Shanghailander

Rue Massenet to Sinan Lu

Street names mark the lives of people and are very difficult to change in the common mind. There are numerous example of streets that reverted back to their old names after political changes, notably in Eastern Europe. As in all cities, street names in Shanghai carry the city’s history with them.

massenet

Most large streets in the old concessions were created with reference to the British and French powers of the day. Each street had a foreign name and a Chinese name that sometimes had a similar sound, sometimes not. Today’s Nanjing Xi Lu was called Bubbling Well Road, thanks to the springing fountain that was somewhere near Jing An temple. Chinese called it (very pragmatic as always) Jing An Si Lu as the road was leading to Jing An Temple. The big change came in 1949, with the communist ideology takeover. Avenue Joffre (or Sha Fei lu in Chinese) became known as Huai Hai Lu, one of the most important communist victory of the civil war. Avenue Edouard VII / Avenue Joffre became known as Yanan Lu, the refuge of Mao Ze Dong during the 1930’s. Route des soeurs became Rui Jin Lu, the location of the first communist republic in China in the 1920’s.

It took me a while to spot the ones that did not change… and there are surely some that I am missing. The first one that I found was Route Cohen in the former French Concession. Cohen being obviously a Jewish name, the street was surely named after an important French Jewish citizen of Changhai, but until now I did not find who he was. Some suggested that it could be Morris Abraham “Two-gun” Cohen who was a famous aide-de-camp to Sun Yat Sen, but I find it very unlikely. The translation of Cohen in Chinese is GaoLan… just like Gao Lan Lu today which is the former route Cohen. Interestingly enough, Route Cohen kept its name, the Chinese name continues to be used today.

The most interesting so far is the story of Rue Massenet. While Route Cohen is a 1930’s street in the back of the French Concession, Sinan lu is an early street probably built around 1912. It is contemporary of the crossing Rue Vallon (today Nanchang Lu), named after the first person to fly an airplane over Shanghai sky and died in a plane crash in 1911. Vallon’s name did not survive, but Massenet’s did. Sinan in Shanghainese is pronounced “seney”, sounding very similar to (Mas)senet in French, so the Rue Massenet / Seney lu became Sinan lu in today’s Shanghai. Through the ages and name changes, Rue Massenet’s Chinese name survived and is still used today. The Massenet name has resurfaced recently, being used for the fancy “Hotel Massenet” part of renovation project “Sinan Mansions”. The survival of Massenet’s name is probably due to the personality of Jules Massenet, a very famous French music composer in late XIX and early XXth century. He reached world fame thanks to his opera, in particular Manon and Werther and died in 1912 around the time Sinan Lu was built. There are Rue Massenet in Paris and other French cities as well. His style went out of fashion soon after his death with all the changes in life and fashion that followed WWI. His name is only known today by music specialist and although his work is still played abroad, he is virtually unkown in today’s France… but his name has survived in Shanghai. Another reason for the street name never to be changed is probably that both Sun Yat Sen and Zhu En Lai lived on the street at the time of the street name change. Sometimes the wave of change just stops right before the rulers doorsteps.

Shanghai flashbacks

First of all, I want to wish all readers a happy new year with this first post of 2011.

This entry is not so much about Shanghai, but about sight, locations and feelings that reminded me of Old Shanghai during my recent trip to Europe. Navigating old Shanghai is often about trying to find in Shanghai, buildings and artifacts that are similar to the ones from Europe and other parts of the world. Coming from Shanghai, a trip to Europe becomes the opportunity to look at European cities, looking for Shanghai flashbacks. Such trips are also often opportunities to go back to places I have lived in, as well as to re-connect with friends and family. This one was no exception.

First step of the trip was in Budapest where I have lived many years. Most buildings there are either no-classical, or art Nouveau as most of the city was built in the late XIXth century and early XXth century. Post WWI was not a great time for Hungary, so the city has very few art deco building, though I managed to spot one near Moskva Ter, one of the more recent part of the city. Art Deco there is very recognizable, with the lack of ornaments compared to the neighboring earlier buildings, as well as the use of geometrical lines. It could argue that this building is also Bauhaus style, which sometimes looks very similar to art deco. Funny enough, Art Deco in Shanghai was mostly developed by a Hungarian architect in the same period, Laszlo Hudec. I discovered more Art Deco buildings in a later trip to the city, see post “Budapest Art Deco” for more details.

My time in Budapest was mostly about spending time in cafes, enjoying friend company. When I came to Shanghai from Budapest in 2004, one of the things I missed the most were cafes, the right places to meet friends and spend a few hours in the afternoon. At that time, the only approximation was Xin Tian Di’s Starbucks, and later Vienna Cafe (that I like so much because it reminds me of Budapest). 7 years later, Shanghai has a large choice of bars and cafes, often located in the old houses of the French Concession. Cafe culture has come back to Shanghai, and I love it… this is what I think sitting on some of the Budapest Cafes.

The trip continued to Lyon, that was built much earlier than art deco time but a number of art deco building can be found. One of the best example is surely the “hotel college” in Saint-Jean. Located in the medieval district, the 30’s building is just out of place in the decor, probably as much Broadway Mansions or Savoy Apartments was when they were built. The first element to be seen is the incredible art Deco door, a wonderful work of iron, similar to some found in Shanghai. The building itself is art deco, somewhat similar to the Savoy apartment on Chang Shu lu. It is also very similar to some of the long gone buildings on avenue Dubail (today the North South elevated highway), that were destroyed in the 90’s. Just like seeing European architecture is Shanghai reminds me of Europe, seeing similar architecture in Europe…. reminds me of Shanghai, bringing one of those Shanghai flashbacks.

Shanghai Club revival

The old Shanghai Club building had been closed for quite a number of years. Its transformation and re-opening in the Waldorf Astoria hotel happened with much less hype than the renewed Peace Hotel down the Bund. However, restoration of this piece of history has been very careful and the result is matching the highest expectation.

Built in 1911, this is the second building of the Shanghai Club. The male only British Club was the center of power and wealth in Old Shanghai. A few meters down from the main banks, trading houses and administrations, the club was the second home for the rich and powerful people of the International Settlement. The building contained all that was needed by its members, including bowling alleys, billiard rooms, a barber, restaurants and The Long Bar, supposedly the longest bar in the world. The top floors where occupied by 40 en-suite rooms for the residency of the members. The club membership was the cream of Shanghai businessman, drinking on the long bar with a carefully selected order.

The richest and most powerful would stand near the front windows, when the griffins (or newbies) would be relegated towards the back end of the room. Climbing Shanghai’s social ladder also meant going up the Long Bar. The Club also had massive dining room on the 2nd floor with giant portraits of the British Royalty. Besides the Italian marble staircases, a small lift was installed for the convenience of the members.

Unfortunately, the building suffered quite a lot in the 50’s to 80’s period. It became the seaman’s club serving a very different clientele from the dignified British gentlemen that occupied it before. The upper floor was turned into a hotel, also of much lower standard. The Long Bar was destroyed at some point and little remained of it when the ground floor was turned into the first KFC in China. Although this brought masses to the place, it is clear that no care was taken of the remains of splendor of this old lady of the Bund.

Fortunately, the hotel renovation has been done with great care, recreating the Long Bar in its original location. I am sure that this piece of Old Shanghai will soon become one of the hangouts of the rich and famous of new Shanghai. The massive ball room on the 2nd floor has been renovated into the hotel main ball room. Although the British royalties portraits are long gone, the place still has a lot of majesty (except for the horrible new carpet) and gave a real official turn to the ceremony I recently attended. The higher floors of the building have been turned into luxury suites that will surely attracted a very wealthy crowd.

The former Shanghai Club is now the historic wing of the Waldorf Astoria hotel on the Bund.

Emily Hahn, The Soong Sisters

The Soong family was clearly the most influential family of Shanghai in the Republican period. Their legend is still felt in many places in Shanghai, bringing with them as many stories real or imaginary. I have read books about them before, but Emily Hahn’s “The Soong Sisters” is the most personal account anyone can find about these three ladies that shaped China.

The book was written in 1941, when the Japanese army had already invaded a large share of China and Chiang Kai Shek government had been forced to move from Nanjing to Hangkow (today’s Wuhan) and later to the distant Sichuan city of Chongqing. The whole government was moved westward, along with foreign representatives and friends as well as any factories that could be transported. Written while the city was being bombed by Japanese planes, the book clearly had a political message trying to make the Chinese governement more personnable and appealing to the full support of Western Countries, in particular the USA. Besides the political aspect, “The Soong Sisters” is also the best documented book about the life of the family. Emily Hahn turbulent lifestyle allowed her to get very close to the Soong family through her love relationship with Chinese poet and publisher Shao Xunmei, which is well documented in “Tara Grescoe’s Shanghai Grand“. Knowing the Soong Sisters personally allowed her to give a great pictures of their personality and oppositions.

Charlie Soong incredible journey to the USA and his education there made him a very singular character in early 20th century China. Although not a Shanghainese, the open city was the only place he could live in China when he came back, taking a house in Nanshi (now part of Huang Pu district). He was a precious aid to Dr Sun Yat Sen, using his bible printing company as a cover for printing political material for the future leader of the Chinese revolution. Giving his daughters an education was already quite a shock for the time, but the top of it was sending them for schooling in the US.

The three sisters attended McTyeire School for Girls in Shanghai (in today Changning district), and graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, United States. They came back transformed, converted to ideas unknown in China, in particular the will to choose their own destiny. Soong Qinling was the first woman to ride a bicycle in Shanghai, before fleeing the family home to get married with Dr Sun Yat Sen. Soong Ailin married Dr HH Kung, who became the finance minister of China for the Kuomintang government, replacing TV Soong (one of the brothers of the Soong sisters) in 1933. Soong Mailing, probably the most well known, got married with Chiang Kai Shek in 1927 in the Majestic Hotel (on today’s Nanjing Xi Lu). She became mostly known as Mme Chiang Kai Shek, a political figure of Republican China.

Emily Hahn’s “The Soong Sister” is a fascinating book giving close contact with these three ladies with an incredible destiny. Definitely a must read for anybody interested in old Shanghai. For details about Emily Hahn’s life, see post “Tara Grescoe’s Shanghai Grand“.

Tasting old Shanghai

Shanghai bakeries are opening in great number in the city center. As discussed in a previous post (see post First Russian Bakery & Tkachenko), bakeries in old Shanghai were numerous in the French Concession and the International settlement, often coupled with cafes. (see post Shanghai Coffee Culture). The other source for bread and cake supply were hotel bakeries. Just like today, 5-stars hotels made their own bread and cake and sold them to outside customers. Surprisingly, at least one of the hotel bakery has continued operating all along since the hotel opening. This is one of the little secrets of reviving old Shanghai.

Opened in 1934, Park Hotel was the Chinese answer to the Cathay Hotel on the Bund. The 5-star hotel built on the Shanghai racecourse was the top of luxury then, as show in its advertising material (see post advertising park hotel). It had its own bakery making bread and cakes fulfilling the needs of the hotels guests as well as outside customers. This shops still serves bread and bakeries nowadays.

Park Hotel was famous for its pastry, in particular the palmiers (named after the French name of palm trees, as they look sort of the same). This particular cake is called “hudiesu” / 蝴蝶酥 or butterfly cookies in Chinese. Despite the change of management after 1949 liberation, those cookies continued being made along the years. My wife, Jiajia, fondly recalls her father going to the hotel specially in the 1980s to buy her the cookies, the top of luxury available at that time. This products survived the years with a nearly untouched recipe and is still available today.

The secret passage is the Park Hotel bakery shop on the left side of the building. Although not really advertised, there is clearly a faithful crowd willing to come and buy the delicacies, memories from a distant past. Sunday afternoon is peak time, with people queuing outside the shop. The best seller is clearly the 蝴蝶酥, with old ladies buying a few bags at a time. Ordering in Shanghainese is nearly compulsory and the shop fills up with “Yi bo wu die su / 一包蝴蝶酥“, a bag of butterfly cookies, being the magic words. Other cakes are also available including almond cookies, croissants, cream puffs. I have to admit that they difficultly compete in term of taste with modern 5 star hotels or the numerous modern bakeries in Shanghai, but the hordes of customers do not seem to mind. Along with having lunch at Deda Cafe, eating the palmiers of Park hotel is experiencing Shanghai history by tasting it.

Update from 2026: 蝴蝶酥 have become such symbols of Shanghai culture that British prime minister Keir Starmer took the time to taste some his visit to China.

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Thanks for giving us our city back

Shanghai World expo 2010 attracted the eyes of the world to our city. Thousands came from abroad to see it, but millions traveled within China to attend. This gigantic tourism fair was a great opportunity to introduce the world to many people that had never seen it before. Just like the expos from the beginning of the century it offered a window to the world for many, most of them eager to discover it. In that sense it was a great success and will mark the mind of millions.

Preparation for the expo took years and was surely not confined to the expo site. The whole city was painted fresh, including many of the old colonial buildings. I have heard many time that the expo deadline was sometimes an excuse for demolishing old relics faster, but it’s not always that clear cut. The destroyed districts were doomed anyway and the attention to the city allowed some renovation to take place, at least on the outside of the buildings.

The expo drew millions to the expo site, many of them staying over in Shanghai or in the surrounding cities. For many visitors it was the first time in Shanghai and the city itself also attracted crowds. Like in any cities, there are some focal points that one must visit when coming in, including the Bund and Nanjing Road. After the daily visit to the expo site, most of the visitors went to admire the re-developed Bund and the lights of Pudong. The crowd covered the whole area making the traffic in this crucial part of the city nearly impossible. Moreover, buses were occupying most of the street space, pushing other vehicles around and creating giant traffic jams. The same happened to the end of Nanjing Road that almost turned pedestrian every night. Of all it is now gone and Shanghainese can now enjoy the Bund and the whole area without being engulfed into a sea of people.

The expo also clearly showed the staggering difference between the sophisticated and urbanized Shanghainese, and crowds from the country side. Most of those people had little idea on how to behave is such a big city, just like crossing street crossing and simple politeness. Driving was also an issue as cars from the surroundings provinces flocked the cities, often blocking the traffic while figuring the way to go. Just like Parisians often complain about “provincial drivers” in Paris, Shanghai cab drivers had little patience for the out of town people. Just like others major cities in the world, Shanghai is quite different from the rest of the country, and the contrast was never so blatant as during the expo.

Fortunately, Shanghai Expo 2010 has been a success, leaving a positive durable impact on the city. I am still disappointed that although the expo took place in Shanghai, no mention was done within it about Shanghai history and its special relationship with abroad… but the millions of people looking at the city and discovering will surely have a long lasting effect. Finally, the crowds are now gone, leaving us some time and space to enjoy the city again and all its new developments. Thank you for giving us our city back.

Man’s Fate in Shanghai

Old Shanghai was an inspiration for writers, some of them never having actually set foot in the city. The most famous book is probably 1933’s Andre Malraux “La condition humaine”, translated as Man’s fate in English.

Man’s Fate takes place in 1927, during the Northern Expedition when the Kuomintang (nationalist party) armies along with their allies re-conquer the main part of China. After 1911’s revolution, the central government in Beijing quickly lost all control of the Chinese territories when several provincial lords took over their provincial armies and started to conquer their neighbours. Nationalist and Communist parties had been allied, a number of Russian advisors helping the Kuomintang.

At the same time, Russian advisors where also helping the communist party to spread the revolution among the workers population in the large cities in particular Wuchang (South of today’s Wuhan) and Shanghai. In 1927, while the armies of the Northern Expedition where approaching, the Communist started massive strikes to try and take over the city. The Kuomintang used gangsters to break the strikes and take back the city. Many of the communist leaders were killed on the current site of the Longhua Cemetery. From that point on, Nationalists and Communists started to fight the civil war.

The novel takes place against this background, as the main character wants to assassinate Chiang Kai Shek to stop him taking over Shanghai. All characters are linked to him and this action. Andre Malraux never actually came to Shanghai, and the novel lacks in substance about the city, describing as hot and humid in March which is most often not the case. As there is little attention for the city itself, the novel is centered on the characters, some of them being inspired by real people.

Kyo who leads the uprising of the communist forces in Shanghai is probably inspired by Zhou Enlai who was actually leading the communist party and the strikes in Shanghai at that time. Living in the French Concession, he nearly escaped being captured by the French police at one point before becoming the long serving prime minister of China under Mao Zedong. Since Zhou Enlai studied in Paris in the 1920’s, it is even possible that him and Malraux actually met in the French capital.

The other character clearly inspired by a real person was Vologuine, the Russian advisor to the communist who in real life was Mikhail Borodin, a soviet agent who helped both the Kuomintang and the Chinese communist party in the 1920’s. It is clear that Borodin helped Zhou Enlai and the party for the Shanghai uprising.

Former Madier residence, today Shanghai Art & Craft Museum

Finally, the director of the French Chamber of commerce, called Ferral in the book, was probably inspired by Henry Madier at that time. The former residence of the director is now the Shanghai art & craft museum.

Man’s fate is not so much about Shanghai as about the fate of all the characters. It was much acclaimed when published and received the Goncourt Price, the highest price in French literature, in 1933.

New Heng Shan Cinema

Fake art deco or Fako in Shanghai was discussed in a previous post and continues to rise. This post is about a very fine brand new example, the New Heng Shan Cinema. This movie theater never really got much attention, as the original building was a concrete stack probably from the 1950’s or 60’s (see picture right). As far as I know, there was no cinema there ealier as this part of the French Concession was pretty much the country side, and then an industrial area. The cinema was remodeled or rebuilt in 2010, giving a new fako monument to this part of Shanghai.

hengshancinema02

There is a clear inspiration from Art Deco theaters as seen in the USA or in Australia for this one. The building is also inspired by the Grand Theater on People Square (designed by Laszlo Hudec), the Majestic theater as well as the now destroyed Roxy and Metropol theaters on Nanjing Xi Lu.

The very geometrical shape with long line and curve really matches the period’s style with a modern twist. Even the hallway has art deco proportions and feeling, although there is very little decoration there. The side also uses a very geometrical shape and curves to guide the eye and visitors to the main building. It is particularly impressive at night when lighten. New technology in lighting has been perfectly used to create a combination of historical and modern feeling. Old art deco cinemas in Shanghai were very crafted pieces of architecture, including exquisite decorations in the inside, doors and hallways that are not always reproduced in today’s buildings including this one. Still the architecture of this one building transports us to a trip to Old Shanghai, while keeping touch with modernity.

Although fako buildings are not always great, New Hengshan cinema is a success, one great addition to this historic area. It is located 838 Hengshan lu, near Xu Jia Hui.

Looking at the other side

Treaty ports following the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing and 1858 Treaty of Tianjin where mostly located on China Mainland, but some also opened in Taiwan. Our recent trip to the Island was an excellent opportunity to visit them. Between the concrete buildings and the Republican style pagodas, we found a bit of colonial architecture and even some art deco pieces.

The main treaty port was Danshui near Taipei, where a British Consulate was established. It was opened on a the basis of an old Dutch fort. The architecture is very colonial victorian style (see picture). They are very similar to the early buildings on the Bund that are long gone as well as house in Fujian, in particular Xiamen and Quanzhou. This is not surprising as cultural ties between Taiwan and Fujian are very strong. The other treaty Port in North Taiwan was Keelung, which we did not have the chance to go to.
The South of the Island also had a treaty port in Anping. The main trade house was Tait & Co. Their merchant house has now been turned in a museum.

Tait & Co former house in Tainan (photo wikipedia)

As Japan took over Taiwan after the treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, most colonial buildings were built by the Japanese including the presidential palace and other buildings from the same period. Similar buildings were erected in Tainan including the government palace. The same treaty also permitted manufacturing in the foreign concessions in China, that was one of the creation point of foreign manufacturing in Shanghai.

taiwan002 — Sunrise on Alishan mountains

The Japanese authorities also built the famous Alishan mountain railways. Although only the top section is open at the moment, it is key to wonderful view of the sunrise from the Mountain top (above picture). We splet in the old part of the Alishan House hotel, an old wood building from the early 1900’s creating a great historic atmosphere.

As most of the Island was rebuilt after 1949, we saw only 2 art Deco buildings both in Tainan. The main one was the Tainan Fire Station that is classical art deco or streamline design. It is highly recognizable with its tower, similar to some of the fire stations in Shanghai with a very slightly different style. The other building was the Tainan police station.

The main attraction of Taipei is the orientalist style, also called neo-Confucian or republican style. This will be the topic of a further post.

Shanghai Shanghai

Watching today’s Chinese TV is not always very rewarding as content is often of various quality. Shanghai’s main commercial TV station Dragon TV is well known for its many talk shows, TV series as well as the current hit “China Talent” or 中国达人秀 . The channel recently started broadcasting a new TV series called “Shanghai Shanghai” or 上海上海. Taking place in old Shanghai, it naturally attracted my interest as well as helping my language skills.

The show tells the story of imaginary entrepreneur and businessman Liu Gong Zhen, using it to show various episodes of Shanghai history. It integrates historical elements and city symbols such as the cabarets and casino competitions into the story. One of the main point is the famous entertainment center and cabaret Great World or 大世界 on the corner of Yanan Lu and Xizhang lu that recently been renovated. It also includes historical facts of the period as well political turmoil of the time. The production spent a lot of time, money and energy to make this a flagship of Dragon TV.

The 40 episodes series need 40 million RMB for production and the effort really shows. The decor and costumes are most often right on the spot. Outside scenes were filmed in gardens of old Shanghai villa and the decor of inside scenes was very well studied to give a real feel for the period. Historians have been clearly involved in set and dresses design and some of the dialogs are in played Shanghai dialect adding again to the whole atmosphere.

Most importantly, the show manages to stir away from too much politics, being a great history lesson for many people in a way that is mostly unbiased for China standards. Heroes and villains are not always on the same side and this adds to the credibility of the whole show. It also avoids the current wave of special effects and over-the-top fights. Mostly focusing on people’s emotions and relations, it manages to captivate the audience, while giving a new and much brighter light to the city history. As Shanghai is re-discovering or re-inventing its past, the series creates a new mythology for the city.

Shanghai Shanghai is a great show cleverly captivating people as well as sending a great message to Shanghainese about their city’s past. I hope a DVD version with English subtitles will be made as it could open a foreign career for the program, or at least allow the many foreigners living in Shanghai to watch it. Although attention has been paid to details and most of the story takes place in the former foreign concessions I have yet to see a foreigner on screen. This little point would have been a great point to the show, underlining Shanghai history as an international city.