Shanghailander

French regional associations in Old Shanghai

French people love “associations” or clubs around a specific topic. Incorporating a non-profit corporation (“association loi 1910” in French) is easy to create a legal framework for a sport club, a cultural society or a charity. As soon as a number of French people gather together, they form an “association”.

The oldest one is UFE (Union des Français de l’étranger), founded in Paris in 1927. It was recreated in Shanghai around 2002. Its role is mostly to foster the social life of French people, organizing parties, talks and social events. I did not find traces of a representation in Old Shanghai, but maybe there was. However French people had many places to gather, such as the high end Cercle Sportif Français, and the more affordable Cercle Français.

A revival of those clubs was the Cercle Francophone de Shanghai (1991), now renamed as Shanghai Accueil. Another noticeable one is Solidarité Shanghai, which cares for French people in distress in Shanghai. I am sure something like that existed in Old Shanghai, at least informally, but I did not find traces either.

Along those national associations, there are also many that gather French people from a particular region of France. Bretons, Alsatians, Marseille and Lyon people are probably the biggest ones along with smaller ones like the ones of people from Bourgogne-Franche Comté, that I founded. I was amazed to find out that those kind of associations existed in Old Shanghai, as shown in below article from “Le Journal de Shanghai” 21st March 1928.

Here is a translation of the article:
“By the way…
In Shanghai, we have a consul general from Auvergne and a general from Brittany. I’m not even entirely sure that we don’t have, among the representatives of France’s friends and allies, a minister plenipotentiary from Provence and an ambassador from Champagne. In any case, there is probably no other place in the world where French regionalism takes on such a distinctly separatist character as it does here.”

As the article shows, French people in modern Shanghai have only restarted what already existed in Old Shanghai. Funny enough I have recently been appointed as an ambassador for the city of Dijon, contributing to this even more. Apart from this article, I only found actual traces of a Breton association called “Ar mor” that was created in December 1935, as shown by a small article in the Journal de Shanghai.

France is a centralized country and not a federation like Germany or Italy. Centralization and suppression of regional identity in France was particularly strong in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Regional languages were suppressed, particularly after the introduction of free compulsory education in the late 19th century. It is then quite impressive to see this kind of regionalism in Old Shanghai, probably amplified by the distance with the home country.

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Farewell to Tess Johnston

This is with great sadness that I learned that Tess Johnston has passed away on 14 September 2025.

When she was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1931, nobody could have predicted that Tess Johnston would fall in love with Shanghai and spend a large share of her life in this city. Working with the American diplomatic service, based in East Berlin and Saigon before reaching Shanghai in 1981. Fascinated by the city’s architecture frozen in time, she was one of the first foreigners to study it on location. After studying it for years, she turned her passion into a first book, along with photographer Deke Ehr / 尔东强, “A last look, Western architecture in Old Shanghai”, 1993.

This was the first book showing pictures of Shanghai historic architecture and research about the history of those buildings. It shed a new light on the city’s architecture and history. Knowledge of the city’s history was limited then and research was much harder before the internet but the book inspired lot’s of people and numerous projects contributing to better understand Old Shanghai. She became an inspiration for generations of amateur researchers (like me) and academics to dig deeper into Shanghai history.

The pair would write numerous other books focused on areas in Shanghai like “Frenchtown Shanghai”, 2000, focusing on the former French Concession. They also studied other former “treaty port” cities in China like Hankou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Xiamen, GuLangYu island and Canton. A new edition of the book “A last look” was published in 2004. Their last and best collaboration was “Shanghai Art Deco”, 2006.

Her next project was a series of practical guide books about Old Shanghai, talking the shape of guided walks. Many of the experts on Old Shanghai collaborated to these books that are invaluable.

Although she was not originally from the city, Tess Johnston became the most knowledgeable person about Old Shanghai. She embodied it as much as people form the same generation who actually grew up in Shanghai like her friends Lynn Pan, Betty Bar, Rena Krasno and Sam Moshinsky. Although she did not grow up in Old Shanghai, it very much felt like she actually had.

Tess Johnston also used to give walking tour of Old Shanghai. I was lucky enough to take part to one in of those in 2012 (see post “Touring with a legend“). Aged 81 then, she was still full of energy and passion for the city, making this a memorable event as those tour became more and more rare. Although she left Shanghai a few years ago to go back to the US, her spirit never really left the city.

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Tramways of Hong Kong and Shanghai

I have always had a very special interest for tramways. When living in Budapest before Shanghai, I used them daily. There tramways have been kept, maintained and expanded since the early part of the XXth century. In Shanghai, trams were dismantled in the ’70s. This early symbol of modernity was sacrificed to the new modernity of bus running on petrol and automobiles.

Tram on the garden bridge (Coll Shanghailander.net)

Trams in Shanghai were introduced in March 1908 in the international settlement (line from the Bund to Jing An temple). Part of today’s Metro line 2 follows the same track. This was followed in May 1908 by the first line of the French Concession. Part of today’s Metro line 1 follows the same line. The third company in the Chinese city, the Nanshi line was opened in 1913.

Trams on the French Bund (Coll Shanghailander.net)

In Chinese trams are called 有轨电车, but the colloquial name in Shanghainese was 铛铛车 / Dang Dang Chi, meaning dang dang car because of the bell used to wave off people and obstacles on the tracks.

The closest thing to tramway in Shanghai is probably the line 71, that crosses Shanghai on a East West line under the Yanan elevated motorway. Although it’s not a real tramway, but a trolley bus, it follows part of the former tramway track on former Avenue Joffre / Avenue Edouard VII. The story goes that it was originally planned to be an actual tramway, but then the project changed to a trolley bus that is more flexible. Anyway, it makes an enjoyable ride in central Shanghai, giving a bit of old time tramway feeling.

Many cities in China operated tramways, but the only one that kept them running continuously in mainland China is Dalian, that started operation in 1909.

Hong Kong is the other place to watch old tramways, where they have been running since 1904. Hong Kong tramways are nicknamed 叮叮车 Ding ding chi, similar to the name in Shanghai. Since I go to Hong Kong regularly, I often enjoy taking the tram to go to some business meetings.

Trams in Hong Kong were originally very similar to Shanghai ones. They changed to double deckers in the 1910s. As far as I could find, Hong Kong is the only place in the World were the entire tram fleet is made of double deckers. They never existed in Shanghai.

Tram cars in Hong Kong are of various age, and some are very old but well maintained. I recently took a tram with nice wooden chairs with rattan seat. Windows were wooden with a wooden supported roof. I don’t know when this car was built, but it felt like from the 40s or maybe even earlier.

Taking the tram in HK is very practical for short distances on the island. It is also a great way for a quick and cheap time travel, particularly around (the few remaining) old buildings. It’s a great way to imagine what it was to go down Shanghai Nanking Road or Avenue Joffre on a tram.

For more information on the tramways and transport system in Shanghai, please go to post Old Shanghai Tramways and China General Omnibus Company.

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Her Lotus year, by Paul French

I have never found any interest in the life of British Royals. As Paul French looked into Wallis Simpson stay in Shanghai in his new book: “Her Lotus year”, this attracted my attention into this episode of Royal history.

Having spent years living in Shanghai, Paul French is no new comer to Old Shanghai and author of several deeply researched books on the topic. Those included “The Old Shanghai A-Z“, Carl Crow’s biography “A tough Old China hand” and “City of devils, a Shanghai noir”. He then turned on to Beijing, investigation a 1937 crime in “Midnight in Peking“. This made him the perfect candidate to investigate Wallis Simpson stay in China, a part that was mostly overlooked from other biographers.

Wallis Simpson arrived in Hong Kong in September 1924, rejoining her husband, an american navy officer, in an attempt to revive their marriage. The reunification failed and she embarked on daring trips to Canton, Shanghai and Beijing. China political situation at the time was chaotic at best, as the country was nearly in civil war. Several armies were fighting for controlling the country, in what became known as the warlord period. The complete chaos of China at the time is well described by journalist Albert Londres who travelled to China at the same time and related his trip in book “La Chine en folie“. Travelling as a single women, Wallis Simpson was probably on missions carrying important documents for the US army or administration, shown by the monetary and logistics support she received.

Arriving in Shanghai in November 1924 on Canadian ship “Empress of Russia”, she stayed at the high end Palace Hotel on the Bund, close to the American consulate. Wallis Simpson quickly integrated the top of Shanghai foreign society, with the help of “Robbie” an English architect who later designed the new Shanghai Race Club building in 1934. He took her to the Majestic Hotel, to the horse races, and among the powerful people of city. In December 1924 she departed to Beijing. She only spent a few weeks in Shanghai, and none of the rumors seem true, apart from Wallis Simpson easily befriending people in the higher tier of society.

The Shanghai Bund in the 1920’s, looking at the Palace Hotel

One of the recurring theme about Wallis Simpson is the “China dossier” compiled by the British secret services, showing how scandalous she was. She was rumored to have had affairs with multiple men, even selling sexual services and using the exotic skills learned in Asia to capture her preys. The “Shanghai grip” was particularly talked about, “The ability to make a match stick feel like a cigar”. Paul French rigorous inquiry shows that most of those rumors where unfounded, but cleverly crafted so as to be made easily believable. A number of the stories were actually true, referring to other women living in China in the same period. Confusion was easily spread, supported by the Western fascination for the exotic East.

Paul French conclusion is that the whole China Dossier was falsely created to destroy the reputation of Wallis Simpson and discourage her marriage with future King Edward the VIII. In the end, the King abdicated a few days after his coronation, to be able to marry her. In retrospect, this was a perfect outcome as Edward VIII seems to have had a lack of judgment if not strong sympathies for Nazi Germany, even visiting Adolf Hitler in October 1937.

With little actual facts, Paul French is great at filling the gaps of the story and gives a lot of background information thanks to his in-depth knowledge of Shanghai and Beijing at the time. The books make an entertaining and easy read, while being supported by in-depth research. Besides the Wallis angle, it is also a great introduction to foreigners life in Beijing in the 1920s, where Wallis Simpson spent most of her China time.

For more books by Paul French, follow this link.

Shanghai-la-Juive

“Shanghai-la-juive” by Michèle Kahn had been on my bookshelves for years. I finally took the time to read it this summer, and I wish had done it earlier.

Published originally in 1997, the novel tells the story of Walter Neumann, a young Austrian Jew who reached Shanghai in 1938. Arriving without a penny like many other in Shanghai at that time, he finds his way through the city during this hard time and the following years of WW2. He climbs the back streets of Hongkou districts, the Wiener Café in the French Concession, to the Luxury of Grosvenor House, falling back again to the Hongkou Ghetto. Torn between his chinese girlfriend and his Russian jew fiancée, his crosses the path of many interesting characters. This gives the reader of view of various backgrounds and layers of society.

As made clear by the title, the novel is focused on the Jewish community in Shanghai. It tells the story of the approximately 20.000 Jews that escaped persecution in Central Europe and took refuge in Shanghai. Most of them were from Germany and Austria, but also from Poland and Lithuania. As many were housed in Hongkou (Hongkew then) district, this part of the city soon saw many shops opened by the newcomers and became known as little Vienna. A big part of the book is taking place there.

The book also shows the relationship between the different Jewish communities including those that were in Shanghai before the massive influx of refugees. Characters mostly come from Central Europe and China. Very little is said about other western communities that were running Shanghai apart from historical background. As Shanghai was very well divided along social and national lines, various nationalities or social strata did not mix much, just like in the book.

Tragic events in Europe are in the mind of most people, with some desperately waiting for news of relatives back in Europe that they never received. Like for the rest of the World, the real extend of the holocaust only came clear at the end of the WW2, but it is constantly in the background. The story of the Shanghai Jewish refugees was not well known in the 1990s and this book was surely a revelation for many at that time. This story has since been told in books and articles, often by actual people who lived those events, like Rena Krasno and Liliane Willens and many others. One of the notable documentary on the topic is Shanghai exodus. Israeli journalist turned tour guide Dvir Bar Gal has intensely researched the topic and toured thousands of people in the old Hong Kou district that has now sadly mostly disappeared. The only remaining part is the former Ohel Moshe synagogue, that is now the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum.

Michele Kahn research has clearly been very deep, as shown by the bibliography and the numerous Shanghai survivors she interviewed. I particularly like the way she introduces historical background in the story with a light and very natural touch, unlike other Old Shanghai novel that feel like a boring history lesson.

Although focused on a very specific time and community in Shanghai, I find Shanghai-la-juive a really good read, while standing on an in-depth and well documented research. The book was a success when published, having received good reviews from critics. It sold well and was republished several times. Written in 1996, it still felt very fresh nearly 30 years later. Unfortunately, it does not seem to have published in any other language than French so far.

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More Dijon Art Deco

The summer of 2025 was an opportunity to spend more time in my home city, Dijon, and to revisit its art deco heritage. With more time at hand, I could explore more areas, expanding from my original post from 2013 (see post “Dijon Art Deco” for more details). This is a side post from the main topic of the blog, Old Shanghai.

Although its traces go back to the Roman Empire, the city is mostly known for its medieval architecture, built during the Duke of Burgundy time in the 14th and 15th century. 16th and 17th Century renaissance architecture saw the rise “hôtels particuliers” or private mansions closely inspired by Paris ones like Hotel Sully. The city was called “small Paris” for a while. Dijon population grew rapidly in the 1920s, creating opportunities for construction. The style in vogue was modernistic, part of it is now called Art Deco.

Modernist building on 9 Rue Dr Chaussier

One of the most noticed Art / Deco modernist building is on 9 Rue Dr Chaussier, from 1938. The U shaped design with double exposure creates a lot of light in the apartments. The inside staircase is clearly streamline design and architect P. Leroy used floor patterns similar to the one used on the MS Normandy, as well as some LVK buildings in Shanghai (see post “Deja vu from Paris to Shanghai” for more information).

Unfortunately, the building was taken over by the Gestapo after June 1940 and used as its headquarter for the city. Brand new and located close to the German authorities headquarters in the city, it was an easy prey for the invaders. This story is quiet similar to the one of “Bridge House” in Shanghai, a great Art Deco building that became the headquarter of the Japanese Kempeitai.

Another great art deco building in the city center is the newly renovated Hotel Central by Dijon Architect Gaston Paris.

The city historical architecture was mostly protected, so Art Deco building in Dijon are mostly found in the suburbs of the time. Besides the Montchapet district seen in post “Dijon Art Deco“, the area of rue de la Maladière was also built during the 1920s and 1930s. In this area, the “Eglise du Sacré Coeur” is an art deco festival.

Started in 1933 and finished in 1938, the church combines some regional features (mostly the Burgundy style rood), with modernism of the time. Apart from the 50 meters clock tower, the main point is the giant fresco of Jesus over the heart of the Church.

The design of the side chapels and the stain glasses also has a strong Art Deco feeling.

The Sacre Coeur church of Dijon is on the great Art Deco churchs, built around the same time than Vichy’s Notre-Dame des malades (1925-1931), Paris Saint-Jean Bosco church in Paris (1933-1937). It is also a similar time line to Hudec Moore Church in Shanghai.

There are many more Art Deco apartments building in Dijon, including the massive Art Deco apartment building on 33 Rue Sambin, by Dijon Architects Joseph and André Favre.

For information on Dijon Art Deco, please go to post “Dijon Art Deco“. Although Shanghai Art Deco is not the same a Dijon’s, they have a lot in common in terms of time period and style. Looking for Dijon Art Deco is like keeping the link with old Shanghai when I am away.

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Albert Londres, “Madness in China”

French journalist Albert Londres (1884-1932) was one of the founders of investigative journalism. He travelled the World, writing about World affairs and looking into colonialism and international politics, as well as forced labor, drug trafficking and prostitution. One of his most interesting book, from Old Shanghai point of view, is 1925 “La Chine en folie”, relating his recent trip to China. As far as I know, it has never been translated in English.

Coming from Japan, Albert Londres started his trip in Beijing, telling the story of the unstable political situation of the time. He went on to interview northern warlord Tsang-Tso-Lin ( Zhang Zuolin / 張作霖). Staying at the Grand Hotel de Pékin, today the old wing of the Beijing Hotel, he encountered various characters including a Russian princess, three French mariners and his Chinese sidekick, Mr Pou, giving a really entertaining view of China at the time.

Most of the book takes place in Beijing and the North, but Albert Londres took a short trip to Shanghai. It is not clear how he went there, but he probably used the Peking Express train. Although he was amazed by the city, he clearly did not like it. “A free man cannot not talk about this city.”. “Some cities make guns, some make ham, Shanghai makes money.” He adds that in Shanghai the lingua franc is not English, but numbers for counting money.

“They all came! From New York, from Chicago, from Manchester, from London, from Lyon, from Hamburg, from Milan, from Amsterdam, from Barcelona, from Constantinople, from Tokyo, from Bagdad, all gentlemen and all wheeler-dealers ran to the promised land. Thus Shanghai was born, from a Chinese mother and a american-english-french-german-dutch-italian-japanese-jewish-spanish father.”

Visiting the Bund and the business district, he felt surrounded by banks. He then moves to Little Tokyo in Hongkou and ends up in the French Concession. “Here is the French Concession. The only one, as others are all together in International settlement. 200.000 Chinese live under our rules. It is run by a municipal council, just like Pontoise and Paris.” Gambling is, for him, the life of city. Londres ended up his journey at the Cercle sportif Français. Although the Shanghai part only counts a few pages, it gives a great impression of 1920s Shanghai.

Albert Londres came a second time to China in 1931, writing numerous articles about the political situation then. He toured China and French Indochina, researching the gigantic income made by the state opium trading company in the French colony of Indochina. He also looked in-depth into the deal between the French consulate and police in Shanghai, with the mafia controlling the opium trade. It is well believed that he was planning to publish a series of article or a book on those topic after coming back to France. He unexpectedly died in the sinking and fire of the Messagerie Maritime Ship MS Georges Philippar in the Arabian Sea, putting an end to this book’s publication.

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Souvenir from Shanghai

Old Shanghai postcards from the 1930s are common to find in auctions on the internet. What is much rarer are postcards from before WW1. Here is a fine example from 1907 sent from Old Shanghai to France.

Postcards were invented in the late 19th century, originally one side for the address and one side for the message. The real modern postcard is called “divided back”, still in use today. It was officially adopted in the UK in 1902, France in 1903 and by the Universal Postal Union in 1907. This postcard from 1907 must have been one of the early ones.

The card is stamped 20th jun 07. China only joined the Universal Postal Union in March 1914. Before that, major countries had their own post office in Shanghai, including the German post office on Guangdong Lu. The French post office where this postcard was posted was probably on Rue Montauban (today Sichuan Nan lu / 四川南路) close to Rue du Consulat (Jinling Lu / 金陵路) as seen on the below map of the French Concession in 1900.

As this was posted in a French Post Office, this stamp is also French. It shows “République Française” on the top and “Chine” on the bottom. So this was truly posted at a French post office in China. It is stamped “Shang-hai / Chine”.

This card is multi-views postcard, those were the luxury type of postcards according to Thomas Brandt’s “China in those days'”, the reference book on the topic. The illustration looks like two photos that seems to have pinned on the main card, along with some “Chinese” elements including a triangular yellow flag, pane tree leaves and Chinese lanterns. The caption “Souvenir from Shanghai” is on a banner. Picture left is of Hongkou market, captioned “Central market”. The Central Market or Hong Kou market was located on Woosung Rd / 吴淞路.

Picture right is “Broadway” the main street of the Hongkou side of the concession, that used to be the American concession until 1863, today Damin Lu / 大名路. Although it is captioned souvenir from Shanghai, it is only made of two views from Hong Kou district, so it is more like “Souvenir from Hongkou”. A specific shop is represented on the left side of the picture, “Japanese Art Curios and Leather Goods”. Its title is noticeably clear compared to other shops. Funny enough, on can clearly see postcards on sale in the front windows. The card probably bought in a store just like this one.

The card was sent from Shanghai to maritime military base in Brest, France. The receiver was Jean Gaget, an officer on the French navy ship Dupetit-Thouard, an armored cruiser. Since the card was sent from a friend to a navy soldier, it was probably sent by a mariner on a stopover in Shanghai.

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Meanwhile in India

Old Shanghai crime novels have long been an interest of mine as part of this blog. A number of them are really good, including City of lost souls, 2024 and the inspector Danilov series, recreating Old Shanghai atmosphere, sounds and smell while keeping the historical context. Taking place in modern Shanghai, I have also tremendously enjoyed inspector Chen novels by Qiu Xiaolong, including Red Mandarin dress. Besides Old Shanghai, crime novels are also a good way to explore other places in 1920s and 1930s as well as their connections with Old Shanghai. I read Babylon Berlin, taking in place in 1930s Berlin a few summers ago. For a trip to 1920s India, I turned to Abir Mukherjee’s “A rising man”.

1920s Calcutta and 1920s Shanghai have a lot more in common that I expected. First of all, Calcutta transportation was mainly done by hand pulled rickshaw. The japanese invention that is so often assimilated with Shanghai also made its way to India. Calcutta also had tramway network, similar to Shanghai.

*Image Credit: bjornmoerman.blogspot.com*

Although large areas of India were largely controlled by Britain throughout the 17th century, the actual control of India by the British government, known as the British Raj, started in 1858. In China, the 1842 Nanjing Treaty opened 5 treaty ports including Shanghai. The world “Bund” in Shanghai Bund is even from an Hindi word band (बंद / بند), showing the influence of the Indian experience on Brits coming to China.

Brits also imported the same club culture and segregation between the white rulers and the local population. The Shanghai Club scene seemed to closely ressemble to Calcutta one. However, in Shanghai this seems to have receded in the 1930s in turn for a more mixed society. This did not seem to have happened in India, with British control making the separation even stronger.

Trade connection was very strong between India and the Chinese treaty ports. Opium was the main export, grown in India and then transported to China in a triangular trade. The main traders were Shanghai British based Jardine & Matheson and Butterfield & Swire. Although they originated from Shanghai, that had strong business links with India. Jewish families originally from Baghdad, also moved to India in the centuries before then on to Shanghai in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Sassoon and Kadoorie families who dominated Shanghai where from Mumbai. The Ezra family, another preeminent Jewish family in Shanghai originated from Calcutta.

Another strong link was through the police and the military. Although the Shanghai police force of the international settlement was not directly a British force, it employed many former military and policemen who had served in the UK or in India. The British forces even brought their Sikh guards that were common in India, to serve as guards and traffic police in Shanghai.

“A rising man” takes place in April 1919, with the Amritsar Massacre in the background of the story. More than 350 people were killed when the British forces opened fire on a crowd protesting against repressive colonial ruling and the arrest of important Indian leaders. This post WW1 period also saw the emergence of the May 4th 1919 movement in China, that was also protesting against colonial rules in China. The Amristar Massacre is also sadly similar to the 1925 Louza lu police station incident, when Chinese protester confronted the police which fired on the crowd. Just like the Amritsar massacre, the Louza Lu police station incident sparked a much wider nationalistic movement demanding the end of colonial rule.

“A rising man” is a great way to get some exposure to British India and an understanding of the British Raj. It’s also a page turner crime novel with fascinating characters and a twisted story. Calcutta and Shanghai had a lot more in common than I thought at first. This made it an even more enjoyable read.

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The wild side of GuLangYu

For this 9th trip to the beautiful island of Kulangsu (today GuLangYu), we chose to use the ferry to the west side of the island. The Gulangyu Neicuo’ao Wharf (鼓浪屿内厝澳码头) is located where the Foo kien Tanning Co factory used to be. This side of the Island is away from the port of Xiamen and could only accessed on land via the long costal road in the 1930s. As a consequence, it was more secluded and old villas are rarer that on the other side. This whole area is now covered with parks and modern hotels. This makes it a nice place to disembark, but lacks the real Gulangyu feeling. However, one does not have to look too far to find nice surprises.

Behind some more modern constructions, stands one of the rare neo-Confucian style building on Gulangyu. The style is a combination of modernity and traditions. Bottom floors are modern but the top floors and roof look like traditional Chinese buildings. This style was popular in Xiamen in the 1920s and 30s coming with the influence and money from South East Asia. One classical example is the famous Xiamen University, along with the Xiamen Overseas Chinese Museum.

This villa was clearly the private estate of a wealthy South East Asian family. At the time of construction, it was probably far away from other houses. From the style I guess it’s from the early 1930s. The top floor is of traditional Fujian style, while the bottom is much more modern. On Gulangyu, the only other one I know is 海天堂, Hi heaven, the largest old villa complex on the island.

The Sino-American School of Gulangyu was located a little further on the same beach road. It was run by missionaries and associated with the Seventh-days Adventists. From the map, I believe the school building is still there (see below), although it has long stopped been a school. It’s mix of modern and classic western is totally different from the house above.

Former Gulangyu Sino-American School building

Our hotel was once again located in a renovated old villa. Overlooking both the West and East side, it was a large park on the top of hill. The main building is mentioned as being from the 1920s, but the style is more like late30s. The entrance on the small street under the tree shade is really enjoyable.

View from the top of the main building clearly shows this must have been a really secluded place in the past, all buildings looking down are modern. In the old time, this could have been forest or even agricultural fields. The location is clearly on a high point of the island as the view goes all over to Xiamen port far away. There is only one house upper in the street.

As the East side is much steeper, no modern building seem to have been added. This side seems abandoned, giving a good feeling of how it used to be when only few old houses stood here. A mysterious old and uninhabited villa stand among the lush trees. This side really feels like far away from the World, a great place to relax and imagine how quite and secluded this side of GuLangYu was before tourists came over.

Although the island has now become a main tourist attraction, there are still spots away from the crowd on this wild side of Gulangyu, while being only a few steps away from the more famous spots.

For more posts about Gulangyu Island, please click here.

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