corruption campaign against the tigers” were issued. The third floor was entirely used as living quarters and storage for the aides, with modestly sized rooms but thoughtful consideration given to lighting, sun shading, and heat insulation. In front of the residence is a quaint small garden, with sparse metasequoia leaves drifting on the roof and under the eaves. Next to the main entrance platform stand two crouching black dog sculptures, complemented by seasonal potted flowers, creating a distinctive charm. Tall French plane trees, precious camphor trees, boxwood, dragon spruce, and magnolia are planted along the front fence. The Chiang family usually entered through a side gate in the lane, where a small guardhouse was built.

　　After arriving in Shanghai to serve as the Commissioner of the Shanghai Economic Stabilization Board, Chiang Ching-kuo led a very frugal daily life. He would wake up at 6 a.m., run a lap around the small garden on Middle Lin Sen Road, and sometimes have congee for breakfast, even buying youtiao (fried dough sticks) himself. At 8 a.m. sharp, he would head to work at the Central Bank on the Bund.

　　After the liberation of Shanghai, this residence became staff family housing for the Shanghai branch of the Encyclopedia of China. In 1994, Yicun was listed as a protected unit of outstanding modern architecture in Shanghai. In 1996, Shanghai Hubin Real Estate Development Company redeveloped No. 2, Yicun, while adhering to the principle of preserving outstanding modern architecture, renovating and redecorating it exactly as it was originally. In the spring of 1997, this once weather-beaten garden residence was purchased by the boss of the Taiwanese company “Want Want Foods” as a private home.

　　

　　Chiang Ching-kuo 　　Chiang Ching-kuo was born on April 27, 1910, in Fenghua, Zhejiang. He was the eldest son of Chiang Kai-shek. His courtesy name was Jianfeng, his registered name was Ching-kuo, and he was also known as Nikolai. In 1916, he attended Wushan Primary School in Fenghua, in 1922, he entered Shanghai’s famous Wan Zhu High Primary School, and in 1924, he studied at Shanghai Pudong Middle School. He passed away in 1988 at the age of 78. Chiang Ching-kuo was the son of Chiang Kai-shek, also known as Jianfeng, with the Russian name Nikolai, and was from Fenghua, Zhejiang. In 1920, Chiang Ching-kuo attended the renowned Wan Zhu Primary School in Shanghai. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek was working with Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong and entrusted Chen Guofu, who was doing business in Shanghai, to take care of Chiang Ching-kuo. 19...... More+