Year 2024 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and the People’s Republic of China. Although it was not the beginning of the French-Chinese relationship, this was the opportunity for many cultural events shared by both countries. The main event for Old Shanghai lovers was surely the wonderful exhibition Resonance Art Deco Paris – Shanghai, which will last until mid February in Shanghai former British Consulate and should not be missed. Below are popular posts in 2024.
1 – The rise and fall of the Majestic Hotel The story of the star of Shanghai nigthlife in the 1920s, that disappeared in the 30s seems is a regular on the blog’s top searched posts. The reason why I wrote this post in 2017 was my own interest and the lack of information available on the topic. Apparently I am not the only one search for the lost Majestic Hotel, as this post has regularly been on the top of the list.
2 – 43 Brooklyn Court rental contrat Want to see an actual rental contract from Old Shanghai? This kind of real-life documents are rare, which is surely why it attracted attention from readers.
3 – French Concession detailed map Published in 2022, it seems to have taken off this year. There are not so many original detailed map of the French Concession online, hence the attention.
4 – Tasting Old Shanghai This post is definitely the oldest on the list, being from 2010. Talking about the Park Hotel bakery that is still running. It probably is popular for its link to Old Shanghai but also 1980s Shanghai nostalgia that is coming back in force.
5 – 繁花 Shanghai blossoms The Wong-kar Wai TV series about Shanghai in the 1990s took the city and China like a storm in January 2024. No wonder this post was popular.
Best wishes from the Shanghailander blog for 2025! Feel free to share it with all people interested in the topic.
Xiamen heritage is often linked to the island of Gulangyu about which I have written several posts. There is much more to it as Xiamen had 2 concessions. The original concession was the port of Amoy (English transcription close to the local dialect) / 厦门. It became part of the 5 first treaty port from the 1842 Nanjing treaty. It has to be noted that the prior battle of Amoy on 26th Aug 1841 was pivotal for the city and the whole of China.
As Amoy had long been a center for export of tea and silk, foreign trading companies found a natural home for their business. However, foreigners soon moved to Gulangyu to establish there base. The island became an international settlement in 1903, similar to the Shanghai international settlement. Modern urban development including paved road and electrification took place on the island, leaving the city behind for many years.
Fujian has a long been closely connected to South East Asia. Many Chinese traders moved to Melaka and Penang in the 18th and 19th Century. The main Chinese dialect in South East Asia is Hokkien, called MinNan Hua / 闽南话 in China, the language from South Fujian. The connection is also reflected in the food with Xiamen Sha Cha Mian being very close to Malaysian Laksa, and stir fried rice noodle being very similar in both places.
The return of Fujian immigrants from South East Asia in late 1920s sparkled the development of the city. With the 1929 crises taking on the World, China was still a good place to invest so people of South East Asian heritage cake back to Fujian. This fueled a construction boom in Amoy that transformed the city. Although technically a British Concession, Amoy was modernized by ethnic Chinese, not Westerners.
ZhongShan road / 中山路 feels very much like Shanghai Nanking Road (Today Nanjing Xi Lu / 南京西路). It was the high street were shoppers would flock, with a tramway line going up to the river. All buildings along this road date from 1929 or around that period, the time of the real-estate boom.
Colonial old style on Zhong Shan Lu
Although from the late 1920s, most of those buildings are of a style that was not modern of the time. With many glass color windows, they reflect more the style of colonial South East Asia than modernity. “Chinese from South East Asia were very conservative for architecture. They built in the style they knew, that was popular in South East Asia where they came from”, explained Aaron from Discover Amoy, a local friend who studied the history of his own city.
A few buildings in the area are of modernist style or Art Deco, including the ones above. Buildings on Zhong Shan lu have been restored, but it’s not the case of the side streets. A few steps away, nice buildings from the same time are still waiting for renovation. One of my favorite is Art Deco Orion novie theater.
Orion theater, a great art deco building
The main department store was run by French people, with “Epicerie” written on the store front (see below picture) of then and now.
Although Zongshan lu has received a lot of attention, the rest of the area is not so well preserved. It worth strolling around the whole area and enjoy the view. Hopefully, the preservation effort will be extended further.
A merry Christmas to all readers of Shanghailander with this 1930 Christmas Card from the Shanghai Fire Brigade. Christmas cards have long been a tradition in the UK. With its strong British flavor, Shanghai International Settlement was no exception.
The inside of the card is very classic with text “Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Bright and Happy New Year.” At the bottom of the page: “Shanghai Fire Department” . There is also a handwritten note “Best Love to mother + Self, Dorothy xx “. I have not yet been able to find who Dorothy was but she was probably and employee or a board member of the Shanghai Fire Department in 1930.
Once again, Merry Christmas to all from Shanghailander.net
After “Le music-hall des espions“, Bruno Birolli published the second book of the Shanghai suite, “Les terres du mal”. Taking place a few years later than the first book of the series, this episode takes us again in 1930s Shanghai between gangsters and Shanghai inhabitants, both foreign and Chinese.
Book cover, les terres du mal
Main characters René Desfossés comes back, not in the French police anymore, but working for a large company. Archibald Swindon is also back, now in the role of heading the British secret service in Shanghai, mainly looking for communists agents. They find themselves tackling crime again, playing between the International Settlement and the French concession. A new character is introduced with communist agent “Hannah”. The book focuses a lot on movie studios and actress in Old Shanghai, with several characters inspired real characters like star “Lingyu” from Old Shanghai actress Ruan Lingyu / 阮玲玉 and aspiring actress Lan Ping who ends up leaving Shanghai to join communists rebels in Yan’An, inspired by Mao Zedong’s wife Jiang Qing / 江青.
Just like the first one, Birolli’s book includes a lot of details about Old Shanghai proving is in-depth knowledge of the topic. The story is very well documented, with characters inspired by real life people of the time. However, it is less interesting than in the first book, and a little too predictable. It is a fair read for all Shanghai lovers, but may not be so interesting for people unfamiliar with the topic. “Les terres du mal” is published in French only.
Art Deco has been on the rise in the last 10 years, since I wrote post Art Deco in France. It has been the center of several major exhibition like “1925 When Art Deco dazzle the World” in Paris in 2014. Art Deco in China has also gained a lot of attention particular through Laszlo Hudec work as well as 2015 Word Congress on Art Deco in Shanghai. The link between Art Deco in France and China was shown in the small but beautiful “Art Deco, The French China connection” in Hong Kong in 2019. Now a new exhibition of showcasing Art Deco in Paris and Shanghai has opened in Shanghai. Showing many rare pieces, it is definitely worth a visit.
Located in the former British Consulate on the Bund, it matches this is a great location. The main theme of the exhibition is the strong link between art and craft in the 1920s and the 1930s, the art deco era. The tour de force was to bring pieces from Paris museum and show it along rarely seen pieces of Shanghai art deco. Art deco was a global style of art and craft, but it also had it own local variations.
Paris art deco wind screen, influenced by China
The exhibition also highlights the way art and craft in 1920s and 1930s influenced each other. Modern Shanghai was used a lot of western references, but Art deco in Europe was also heavily influenced by Asia and China. The exhibition success is to make this visible.
The exhibition tour de force is to show numerous Shanghai art deco pieces, furniture, lights, cloths and advertising posters. It is very diverse, showing the width and variety of Shanghai art deco production. It also shows rarely scene pieces including real old Shanghai Qipaos and wonderful dragon carpets reminding of the cover of Tintin’s Blue Lotus. It also adds movies including the ones of Ruan Lingyu / 阮玲玉 and literature including 1930s Shanghai author like Mu ShiYing / 穆時英 and Shi Zhecun / 施蛰存.
The exhibition is located at Bund 33 and will last until February 16th 2025. Tickets are 150 RMB for person, 200 RMB for 2 people. It is a must go for anybody interested in Shanghai history and art deco lovers.
French polish author Horose (aka Stéphanie Rosen-Hoa or 羅琛華) lived in Beijing with her Chinese husband Hua Nangui / 华南圭 from 1910 to 1937. The couple had a rich cultural life, both of them publishing books that became highly influential in China. While Hua Nangui published books helping develop and implement technology in China, Horose wrote numerous novel focused on observation of changes in the Chinese society at the time. (see post “The story of Horose or S. Rosen-Hoa” for more details about her story).
As a writer couple in Beijing, they had a large circle of literary friends. They were definitely supportive and involved in the nationalist and literary movement that became known as the May 4th movement and had links with some of its prime members.
Students demonstrating in Beijing on May 4th 1919
Horose main book was “Love and duty“, also known as “恋爱与义务”. The novel was written in French, and translated into Chinese by Zhao Zun Xin / 赵祖欣. Later welknown as Zhao Shaohou / 赵少侯, he graduated from the French department of Beijing University in 1919. He was a teacher and director of the Literature and Art Department of Sino-French University, a lecturer of the French Department of Peking University, and an editor of the People’s Literature Publishing House. He began to publish his works in 1932. His translation of Moli`ere’s “The Hypocrite” (Tartuffe), “The Misanthrope” (Le misanthrope) and “The Miser” (L’avare) are still authoritative today. He also was a major translator of Maupassant’s “Boule de Suif”, and “The Necklace” (La parure). As “Love and duty” was published in 1921, it was probably one of his first French book translation.
Cai Yuanpei / 蔡元培
Foreword for the book version of “Love and Duty” was written by Chinese philosopher and politician Cai YuanPei / 蔡元培. Having studied in Leipzig University until 1907, he became minister of Education in 1912 then President of Beijing University in 1917. Supporter of usage of common language or “Baihua” in litterature, he was an inspiration for the May 4th movement.
Finally, the proof reader of the book was none else than famous Shanghainese writer Hu Shih / 胡适 who was also Chinese ambassador to the US. He also advocated the usage of “Baihua” in litterature and was an inspirer for the May 4th movement.
Hu Shih / 胡适
Although difficult to prove, it can be assumed that Horose organized a cultural and literary salon at her home in Beijing. This kind of salon was very common in Jewish communities in Central Europe and Horose being originally from Poland surely had heard or seen some. This is somewhat similar to Hungarian Jewish Bernardine Szold Fritz , whose salon that took place in Shanghai in the 1930s (see post Bernardine’s Shanghai Salon).
Bernardine Szold Fritz also had connection with Chinese cultural and literary people, in particular with writer 胡适 / Hu Shih who did proofreading for Horose’s “Love and duty” . Maybe they met through him, maybe Horose even took part to Bernardine’s salon during one of her many trips to Shanghai (see post “Horose in Shanghai” for more details). In any case, both women were central to cultural life, one in Shanghai, the other one in Beijing.
Shanghai district of Jiading, located miles away from Old Shanghai in what used to be faraway farm land, is an unlikely visit for an Old Shanghai lover. However, it is worth the trip, showing interesting pieces of old automotive and documents about Shanghai history and its relationship with cars.
Old Shanghai was a super modern city, new inventions like electric lighting, tramways and skyscrapers were introduced soon after they became available. This was the case for cars, with the first automobiles introduced in Shanghai in 1901. By the 1920s cars were everywhere in Shanghai. They were a status symbol as well as used by various institutions and administrations. Cars in Shanghai were imported from abroad, mostly US, UK, France and Japan. Cars from the period are long gone in Shanghai, but the museum displays a number of collection car imported from abroad that are a match for the time.
1927 Cadillac Lasalle
1930 Ford Auburn
This reminded me that a few years ago, a classic car show was taking place in Shanghai. Unfortunately, none of those cars are allowed to ride on Shanghai streets. That would be a great sight to have some of them driving the streets of the former French Concession. The only substitute for a while was driving a sidecar, although this is also not allowed anymore either.
The museum also displays a number of documents and old ads about cars from the 1920s and 1930s. This is only a small part of the museum, but I spent quite a while there, finding out that I have some pieces that could very well fit into this section.
What was probably missing was more pictures of those cars in Old Shanghai, just to show that those cars were in Shanghai, and not only in America and Europe. A good example is above picture of super star actress Hudie. Another small section could have been devoted to car dealership and petrol statinos in Old Shanghai. That would also have shown a stronger links between those beauties and Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. In any case, it was definitely worth the trip.
The Shanghai Auto Museum is located a 7565 Boyuan Rd, Jiading District, Shanghai, China, 215332. It is located in the same area as the Shanghai Formula 1 race track.
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“.
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.
Lot’s of antics were used to create the decor (picture from the hotel website).
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.
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.
