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CHINA | Shanghai, China Travel Guide
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
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The French Concession
The French Concession
The former French Concession has always been a bit of a hideaway from downtown and remains so today, despite its plethora of sights, shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. In the 1920s and 1930s while the French nominally ruled the roost, the area was effectively controlled by the notorious gangster Du Yuesheng and the French Concession was the center of Shanghai’s drug and prostitution racket. Despite lax law enforcement, the district still enjoyed the security of the international community and as a result it served as home to many of the Chinese revolutionaries of the day. Today the French Concession is a charming part of town to visit and during the day its quiet tree-lined avenues and parks make for a wonderfully refreshing stroll (see Residential Ramble, p.000) and there are plenty of cafés where you can stop and refuel. By night the scene is transformed and the streets come alive to a hedonist beat, albeit with a somewhat more restrained and chic style than in days of old. subway line #1 runs through the French Concession. The Art and Crafts Museum and Propaganda Poster Art Center are also worth checking out for a flavor of China’s diverse arts scene.
Former Residences
Former Residence of Sun Yatsen, 7 Xiangshan Lu. This gray, simple mansion sits in the southwest corner of Fuxing Park. With a British- style lawn, flanked by tall trees and high walls, the house seems more suited to a suburb of London than Shanghai. Dr. Sun Yatsen and his wife Soong Qingling moved to the house in June 1918, shortly after his return from Japan, and it was from here that he became China’s first leader in 1923. The contents have remained untouched and letters, books and photos remain, while the outside has recently undergone a much needed facelift.
Former Residence of Zhou Enlai, 73 Sinan Lu. On a quiet street just down from Sun Yatsen’s, the façade of this three-story French mansion is engulfed in ivy and the building is fringed by hedges. The house served as the secret operational base of Shanghai’s Communist movement in the late 1940s although little evidence remains of this today.
Former Residence of Soong Qingling, 1848 Huaihai Zhong Lu. The most charming of Shanghai’s collection of former residences, this house was built in the 1920s by a German ship owner. From 1948 to1963 this was the main residence of Soong Qingling, widow of Dr. Sun Yatsen, and has been left as it was, giving a fascinating insight into one of China’s most famous women. Photos of Soong with her husband, family and important officials (notably Mao Zedong) hang on the walls and there are over 4,000 books, which tells you something about Soong’s intellectual bent. Soong’s bedroom is also worth a look as it houses the furniture her parents gave as a dowry. In the garage is a limousine given to the family by Stalin. Other exhibits include a red carpet from Mao and next door you’ll find a small museum containing more photos, including Soong and Sun’s wedding pictures.
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