Shanghailander

Somebody finally got it

Having lived in Shanghai for more than 6 years, I have seen a clear evolution of the vision of Shanghainese people and the Shanghai municipality. A few years ago, only foreigners were complaining about the destruction of the Shanghai architectural heritage. The fashion was about new, new, new and the past and its remains had no importance whatsoever. Shanghai was supposed to become another version of Hong Kong and Singapore where only a few trophy buildings remain within the everlasting paradise the skyscrapers and other “high level real estate developments”, i.e. brand new building of average quality, lots of marketing and nor more personality than the neighbor. I have seen the evolution with a few of the main buildings being kept away from demolition by the municipality, but the EXPO has clearly accelerated the process.

First of all, most Shanghai facades have been now renovated. This is often limited to the front row of a lane and not always of best quality, but it is clearly a step forward. The face lift given to building gives a much better look to the city and will show to the inhabitants that old does not mean necessarily shabby. Until now, the renovation is mostly limited to the exterior, but I am sure that it will extend to the interior as well. In other part of the world well built and maintained buildings can survive through the ages, while being transformed for various usage. Like in Europe in the 1960’s I hope this will be a turning point for Shanghai.

Brand new information

Secondly, plates and explanation about local history have been put in a number of places just before the expo. Besides giving information to tourists, they also have a lot value for the local people. They are often extremely surprised to learn that the old rotten shag where they think they live in, is actual a wonder of Art Deco or neo-classic architecture.

Thirdly, the whole image of 1920’s and 30’s Shanghai has changed in a few years, thanks to a large number of articles and TV programs about the topic. I always find it kind of funny when I see a sign celebrating the 100th anniversary of various things in Shanghai (transport systems, parks, hospital, university) where no mention is made that actually often foreigners brought these novelties to Shanghai. Once a taboo or forgotten period, old Shanghai is now a common topic of conversation and of pride for Shanghainese, at least some of them. At the same time, the image of foreigners in this period is also changing as Shanghai revisits its own history. Last but not least, the whole image of the Republican period is also changing slowly at least in Shanghai.

Finally, more and more buildings are being protected. One of the latest turn seems to be to keep of the old while building new. In the development I have seen in the past, all buildings on the site were destroyed. During construction, a master house was often built first with a very large garden around, as ground was cheap then. A few years or decades later, the owner would sell part of his garden for a very high price, as the city had extended and a shikumen would be built. The master house would be engulfed into it and is often still there, lost in the middle. The new trend in real estate development is to keep this master house while destroying the shikumen around. In Jing An district where I work, there are 3 massive real estate development that started with destroying the shikumen on the location but keping the master house. I guess they will use it as the club house, taking advantage of the space offered while adding value to the compound. In one of them (picture on the top), the master house as even been moved 100 meters towards Wei Hai Road to give space for real estate development and preserve it at the same time.

This form of preservation is clearly a new trend and probably imposed by new regulation on the developers. Old buildings will become more trendy and more expensive, fueling investment in this new segment. Somebody finally realized how to combine profit and heritage preservation in Shanghai and this is great news.

Collège Municipal Français

Most people interested in Shanghai history know about the “Cercle Sportif Francais”, the current Okura Garden hotel on Maoming lu. The French Club as it was called in English moved to this brand new building in 1926, from its original location on Route Vallon (today’s Nanchang lu). The very large building previously used was then allocated to house the French High School or “Collège Municipal Français” in French. The garden of the Collège Municipal Français extended all the way to French Park, i.e. today’s Fuxing Park. Unfortunately the park has been separated from the building and a wall is now separating them. It would be extremely difficult to take the same picture again.

I managed to get into today’s Shanghai Science Hall on Nanchang lu, the building that was the old Collège Municipal Français. It is not a high school anymore, but a building dedicated to science studies. As such, it is sometimes difficult to enter as the guards are not happy to see foreigners coming in. The side on Nanchang lu is oriented towards North. The much nicer facade is oriented toward the South, overlooking the park. Like in many buildings in Shanghai, a south orientation allows to get some light and warmth in the gloomy winter. With the large space this building is very cold in the winter, like most buildings in Shanghai. I have not seen a real heating system in place, but the may have been one when it was built.

One of the most interesting feature is the art deco stain glass in the hall way (see picture left). Stain glasses were very much in fashion when this building was erected, as found in a number of building in Shanghai. This one is the largest I have seen in the city. I have tried to take pictures of it before, being chased out by the guard… but today was my day of luck. The stain glass is not noticeable from the outside, but really nice from the inside. Although it has been clearly repaired in some parts, it has crossed time and Shanghai history while being well preserved.

Among others, two famous authors attended the teaching of the Collège Municipal Français, Rena Krasno and Liliane Wilens. As explained by the later when we met (see post “a date with Liliane“), students of the Collège Municipal Français were French children and other foreigners, as well Chinese from Shanghai upper class society. Located in the heart of the French Concession, the Collège Municipal Français was very near to some famous residential areas such as Rue Lafayette (today Fuxing Lu) and Avenue Pétain (today’s Heng Shan lu). Since the building was not originaly designed as a school but as an entertainment club, it became a school with a wonderful design, surely giving life long memory to the children who went to school there.

This location was also the seat of the original Alliance Francaise de Changhai, teaching French to Chinese students just like it is today on the Wusong Lu campus. This very large building is still in use without much repair and still has grand style and appearance. It is very well worth a visit if you can sneak in.

Farewell to JG Ballard’s home

One of the most famous film about Shanghai history is surely Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun”, that I wrote about a few years ago . The movie from the 1980’s was the film version of the JG Ballard novel of the same name. Ballard spent his childhood in old Shanghai until the Japanese invasion of the International Settlement, on 8th December 1941. Although most people think that like in the book, he lost his parents in the crowd on the Bund. He did not get separated from them and was interned with them in Lung Hua camp from 1943 (thank you Liliane Willens for information on this point).

Ballard’s life and books have attracted a large crowd of fans who looked for his old house located in Columbia Road (today’s Fanyiu lu). Ballard was a famous British author and died in 2009 (see the Wikipedia article about him). The house was found rediscovered by fans a few years ago and was still in relatively good state after decades of neglect. It was visited by JG Ballard a few years ago and was supposed to be protected. Sadly, this house has been severly damaged recently by the latest occupant. Here is the link to the excellent article from British Daily “The Telegraph”.

Anybody witnessing Shanghai destruction of its architecture heritage should be surprised about, as the same thing is currently happening with most the buildings in the Bund area and many others. I think the saddest part of the article is the interviews in the report. Still, this is a great loss.

Shanghai YMCA

This post is a link to the excellent article from Smart Shanghai about old YMCA’s. Although it’s a few months old it is still an excellent resource for lovers of old Shanghai.

http://www.smartshanghai.com/blog/1473/Offbeat_Checking_in_on_the_Y.html

Napier Art Deco Festival

My own discovery of Old Shanghai architecture is also about discovering art deco in other locations. After Miami Beach a few years ago, the next stop was a short trip to Napier in New Zealand. The whole area of Hawkes Bay, where Napier is located, was strucked by an earthquake in 1931 and fully rebuilt in the following years in Art Deco style. The city center of both Napier and Hastings are art deco wonders, well preserved and maintained.

Visiting Napier is very pleasant are most buildings are really well maintained, as well as being used a commercial buildings. One can see that building protection and rules for renovation are strictly followed, giving a real harmony to the city. Napier heritage has become a real asset to the city, attracting tourist the world over. Pictures in this post are only a few examples, follow this link for more pictures.

Napier inhabitants not only live in Art Deco Buildings, but they also live the Art Deco style… once a year. Napier Art Deco weekend has become a New Zealand institution, with enthusiast coming in from all over New Zealand… and further. For a few days, everybody dresses in 1920’s – 30’s cloths and collection cars of the period come from all over New Zealand.

We were lucky enough to be in Napier during the 2010 edition and it was a real time travel. Adding the people to city’s decor created the perfect illusion of time travel. We organized a Art Deco wedding in Shanghai last year (update: we also organised a Old Shanghai style party for my 40th birthday and few years later, see post “A true Old Shanghai Party“). This is a whole city turning into art deco for a few days. Bringing my 1930’s sidecar would have been a perfect addition to the scene. Napier Art Deco Festival is an event to remember and I recommend it to anybody traveling to New Zealand at this time of the year.

1 example of art deco building — Example of art deco building

Interestingly, until the 1980’s nobody seem to have realized the potential of the architecture heritage as a tourism attraction. Using it really started only about 20 years with the establishment of the art deco trust. Heritage architecture that was viewed as worthless was turned into something really nice and money making. Hopefully something like is already starting with Shanghai Art Deco.

Update: Shanghai Art Deco has become known and recognised again since, in particular thanks to the 2015 World Congress on Art Deco that took place in Shanghai. First mostly attracting foreigners interest, Old Shanghai has also become popular with Shanghainese people as shown by events such as the Shanghai style fashion festival in 2021 and 2022.

The city next door to Napier, Hawkes bay was also destroyed by the same earthquake. It was rebuilt in a different style, also popular at the time including in Old Shanghai, Spanish Revival. Please see post “Spanish architecture in Old Shanghai” for more details.

Foreign Mud

This is one those books that I had heard about, but that can be hard to find. A little like Sin City, Foreign Mud almost always appears in the bibliography of books about Shanghai history, but as it is published only in small quantities it is difficult to find. With a bit of luck, I found a copy in a Singapore bookstore.

“Foreign Mud, A history of the Illegal Opium Trade and the Resulting Anglo-Chinese War” is a reprint of a 1946 book. Shanghai’s history of foreign-Chinese relations always starts with the Nanjing Treaty of 1842 and George Balfour coming into town to create the British settlement in 1843. Foreign Mud deals with the period previous to the opium war and the Nanjing Treaty. The really interesting part of the book is the details about the tea trade as it was done in Canton (Guangzhou today), on the island of Shamian Dao in the 18th and beginning 19th century. Collis write beautifully about the relationship between the British traders and the Hong Merchants. Under the late Qing dinasty, China was closed to the outside world while Chinese products in particular tea and silk became very fashionable in Europe. The mostly British traders had to pay with silver, while not much could be sold in exchange to Chinese. As the demand for tea in Europe increased, the traders found a way around. The official trade was still of tea purchased in Canton following the imperial rules, but the silver required for it came from smuggling opium into China. Clippers were going up the coast, selling the “Foreign Mud” i.e. opium at various ports. The book clearly studies how the mix of greed from the British Merchants and corrupt Qing officials alike managed to develop the illegal trade. It also explain the origins of the large trading company that later dominated Shanghai trade such and Jardine & Matheson and Dent & Co.

One of the remarkable point of the Maurice Collis book is that he does not take side and describes facts very carefully and in a rather unbiased way. The book was published in 1946, when the British Empire was still fully existing, but Collis is strongly criticizing it. The way that Napier being played by the Chinese official is not far from a few modern stories I have heard. It also fascinating how little clue the late Qing Dinasty administration had about the formidable power that was coming at them. The British navy was very much advanced, but it took the influence of Jardine in London to actually approve the war. The way a country went to war with another, manipulated by a happy few for their own profit is also recalling some later parts of the XXth century history. Finally, it also show that not all the British ruling class was in favor of the opium trade in China considering it (rightly) a terrible thing. The actual motion approving the opium war passed Westminster with only 9 votes. This decision taken by a thin margin started the chain of events that led to the opening of the treaty ports and the birth of Shanghai as we know it.

The story of two old ladies

The start of 2010 is for me the change of generation. My grand-mother Claudine Toffoletti passed away last week, at the age of 96 years. Although I have lived many years far away from her, we kept a very close relationships by letters. Email was something she had little idea about, but we wrote postal mails to each other. In the time of instant communication, hand written papers flying through the air half a world away were something magical that I always cherished. She also gave me some of her cooking recipes that I continue to use, thinking about her. More than anything, this is what will keep the memory of my grandmother alive.

Although she grew up in a small village in Loire Department in France, she definitely departed from tradition when she married Luigi Toffoletti, a tall and beautiful Italian who was working in the local stone quarry. Discussing about it with her many years later, she calmly explained that her parents did not take it so well in the beginning, but that he became a much loved part of the family with the years. Being married with an Italian citizen at a time France was at war with Italy certainly had some difficulties, but the family managed through WWII. Life did not spare them as my grand-mother worked hard to raise her 5 children alone after my grandfather suddenly died in the mid 1950’s. Although the family did face serious difficulties, they maintained a strong relationship that is still true today.

The loss of my grandmother mirrors my wife Jiajia’s loss of her grandmother 1 year ago. Like mine, Jiajia’s grandmother was a little women in her late 90’s. Her husband also died quite a long time ago. She was coming from Zhejiang province and also brought up a large family. She had to go through adversities of life in a country that was torn by civil war, revolution and years of instability. Both of these ladies had a life that was took place so far away, but by a lot of ways so similar. I had the chance to meet Jiajia’s grandmother once and Jiajia had the chance to meet mine. They probably never thought that there grandchildren could get married with somebody so different that they were themselves, but both were happy about it.

Crossing the Yang Jin Bang

Today’s elevated motorways crossing the center of Shanghai are so much part of our daily life that it is nearly impossible to imagine the city without them. This post is focused about a particular one, the main East-West one, Yannan lu.

The area of Shanghai center today was mostly rice fields and swamps when foreigners arrived in the mid 19th century. Crisscrossed by small canals and creeks, the landscape was similar to today’s well known water cities such a Xitang, Tong Li and Zhuo Zhang. The original British Concession was established in a rectangle within the Huangpu, the Suzhou Creek in the North and Yang Jin Pang Creek in the South… which became the border with the French Concession. As both concessions grew, the border between them expended westward until an area near to today’s Jing An Temple, following the Yank King Pang Creek. The growth of the concessions as well as trade and traffic pushed the Shanghai Municipal Council and the French administration to fill up the creek in 1911, transforming it into a street. The road that we nowadays know as Yanan lu was called Avenue Edouard VII from the Bund, followed by Avenue Foch westward of the current North-South motorway. Built over a river, the road follows a curved path that is clearly visible on the map and felt while driving it. The curves are particularly felt on the part from the Bund to People square, giving the feeling to slalom between skyscrapers.

Having a road that was also a border created all sorts of new problems, particularly in terms of traffic. Cars in Shanghai drove on the left hand side in both concessions. If you were on the South of the street (driving away from the Bund) traffic was handled by the French police, mostly manned by Tonkinese (now Vietnam) traffic officers. However, if you were on the North Side (driving towards the Bund), traffic was handled by the police of the Shanghai Municipal councils, mostly manned by Sikh officers from India (they were called “Hong Tou Asan ” in Shanghainese). As the international settlement was mostly business oriented and the French Concession mostly residential, traffic crossing between both area was quite intense already in the old Shanghai time. I am sure there was already traffic jams at peak times, just like today.

Avenue Edouard VII was one of the major avenue of Shanghai bordered by large villas and residential buildings. Many of them were torn down to build the current elevated motorway in 1994, the blue light is a recent addition. Some remaining buildings are still visible near the Bund and near the cross with Nanjing Xi Lu. They are now very close to the concrete, as the Yanan elevated motorway is much larger than the old Avenue Edouard VII. Like many old Shanghailanders, crossing the Yank King Pang Creek is the road that I take everyday from my home near Heng Shan lu to my office on Nanjing Xi Lu. Although the border is long gone, I still have a thought for it every time I cross it.

Winter Sports on the Racecourse

The former Shanghai race track (today’s People Square) remains an open space in the middle of the city. Horses racing around the horse track are long gone, but pictures of the race are a common sight nowadays. Although the Shanghai Race Club is also long forgotten, people are once again enjoying the view from the top of the building that is now the Shanghai Art Museum, having a drink or a bite at (now gone) Kathleen’s 5 restaurant. What is much less known is what the inner space of the race track was used for.

The Shanghai Recreation ground, as it was known then, was a massive sport center. The large open space was divided in a number of fields accommodating various sports and activities. The Race track was used only periodically, but the recreation ground was clearly an everyday feature of Shanghai’s life. Like in many other places, British colonists brought there love of sports and horse racing with them, and they combined them in one location. A similar feature is still in used today in Hong Kong’s Happy Valley sport ground that is enclosed within the horse race track.

Winter sport fields on Shanghai race course

The Shanghai recreation ground was remodeled twice a year to accommodate a winter and a summer layout. Winter layout for 1938 (pictured) included 4 “soccer” grounds, 5 hockey grounds and 2 rugby grounds. Just like today’s expat, foreigners in old Shanghai would spend their winter weekends enjoying some fresh air while practicing team sports, all of it followed by a sizable amount of drinking. Having been a rugby player for a few years, I get a good picture of the “after matches atmosphere”. The summer layout included a baseball ground and a polo ground, another sport that is again practiced in Shanghai though in a far more remote location nowadays.

Similarly to Singapore’s cricket club, there were two pieces of ground reserved for the “Shanghai cricket club” and the “Shanghai recreation club”, both for cricket and tennis. The Shanghai cricket club also had a club house or a “pavilion” built on the side of its dedicated plot, it was roughly where Baraborossa restaurant is nowadays. The pavilion, a mock Tudor style building can be seen on the top left hand side on the picture above. The map also displays the SLBC (Shanghai Lawn Bowls Club) pavilion, as well as a few bowling greens. The most surprising feature was a 9 holes golf course with the tees spread over the whole field. The first tee and the 9^th green were conveniently located near the golf pavilion, perfect for a drink before or after a game of golf. At some point, the Shanghai recreation ground was also used as a military airfield. At that time there was probably no time to play golf anymore.

Singapore Sling at the Raffles

Singapore’s Raffles is one of the icons of the colonial hotel where travelers got together and met with local high society and expatriates. Having been restored a few years ago, it still gives a feeling of luxury and excellence, a time travel after a busy day crossing Singapore numerous shopping centers. Drinking a Singapore Sling on the patio of the billard room is part of the trip, as well as visiting the nice little Raffle’s Museum. It would be a great source of inspiration for the team in charge of renovating the Cathay Hotel (today’s Peace Hotel), another legend in the world of colonial hotel.

Singapore race towards progress has left little colonial feeling apart from the central district North of the Singapore river. The colonial administration center development into museums has managed to keep the atmosphere, though only for a small part of the old city. Having not been to Singapore for many years, it is clear that a lot of efforts have been put into preservation of the remains, maybe trying to recapture the soul of the city after so much transformation.

In the middle of it, the Singapore crickets club is a reminder of old time, looking over sports fields similar to Old Shanghai’s recreation ground (today People Square). The facade of the club house has a shape similar to some of the mansions in old Shanghai.

Apart from colonial architecture that is typical from the remains of the British empire, Singapore also has a specific old architecture shared with Malacca, though in a much commercialized and much less peaceful version. Peranakan culture has Chinese culture from the early Chinese traders in Malaysia, Malaysian culture and western style all mixed into an architecture cocktail. The architecture mixing Western and Chinese style is also quite similar to the Kaiping area in Guangdong province and in parts of Fujian province, in particular Xiamen and Gulangyu. Since a lot of the Chinese people in Singapore have Guangdong and Fujian origin, it is not so surprising.

Facade on Emerald Hill Road — Façade on Emerald Hill Road

One of the nice surprises was Emerald Hill Road just off Orchard Road. This last bit of terraced houses near the city’s shopping mecca is like a time travel to the straight settlement. Although the houses at the bottom of the street have all been turned into bars and restaurant, the terraced houses with a Peranakan style of the upper part of the street have a feeling similar to some of the Shanghai’s lilong, giving a little peace and quiet. There is also an interesting mix of various period with typical Peranakan houses mixed with a few examples of Art Nouveau or even Art Deco houses. Unfortunately, only one street like those remains in the area… hopefully Shanghai will keep more of its small streets, while still managing it rise to modernity.