architecture Archives - Shanghailander

Sun Yat Sen tomb in Nanjing

As founder of the Guomintang and Chinese revolutionary, Sun Yat Sen has shaped a lot of Chinese modern history. Leading China after the 1911 revolution, he later retreated in Gangzhou when the country was fragmented. He died in Beijing on 12th march 1925.

As a symbol of unity of Republican China, a mausoleum was a great way to carry on his legacy. As he wanted to be burried in Nanjing, the project was started in 1925 and design was completed in 1926. The chosen site for the Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum was the Purple mountain or Zijishan / 紫金山, close to Ming emperor tombs. The mausoleum was designed by Chinese architect Lu Yangzhi / 呂彥直 who got the project by winning a national competition in 1925. The project started in 1926. Lu Yangzhi supervised the it until his death at 28 years old in 1929. Fellow architect Poy Gum Lee took over the complete the project.

After the 1927 Northern and the victory of the Guomintang, new China ruler Chiang Kai Shek had moved the capital from Beijing / 北京, the Northern capital, to Nanjing / 南京, the Southern Capital. The location was no random, as Nanjing had been the capital of China several times, the latest period being during the early part of the Ming dynasty, from 1368 to 1421. This was also briefly the capital of China right after the revolution, when Sun Yat Sen was president and to be burried in the Mausoleum then under construction.

The Mausoleum itself is of republican style, also called neo-confucian style. This style is a mix of traditional Chinese architecture and modern construction methods. It follows the same codes as followed by Chinese architects for centuries. At the same time, introducing reinforced concrete pillars and stone building instead of wood allows for more durable and more spectacular buildings. It is a good metaphor for Republican China, that wanted to go towards modernity, while maintaining tradition.

The Mausoleum is made of three stations on the mountain, linked by 392 steps. Following the tradition Chinese tombs, the final station offers a great view from the mountain, following Chinese fenghui. On a rainy day, the view was splendid as a light myst covered the new constructions afar, creating a feeling of timelessness.

Third station where everybody wants a picture

Most visitors go to the see the inside of the memorial at the third station. Pictures are not allowed there. The hallway is dominated by a large statue of Sun Yat Sen. It is a marble copy of the original bronze statue by French sculpture artist Paul Landowski, who also made the Christ statue in Rio. (see post “From Boulogne to Nanjing” for more details). The original bronze statue is at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial hall, at the bottom of the hill.

The body of Sun Yat Sen was brought to the mausoleum on 1st June 1929. It is located in the marble sarcophagus located at the back of the main station, which was not open to the public when I went. Nanjing has a lot more to offer in terms of Republican architecture and I will surely go there again.

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Union Brewery building

A recent trip to Shanghai Ecological park along the Suzhou Creek was the opportunity to go and revisit the former Union Brewery factory, a Hudec building that has mostly been forgotten.

Union Brewery / 友啤 started as German owned company in the late 19th century. It then became a Scandinavian owned company. By 1931, it was purchased by investors including ED Sassoon & Co, owner of the Cathay Hotel (today peace Hotel) and Calbeck Mc Gregor, which imported Lanson Champagne to China. A new factory was commissioned in 1935, design was given to Laszlo Hudec. It was completed in 1936.

The 28.800 sqm area also included a large streamline design building. The right part with the angle is very typical of streamline design, echoing Paris Callot building completed in 1933 (see post Paris streamline building).

Comparing the 1937 British map and today satellite, it is clear that the area was surrounded by factories, in particular cotton mills. All those factories were using the river water and dumping used water in it. The Suzhou creek was not as clean and nice as today and sometimes had weird color due to textile dying process in the factories on its sides.

Above sketch shows that only a few buildings remain. The pond on above photos is probably where the main building once stood.

The above add gives a sense on how the beer factory looked inside. Surely very modern and efficient at the time of construction. It had the production capacity for 1 m crates of beer / year, and claimed to be the largest in Asia.

Union Brewery was one of the leading beer brand in Shanghai, along with its competitor Ewoo beer, owned by Jardien & Matheson (Ewoo / 怡和 in Chinese). One of the large company of Shanghai, Union Brewery was listed on the stock exchange. It made both pilsener and brown beer. Beer was advertised as “good for health for young and old”. It was a modern and fashionable drink.

In the 2000’s, the former United Brewery building became the (now long gone) entertainment complex Pier One, with restaurant Mimosa, bar Monsoon and night club Minx. It appears to be currently unused. It is located at 130 Yichang Road / 宜昌路130号 in Putuo district.

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好东西 / Her story

I saw the movie 好东西 / Her story by random on an airplane. It’s only after watching it that I realised that director 邵艺辉 / Shao Yihui also made the movie 爱情神话 / “B for Busy” that I wrote about in 2022.

Both movies have a lot in common. They study the life of a few characters and their relationships over a short period of time. They are very intimate and make me feel like watching some French movies. Both movies are filmed around the streets of Shanghai former French concession. The city, its 1920s and 1930s buildings and its streets lined with pane trees are the main characters of the movies. Some of the indoor scene shows the details and charm of those old buildings, along with the (minor) drawback of living in those.

One of the main difference between both movies is the kind of people involved. B for busy’s characters were mostly talking in Shanghainese dialect, describing the live of a group of local Shanghainese people. This made it very popular in the city when it was out in 2022. Her story is about people who live in Shanghai but are not originally from the city.

Shanghai dialect is notoriously difficult to understand for non Shanghainese. Although they can grasp it after years living in the city, few non native speakers will ever master it. This is a real difference between local Shanghainese people and those that come to live in the city later in their live. when B for busy was the story of Shanghainese people, her story is the tale of non Shanghainese people who made the city their own. In real life, both worlds live next to each other and are intertwined, but they are still somewhat distant even today.

The director clearly is in love with Shanghai and its historical buildings. I was not surprised to find out that she actually lives in Shanghai, probably around those areas. I must admit that I spent a good part of the movie looking for clues about filming locations.

The main story is focused on a single mother and young singer that happen to become neighbours. They both live in the same old lane house and unexpectedly end up being good friend. The movie is the story of this friendship and of their privates lifes. It’s a light romantic comedy with a strong feministic focus. I found it really enjoyable to watch besides the Shanghai angle. Just like B for Busy, it’s great movie about life in Shanghai.

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1925-2025 One hundred years of Art Deco

1925 was the year of the “exposition internationale des arts décoratifs”, showcasing the style that was later named as “Art Deco”. The exhibition lasted from 28th April 1925 until end October 1925. The 100 years anniversary is the opportunities for many events and exhibition to Art Deco all over the World.

The center of the action is obviously Paris, where many exhibitions and events take place. In October, the World Congress on Art Deco in Paris was organized by my friends at Paris Art Deco society. The main official exhibition is at Museum of decorative art in Paris. Named “1925-2025 One hundred years of Art Deco”, it is located in the same location that hosted the “Spirit of Bauhaus” exhibition in 2016-2017, an artistic movement closed related to Art Deco.

The exhibition mostly focuses on Art Deco for interior decoration, starting with posters of the 1925 exhibition.

Many items are shown including furniture, tapestry and glassware from the collections of the Museum.

A large part of the exhibition is focused the “French Embassy” project, that was showcased at the 1925 exhibition.

Dressing tables and fans like in below picture are also often in Shanghai Art Deco.

It also included printed textiles and a copy of the bear statue of François Pompon, a famous sculptor from Dijon.

The exhibition also includes clothings, somehow echoing the Resonance Art Deco Paris Shanghai 2024 exhibition.

This is a great exhibition for all Art Deco lovers. Parallels with Shanghai Art Deco are very visible during the visit. This a great window into a style that would soon spread to the rest of the World, and strongly influence Shanghai.

The exhibition will be shown until 26th April 2026. The same location also hosts an exhibition about the Orient Express train from the same period and style.

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Hungarian Architects in Shanghai

Having lived a number of years in Budapest before moving to Shanghai, I have always felt a special connection with the city. One of my interest in Old Shanghai has thus been Hungarian architects in Old Shanghai, in particular Lazlo Hudec.

A number of exhibition about Laszlo Hudec have taken place in Shanghai since the 2008 Year of Hudec in China that really helped rediscovering his heritage in Shanghai and then in Hungary. Laszlo Hudec story and work was totally unkown in Hungary when I lived there, but I have noticed more and more people in know about him nowadays.

Thanks to the continuous work of Virag Csejdy, founder of the Hudec Cultural foundation in Budapest (https://www.hudecproject.com ) and thanks the Hungarian-Chinese friendship association, a major exhibition about Hungarian architects in Shanghai is now taking place in Budapest. This will surely help to raise the profile of those Hungarian architects that found fame in Shanghai.

“Timeless Modernity — The Shanghai Legacy of Hungarian Architects” opened on 1st December 2025 and will last until 22nd January 2026. It focuses on the work and legacy of Laszlo Hudec but also Károly Gonda, Béla Mátrai & Rudolf Sömjén.

The exhibition is taking place in the China Cultural Center in Budapest:
Bosnyák utca 1
H-1149 Budapest

Unfortunately, I could not fit a trip to Budapest in my schedule during that time, but there are talks of taking the exhibition to Shanghai in 2026. I hope I will be able to see it then. In any case, this is a great excuse for a short stay in Budapest for old Shanghai lovers.

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Short visit in Swatow

Shantou / 汕头 in Guangdong province is famous for its food and seaside. It is also the location of Swatow former concession. This was the opportunity for a short trip.

Although located half way between 1842 original concessions of Hong Kong et and Xiamen, Swatow was only opened as a treaty port in 1860 with the treaty of Tianjin. British and American consulate opened on Mayu island of the cost in 1860. The British Consulate later moved to Queshi, on the other side of the river to Swatow city. The American Consulate moved to Kia Lat area, on Tai-Malo street (today 外马路) area. Other consulates opened in the same area including Japanese, German, Norwegian and French, along with a Astor House hotel. At the time, the road was close to the river, but land has been reclaimed here since and the area has changed a lot.

Large trading houses were located further West, around the most densely populated area. They included usuals Butterfield & Swire, and Jardine & Matheson as well as China Merchants. Banks such as HSBC and Bank of China were also located close to the keyside.

Although most of the sea side buildings have disappeared, the road going from the riverside inland has some interesting spots, starting with the Customs house on the riverside, that is now a museum. Hidden in the same area are the former customs quarter, but they are off limit for visitors. Further up is the Post Office that is still in use as its original function.

Going further up, one encounters the beautiful Art Deco Bank of Guangdong building built in 1935 by Guangzhou architect Yang Xizong 杨锡宗.

Further up is the beautiful guan yin miao 观音庙 temple and the old fire station with the hospital opposite to it (this is still the site of today’s Shantou hospital).

Further up on the road was the Consulate area. A French consulate official was dispatched in 1904 and the actual consulate opened in 1906. The building indicated on the 1924 map was built in 1923, located 11 Da Hua Road. Unfortunately, this building does not exist anymore.

Swatow did not have much trade with French companies, and France did not consider Swatow to be an important posting. Consular representative changed very frequently and often complained of the lack of activity. Looking into the foreign population of Swatow in 1933, I only found a few French people. Apart from PC Leblanc who was running the post office, and Jules Leurquin who was the French Consul, the only other French people were missionnaries.

This post focused on Tai-Malo street (today 外马路) were foreign consulates were located. Further posts will focus on Swatow old town and its beautiful architecture.

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Wedding at Fitch Memorial Church

There are many churches in Shanghai, as both concessions were hosting many christians religious people. Catholics was mostly supported by the French, with the Jesuits area of Xu Jia Hui being next to the former French concession. The international settlement was supporting the Church of England, with a cathedral behind the Bund. Many protestant missionaries were using Shanghai as a base to convert people all over China, and they also built Churches in Shanghai. I recently attended a Christian wedding at Fitch Memorial Church in Hong Kou district.

Fitch Memorial Church is the only church in Shanghai to be designed in the Neo Confucian style, also called Republican style. This combines the exterior of the traditional Chinese building, although built in concrete not wood, with the inside of a modern building.

Fitch Memorial Chirch was completed in 1928. This is also the time when the whole Hongkou district was developing. The architect was Yang Xiulu / 楊錫鏐 which firm also built the Paramount Ball Room and the Nanjing Hotel on Guizhou lu. It also designed the YMCA building in Xizhang Road, that is of the same style than the Fitch Memorial Church.

The outside is rich with details.

Although there are many churches in Shanghai, it is still rare to have wedding in an actual church. The couple are both member of this church, creating a really special atmosphere. It felt a bit like in a movie.

The church has two full worship floors on the top of each other, which is rather rare. I guess this was planned to handle more ceremonies at the same time. The wedding was on the upper floor, but I could also get a view on the lower one.

The church has been through a lot over history, including as a shelter for refugees during the 1932 Japanese attack and being used as an hospital during cultural revolution. It was refurbished in the 1990s with a lot of original details having been preserved including stained glasses below.

Fitch Memorial Church was name after Reverend George Field Fitch (1845-1923). Arriving in China in 1870, he become an important leader of the Presbyterian Mission Press. His work is credited with revolutionizing China’s printing industry and establishing Shanghai as a key publishing hub in Asia.

The Fitch Memorial Church is located at 59 Duolun Lu in Hongkou district.

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Farewell to Tess Johnston

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Xiaotaoyuan Mosque

Located in the heart of the Old city, walking distance from Yuyuan Garden and the City God temple, Xiaotaoyuan mosque / 小桃园清真寺 is the largest mosque in Shanghai.

Although a first building was erected in 1917, the current building dates from 1925. The date of 1343 is actually written over one of the entrances, equivalent islamic equivalent to year 1925 in christian calendar. The name of the mosque is written in both Chinese and Arabic at the front of the main building.

The building on the street is hidden by the trees of a park.

The main building actually reflects its time of construction. The façade shows similarities with the one of the Shanghai Club on the Bund that dates from 1911. This is particularly true for the columns at the entrance and the windows of the windows on the top of each side wings.

Floors of the buildings are nicely decorated in a way that is very similar to other Old Shanghai buildings from the same period. The prayer hall is very spacious, but does not offer much details in terms of decor.

The mosque has 4 towers and one minaret. They are only really visible from the neighboring foot bridge over the main roads. The women mosque is located a few meters away, a smaller pink building that was built in 1920.

Xiaotaoyuan mosque is located on 52 Xiaotiaoyuan lu, 52 小桃园路。It’s easy to access by subway, from Laoximen station.