Horose in Shanghai

After having looked into the Ruan Lingyu movie “Love and duty“, I discovered that the movie was made from a book also called “Love and duty” written first in French by a French-Polish author living in Beijing, and then translated into Chinese. (See post “The story of Horose or Stephanie Rosen-Hoa” for more details). While Horose was mostly living in Beijing, and sometimes Paris, this article focuses on her relationship with Shanghai.

The book “Love and duty“, by Horose or Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa was a bestseller in China. It was first published as a 8 parts series in the literary magazine of Shanghai based Commercial press 小说世界 (The World of novels) in 1921 with 羅琛華 as the author. Commercial Press then published a book version as “恋爱与义务” in 1924, which was a great success. The English version was also published by Commercial Press in 1926 (for more details, see post: “Love & duty, the book“).

During all that time, Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa was living in Beijing with her husband Hua Nangui / 华南圭 who was originally from Wuxi and her two children. Hua Nangui designed and built their house in Beijing in 1914, using a combination of Chinese and Western style.

Picture of Horose in from of her family house in Beijing, curtesy of Catherine Hoa.

Commercial Press was headquartered in Shanghai, so she must have to down South from Beijing to negotiate the publication of her books. At that time, trips from Beijing to Shanghai took either the boat from Tianjin harbour, or the Peking Express. Although there are no real traces from those travels, one can assume that Horose would come to Shanghai once or twice a year.

Below picture is an advertising for Commercial Press books, published in JB Powell’s China Weekly Review on 12th Feb 1927. One can assume that the books listed were the best sellers of Commercial Press at the time. It is amazing to see Love and Duty juste next to Lu Xun’s “The true story of Ah Q”, of which English translation was published in 1927.

Ad in the China Weekly Review – 12th Feb 1927

As mentioned by Kristine Harris in her article : “Ombres Chinoises, split screens and parallel lives in Love and Duty”, “By 1930, the novel had gained broader name recognition among urban audiences, the Commercial Press had already issued three impressions of the English version and four of the Chinese version.” Lou Mingyou, the future director of the movie, read the book and contacted the author. Horose was hired as a consultant for the movie that was released in 1931. During that time, she probably spent much more time in Shanghai, as the movie studio were located in the city. I did not find traces of contacts between Horose and the French community. Probably they were few, with the French community kept away by the language barrier from the Chinese and English literary success that was Love & Duty, as well as lack of interest into “Chinese things” from the French community in general.

The only link with the French Concession that I found is that most of the outdoor sets for the movie Love and Duty where located in the French Concession. They were all located around freshly built properties of the FONCIM (Société Foncière et Immobilière), the real estate subsidiary of the French run International Saving Society, the highly successful life insurance company headquartered in Shanghai. Although it may be random, one can also assume that Horose got somehow in touch with FONCIM management to use those locations and feature them in the movie.

As Horose fame grew in China, she started to give talks that were advertised. A few of them were mentioned in the Shanghai English press. The North China Daily news in the 10th December 1933 edition published a short article mentioning that Horose was in Shanghai on that date, presenting her new book “Double Chains” in Chinese. It also mentions that “she is later to collect material in Nanking for another book. This is expected to be called “Through the Great Wall” and will be published in Paris.” That book was actually published under the name “La muraille de Pékin `a Paris”, in 1929 in Paris.

Double Chains by Horose, Chinese edition

The last article found was published in the China Press, on 2nd June 1936. It mentions the conference given by “Mme Kuai”, further named as “Mme L Rosen-Hoa Nan Kuai” to the WCTU (Women Christian Temperance Union). Horose is introduced as “the author of He & She, Double Chains, Love & duty and book of essays. Her husband who is an engineer translates them into Chinese.”

Horose went back to France in 1937 and only came back to China in 1966, before passing away in Beijing in 1970. For more details about her life, please go to post “The Story of Horose, or S. Rosen-Hoa“.

Crime scene on Rue Henry

Route Paul Henry (today xinle lu / 新乐路) is a small but central street of the former French Concession. This part of the city was very much linked to Gangster Du Yue Shen (杜月笙) empire. His residence was built in 1934 at the beginning of the street and his today the Dong Hu hotel. Crime was definitely part of the life on Route Paul Henry then.

Du Yue Shen residence, today Dong Hu hotel

Further down the street on #82 at the corner with Route L Lorton (Xiang Yang Bei Lu / 襄阳北路) , another elegant building was also related to Du Yu Shen, the seat of the 3 fortunes company (三鑫公司). Started in 1925, the company was the association of three major gangsters of Shanghai, members of the Green Gang: Due Yue Shen/ 杜月笙, Huang Jinrong / 黄金荣 and Zhang Xiaolin / 张啸林. Prostitution, games, opium sales and other forms of gangsterism were its main source of revenue, making the three partners extremely wealthy. Crime paid very well then.

Former seat of the 3 fortunes company

The building style is a modernized version of beaux-arts, with Chinese features. The official website of the hotel claims that original architect was “famous French designer Rafael”, but I have not encountered this name before. Many features are similar with Du Yue Shen house up the street, so it is possible the same architect did both buildings.

Inside the Mansion Hotel (picture from the hotel website)

Around 2007, this beautiful building was turned into a hotel inspired by Shanghai history. The owner curated more than 300 old Shanghai artefacts, buying some from my antic dealers friends. It even features pictures from the actual Du Yue Sheng family. This became one of the most luxurious hotel of Shanghai, making one feel like a trip to old Shanghai just by getting into it. The renovation and decor was fantastic, and although it was probably mostly reconstructed, it just felt like the real thing.

The former owner who ordered this wonderful work died a few years ago. The hotel seems to have been closed for a while. Suddenly, construction started on the site in the late spring of this year (2024). I was fearing the worst and the worst came.

The outside has been pleasantly renovated, with an opening to the street that is making the beauty of the building visible. However, the inside has been totally gutted in this terrible ruinovation. Nothing of the former charm remains, just bare walls that could be in any shopping mall. I nearly fainted when I saw the result. Considering the quality of the previous renovation, this is not far from being a crime to Shanghai history. Old Shanghai lost one of its best place in this incredible move and no municipal protection came to the rescue… at least the building itself survives. Farewell to beautiful mansion hotel, welcome to another fashion store.

Unfortunately, ruinovation or destruction of some of the last bits of Old Shanghai seems to be on the rise. Destruction signs in the former Concessions have started to appear again without any consideration for historic heritage A street further up, the corner of Changle lu and Xiang Yang Lu is already walled up and waiting for destruction. One street further on Julu lu, another small part is also made ready to go.

Lane behind Changle lu waiting for destruction.

Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career

While writing first post about Ruan Lingyu (阮玲玉) “Love and duty” movie, I received some information about a new biography of the movie star. Now already a year old, this short but intense book gives an in-depth understanding of the star career and life. At the same time, it brings a lot background information about cinema in Old Shanghai.

Ruan Lingyu was born in 1910 in Zhujiajiao, a Shanghai suburb, in a Cantonese family. She grew up in poverty. The family later moved to Pudong, where her father died in 1916. In similar way to some of Ruan Lingyu’s movies, her mother had to leave her under the care of an aunt to take a job in the city. Her fate changed when her mother was hired by a the Zhang family of wealthy Cantonese and could live on the premises. Thanks to their connection, she was able to get an education along with wealthy Cantonese at Chongde Girl School on Avenue Road (today Beijing Xi Lu). Her passion for the performing arts grew with time. While staying at the Zhang house, she got in a relationship with Zhang Damin, the spoiled son of the Zhang family who became addicted to gambling. As the Ruan Lingyu and her mother were later expelled from the house, she started to live together with Zhang Damin.

Her first movie was “Husband and wife in name” (1927). Chinese cinema was still less popular than foreign movies by then, and movie actress was not regarded as a good profession, but Ruan Lingyu got a start in her career from this movie. In 1928 White Cloud Pagoda, she played along upcoming star Hu Die and started to become famous. In the meantime, her gambling husband was loosing her money away.

Love and duty original poster

Her big move was to join the new Lian Hua movie company (United Photoplay in English). Movies like “Spring Dream in the old capital” (1930) and “Love and duty“(1931) were big success. Ruan Linguy’s career peaked with two master pieces, ‘The Godess”(1934) and “New Woman”(1935). At that time, she was a superstar. Unfortunately, this did not solve her personal issues and she committed suicide in 1935. Her burial was attended by an enormous amount of people and was published all over the World.

Huan Lingyu burial

In his book, Patrick Galvan gives a lot of details about the life and films of Huan Lingyu. It also brings a lot of background information both about the film companies (in particular Lian Hua) and Shanghai cinema in 1920s and 1930s, as well as about the politics influencing Chinese movies at that time. It includes the complete list of Ruan Lingyu’s movies, many of which are now lost. Surprisingly, there is no mention of the special circumstances of “Love and duty” that disappeared for decades and was found back in Uruguay in the 1980s.

Although a short book, it is very detailed and is best read after having studied the topic a bit. One of the good preparation for reading the book, is 1991 movie “Center stage” about the life of Ruan Lingyu.

This post is part of thread about Ruan Lingyu and “Love and duty” both the movie and the book. For the full thread, go to post “Love and duty (part 1)“.

Farewell to Lynn Pan

Great specialist of Old Shanghai and author of several books on the topic, Lynn Pan was as discreet as talented. She has recently passed away and will be sadly missed.

Born in Old Shanghai, her family owned major construction company Pan Shang Lin 潘尚林 building firm that was in charge of building Park Hotel and other landmarks of Old Shanghai including the Yangtze Hotel, Picardie Apartments on Heng Shan Road and the head quarters of  Bank of China on the Bund. Growing up in Malaysia, she lived in Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore before coming back to her beloved Shanghai. Her books have influenced many and were instrumental in reviving the memory of Old Shanghai and its glory. They included “In search of Old Shanghai” (1982) and “Old Shanghai: Gangsters in Paradise” (1984).

Another landmark was “Shanghai Style: Art and design between the wars” (2008), that rediscovered 海派 / Haipai or Old Shanghai style mixing the Chinese and Western style used in funiture, paintings, posters and other artefacts.

One of my fond memory of her was a speech she gave at the Shanghai International Literary Festival in 2008 or 2009 together with her friends Tess Johnston and Rena Krasno. Together they gave such a vivid picture of Old Shanghai, just like a time travel.

Bastille Day in Old Shanghai

Celebration for French National Day, 14th of July or Bastille Day is an icon of French Culture that also took place in Shanghai French Concession. Far from the mainland, it was an important day of celebration for the French community. After finding an original ticket for the 1929 Bastille Day celebration, I looked into that year celebration.

Saturday 13th program from Le Journal de Shanghai on Gallica

Full program of the 1929 Fête Nationale in the French Concession was published in French daily newspaper “Le Journal de Shanghai”. First celebrations were a “Retraite aux flambeaux” on Saturday 13th July in the evening. Night parade under lanterns light has been a tradition of Bastille Day celebration that is still lasting today.

The parade started at 8:45 pm from the French Bund, through Avenue Edouard VII (today Yan’an Lu), turning around the Great World entertainment center toward Boulevard de Montigny (today Xizang Lu). It then moved to Avenue Joffre (today Huai Hai Zhong Lu), Route Voyron (now pedestrian Yendang lu) and finishing in Jardin de Koukaza, also known as the French Park (today Fuxing Park), followed by fireworks.

14th July 1929 official program in Le Journal de Shanghai on Gallica

On Sundat 14th July, celebration started with flag salute at 8:00 at the French Consulate. The main event was the troop review at the Jardin de Koukaza. With French military barracks at Camp Mangin, next garden entrance it was convient to hold the military review in a nearby location. Jardin de Koukaza had a long military tradition, as it was military training ground before being turned into a garden when urbanisation expended westward.

Location of Camp Mangin (original 1937 map from Shanghailander collection)

Seating spectators for the review where located in 3 sections. Below is an original ticket for section C. The invitation was issued by the French Concession municipal Council and it clearly stated that the review started à 8:30. There was probably also many standing spectators as this must have been a popular event to view.

Original invitation to the troop inspection (Shanghailander collection)

The troop review was conducted by Colonel Mallet and was attended by all important people of the French Concession, as well as other foreign Consuls. Reviewed troops included:
– The French Volunteers battalion, with many known people in the community such as architect Paul Veysseyre. The banner was carried by Mr Salabelle.
– Europeans agents of the French Concession Police
– Chinese agents of the French Concession Police
– Annamite agents of the French Concession Police
– Chinese volunteers
– French army battalion stationed in Shanghai
– Fire brigade and tanks
Pictures below are of the troop review and the following military parade from 1938. It was surely similar to the one that took place in 1929. The was followed by award giving ceremony.

Inspection of the French bataillon in Park de Koukaza

After the parade, the event continued at the Avenue Joffre fire station, followed by returning to the French Consulate for a speech to a large crowd of French and Chinese people. The Consul then gave a speech to the Cercle Français on route Vallon. The most fashionable party was surely at the Cercle Sportif Français, where the cream of the crop joined the Consul to celebrate.

Military parade in the Park de Koukaza’s central alley

More popular events took place from 16:00 with games and sport competitions in Jardin de Koukaza. The closure event was a concert and outside movie from 21:00 in the same location.

This whole day of celebration was fully covered and commented in the following issue of the Journal de Shanghai.

Normandy building VR exhibition

Laszlo Hudec first masterpiece in Shanghai, the Normandy building on Huaihai Xi Lu has become one of the icons of Shanghai. The original ISS building on Avenue Joffre from 1924 was remained Normandy building in the 1930s when the ISS extended its building empire in the French Concession, in collaboration with French architects Leonard & Veysseyre.

Normandy building, the spot for picture!

In the last 10 years, it has really become the icon of Old Shanghai architecture, with hundreds of people taking picture in front of it every day. It was quiet and ignored when I used to live around this area 10 years ago. In the same period, Laszlo Hudec has become the symbol of foreign architects in Old Shanghai and a popular figure in Shanghai. His profile has also risen, although much less so, in his native Hungary.

For the 100th anniversary of the 武康大楼 (the actual Chinese name of the building), a great exhibition has been organized at the nearby 上海老房子艺术中心, the Shanghai old building cultural center, on Wukang Lu 393. The main attraction is a VR 3D adventure around the Normandy building and its history. It is very immersive, including a virtual air balloon flight over the part of Shanghai in the 1930s. It really shows that the building and other 1930s skyscraper where really dominating the city at the time. It also makes clear that this part of Shanghai, that is now the heart of the city center, was the edge of the city at that time.

Visiting the Normandy building virtually

The exhibition only lasts until 31st July. Highly recommended!

Award for Shanghailander writer

I recently had the surprise of receiving an award at the 3rd Shanghai culture festival (第三届海派风尚节推行大使), for promoting Shanghai culture through Shanghailander blog.

I was invited as a guest to the 1st Shanghai culture festival (see post “Night out at the French Club“). This has developed to become a real event for Old Shanghai lovers. It is mostly attended by Chinese people an local interest in Old Shanghai has been steadily growing over the years. A great opportunity to use my Chinese!

Meeting with Horose grand daughter

The starting point of this thread was silent movie “Love & Duty” with Old Shanghai superstar Ruan Lingyu/ 阮玲玉. It continued with the discovery of the movie original plot was from a book actually written by a Horose i.e. Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa. She was an unusual character, being a Polish lady married with famous Chinese engineer and writer Hua Nangui / 华南圭. The couple met in Paris were both were studying, but the book was written while the couple lived in Beijing in the 1920s. Then fate put me in touch with their grand daughter (Catherine Hoa / 华新民) who still lives in Beijing.

Léon Hoa, Irène and the children in Beijing. Catherine Hoa in the middle

Catherine Hoa / 华新民 was born in Beijing in 1954. Her father was Léon Hoa / 华揽洪 (1912 – 2012) who was the son of Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa and Hua Nangui / 华南圭. Léon Hoa was a French-Chinese architect who was educated in France and had a successful architecture career in France in the 1930s and 40s, then in China in the 1950s. Horose’s book “Love and duty” is dedicated to him. Catherine Hoa / 华新民 ‘s mother was Irene a French lady. The couple got married in France in the 1930s. In 1951, they decided to come back to China together to help build the new People’s Republic. They lived in the family house in Beijing that was built in 1914 by Hua Nangui / 华南圭. This is also where Catherine Hot / 华新民 grew up.

The family house in Beijing.

Catherine speaks perfect French as she grew up in a French family in China. “My siblings were born in France, they always felt more French. I was born in China and I feel more Chinese.” she said during our conversation. “Life in Beijing was sometimes difficult as I have blue eyes and I stood out among other Chinese people then. It’s only when I went to France that I could find real anonymity.” The family went through a lot of trouble in the 1950s and 1960s during political trouble that were targeting intellectuals. Catherine Hoa / Hua Xinmin only went first to France in 1961 when she took a trip to France with her mother and sister. The whole family moved back to France in 1976, taking the trans Siberian train through USSR.

Talking with her, I could get a lot more personal information on her grand-parents. “My grand mother and grand father spoke French together since they met in Paris. Horose spoke French and English so she wrote the English and French version of Love & Duty and other books. Her work was translated by my grand father and other people.” The tradition continued as Catherine’s mother spoke no Chinese before coming to China. “I was always called Catherine in the family, never by my Chinese name”.

My grand-mother was friend with many interesting people including André Gide who was her neighbor in France. She also befriended Alexandra David-Néel, the first foreign lady to enter Lhassa, who stayed with her in Beijing (probably in her 1937 trip to China). Moving from France to China in the 1910s was very tough. Fortunately, my grand father had an important job in Beijing, so they never had to live together with his family. At that time, China was very traditional, this would have been a great shock for her.

“My Grand-father is quite well known in China.” She actually published a collection of Hua Nangui writings a few years ago in China. “I have been searching for my Grand Mother story, but we don’t have much information about her time in Poland or how and why she came to Paris. We only know that she had several sisters and one of them moved to Israel after she returned in 1946.” She has very strong willpower and a close very link with my father Leon. She left China in 1939, and only came back to spend her last years with him in 1966. At that time, her beloved husband was already buried in Beijing. They could never meet again after he returned to China in the late 1940s.” Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa passed away in 1970. She is also buried in Beijing.

For more information about Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa and her books, please go to original post “The Story of Horose or S. Rosen-Hoa“.

Former Shanghai Belgian Consulate

After a number of years of renovation, the campus of the Shanghai musical conservatory is now open to the public again. Includes several Old Shanghai building that have been renovated.

The most iconic part of the new project is surely “The German building”. This house in Bavarian style had been hiding in plain sight for years, as its main facade was covered by a more modern building for a long time. After renovation, it is now visible from Huai Hai Lu and attracts a lot of attention.

From the outside, it is clear that a lot of care has been put into the renovation. This massive house of German / Bavarian style wasbuilt for a German merchant between 1905 and 1911. It was designed by German architect firm Becker & Baedecker, that also built the former German club on the Bund. At that time, the road was called Rue Paul Brunat and this part was outside the French Concession area. It was formally included under the French jurisdiction after the extension of the French Concession in July 1914.

The back of the house includes a beautiful covered terrasse, also very well restored. An information plate mention that it was the seat of the Belgian consulate, but research shows it was a different building in the same area (see below).

Getting further into the park, one will encounter the former Shanghai Jewish Club, the main building of the modern Shanghai musical conservatory until a few years ago. Having been expended over the years, it is still used although it is now less visible compared to the newly opened buildings. This building is from 1932, with some art deco elements, much later than the “German building”. It’s interior has renovated many times and has little of the original. The location is close to the compound entrance on Feng Yang lu (former Route Pichon).

Former Shanghai Jewish Club

Hidden in the back of the compound is another building that was the biggest surprise as I had not spotted it before as it is hidden in the trees.

Art Nouveau Building in Shanghai

Its Art Nouveau designs looks very much like Vienna style, which is very rare in China. The only other building in that style I saw was in Wuhan. Along with the rest of the compound, the building has also been recently renovated. The inside is still not open to the public. This building is mentioned in an article from 1919, stating it had already been built by Mr Gerecke for a number of years by then so it was probably built around the same time as the German house.

Mr Emil Gerecke (1862-1933) was an employee of the Deutsche-Asiatische Bank (Bank Germano-Asiatic) in the 1890s, and then made his own company. The 1909 China Directory lists E. Gerecke as a bills broker located Route Pichon, and the Shanghai Club. The firm Gerecke & Sierich, Exchange brokers is also located at this address. He was repatriated to Germany in 1919, and came back to Shanghai in 1924.

The house was sold in 1917 and was turned into Dr J B Fearn Blue bird Sanitorium, a modern healthcare facility. It was named after 1908 Maurice Maeterlink’s play “L’oiseau bleu” (or blue bird in English), that was turned into a famous movie around that that time. The Blue bird Sanitorium lasted until 1926.

Blue Bird Sanitorium around 1920

From that point, the house was used as the Belgium Consulate in Shanghai. It is indicated on this 1935 map of the French Concession at 30 Route Pichon. The German house does not appear on the map, so it was not an official building then.

Position of Consulate General of Belgium

The footprint of the existing campus has also been greatly expended, now enclosing neighbouring plots that where previously off limit. This part, including the former Ezra mansion will be introduced in a further post.

Apart from the former Belgian Consulate, I have written posts about the former French Consulate, the former French Municipality and the former British Consulate. Follow the links to access them.

Shanghai Concordia Club

Early 20th century Shanghai counted a sizeable German population although it did not have a German concession, unlike in Tianjin. The German Consulate was proudly standing on the North Bund, next to the US and Japanese Consulate (both the former German and US Consulates long ago).

Like the British, the French, the Americans, the Japanese and others, Germans had their own club in Shanghai. It was named the Concordia Club like many German clubs and associations all over the World, the name of the Roman Goddess of harmony, unity and agreement. Concordia Club started to be created in the US and other locations a few years after the creation of the German Empire in 1871.

Letter to the Concordia Club (source stampauctionnetwork.com)

Although I did not find information about the creation or picture of the original Concordia Club in Shanghai, the Club building was rebuilt between 1904 and 1907, under the direction of German architects Becker & Baedecker. The same firm also designed the former German post office in Shanghai, the now disappeared Dehua Bank Beijing Branch in Beijing and the German house now part of the Shanghai Conservatory compound. The foundation stone for the new club building was laid by Prince Adalbert of Prussia on October 22, 1904.

Prinz Adalbert giving three hammer knocks for celebrating the start of construction of the Concordia Club in Shanghai

For the construction, the Concordia Club issued bonds of 100 Taels, for a total of 100.000 taels in July 1904.

Loan of 100 taels for the construction of the new Concordia Club (source hpwh.de)

The architecture style was German renaissance which was popular in Germany at the time.

View of the Shanghai Concordia Club (source Shanghailander collection)

It was located on 23 the Bund, between the Palace hotel and the British Consulate. The 6 storeys building stood out on the Bund, showing the might and power of the German Empire in Shanghai. It was also a few meters from the Monument dedicated to the Iltis, a German ship that sunk off the China coast in 1898.

Colorized postcard of the Concordia Club with the Palace Hotel on the left (source ebay.com)

The club was the center of the social life of the community, where German business people would gather for meeting. Although I did not find a reliable information, it seems that the Concordia Club was also open to (German) women, as opposed to the Shanghai Club, the British Club that was only open for men (but took a few foreigners). It was also a place where Germans in the city could meet and where formal events in the German community took place. The below picture shows an invitation for a masked ball on 29th February, signed by “Der Vorstand”, i.e. the committee (the year is probably 1908 or 1912). Cost of Supper was 3 dollars.

Invitation for a masked ball at the Concordia Club (source delcampe.com)

As with all Germany’s possessions abroad, the Shanghai Concordia Club was confiscated following the 1919 Versailles Treaty. It was then acquired by the Bank of China that used it as its headquarters in Shanghai. The image of the building was printed on some of the bank’s banknotes.

1926 Bank of China banknote with former Concordia Club (source moneypedia.de)

Construction on the Bund continued in the 1920s. The new Sassoon House, home of the Cathay hotel (today Peace Hotel) built next door in 1929 made it look particularly small. The former Concordia Club was demolished in the 1935 to make way for the new Bank of China tower on the Bund.

Concordia Club next to Cathay Hotel (source Shanghailander collection)

A Concordia Club was also built in Tianjin in 1907. As opposed to the Shanghai one the Tianjin Concordia Club building still stands.

Former Concordia Club Tianjin (source exploringtianjin.com)

For more information about clubs in Old Shanghai, go to post “Shanghai Club revival” and “Inside the Cercle Sportif Français“.