2021/12/16
Changning district is at the west of Shanghai, adjacent to Jing’an district on the east, bordering to Shanghai Xian on the west, connecting to Jiading district through Wuxiong River (Suzhou River) on the northwest, next to Xuhui district on the south and facing Putuo district by Wusong River on the north. Since South Song Dynasty, some rich households and farmers have lived in Fahua town of Changning district. By the middle of Qing Dynasty (around 1736-1829), Fahua town had become the most important town in the west of Shanghai. There were many houses in Fahua town, filled with various kinds of expensive peonies. It was called the “Little Luoyang”.
Changning is at the west of Shanghai and was developed relatively slowly in Shanghai. Many buildings were built after 1920s. Large groups of foreigners rushed into Shanghai after establishment of the city and building small houses became popular among the upper classes in Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s. Today’s Xijiao area in Changning district became a great choice for its nice greenery and fresh air. Lots of property developers built houses around today’s Xinhua road, Fanyu Road, Hongqiao Road and Yuyuan Road. It became a gathering place for upper class foreigners in Shanghai. During the 100 years between the establishment and 1949, Changning district housed many foreign companies and capitalists’ residence. It could be divided into three main areas – Yuyuan Road area, Huaihai Road and Xinhua Road area, and Hongqiao Road area.
Yuyuan Road: Famous politicians and businessmen
At the beginning of last century, a businessman “richer than royal families” built a private mansion around Jing’an temple and named it “Yu Zhai”, and Yuyuan Road was named after the house. By 1899, the International Settlement of Shanghai had expanded greatly. The west border was pushed to the west of Jing’an temple and the first section of Yuyuan Road was included into the concession. During the ten years after the end of WWI (1919-1928), many garden houses and new type of lanes were built along Yuyuan Road, making the area a top residential area in Shanghai. Then, Yuyuan Road also became a gathering place for Western gentlemen and businessmen as Western houses and cafes were built.
Hongqiao Road was first built around 1901. The west area to Chengjiaqiao was called Sheshan Road. It was in the villages in Xijiao and many foreign residents built village houses there. In 1921, the Hongqiao airport was built, which attracted many property developers to Hongqiao area for its convenient transportation and cheap prices. Many foreigners and agents tried to develop properties in the area and built villas and houses. During that period, they built 84 British villas and 140 other kinds of garden houses.
Xinhua Road was called “Shanghai Daughter” with the nice greenery, delicate villas and gorgeous sculptures on the street. Xinhua Road was important, not only for its political and historical value, but also because it rebuilt the city’s luxurious dream. From the earliest Amherst Road to Chahaer Road, Fahua Road and to today’s Xinhua Road, it has always been a perfect spot for garden houses. Branches of trees crossed over the walls of the garden houses along the street and formed a unique style. And the various kinds of flowers planted on the street proved Xinhua Road to be “the top garden street”. Famed Portuguese architect H.E.Hudec designed some European buildings with distinct styles on Xinhua Road. The pointy roofs, old-style windows and half-closing doors all reflected the romanticism of the master and the street.
During that time, these garden houses in the west of Shanghai hosted many upper class foreigners including famed businessmen like head of Kailuan Coal Mine (British) living at Fanyu Road, British manager of Shanghai Columbia Record Factory living at Number 1, Lane 211, Xinhua Road, manager of Thames Newspaper in 1930s living at Hotel Longbai’s British villas. There were also senior employees in finance like head of Brandt and Rodgers Ltd. living at Huashan Road, head of Butterfield & Swire Co. Ltd living at today’s Xinguo Hotel, senior employees of Texaco Co. Ltd living at lane 155, Tai’an Road, manager of Chartered Bank living at 796, Jiangsu Road, foreign trustee of Bank of Communication living at 388 West Huaihai Road and head of the American-Oriental Bank, etc.
Many foreign officials also lived in the area including general tax head of the custom living at lane 162, Jiangsu Road that was built around 1900. The garden at 32, lane 329, Xinhua Road was one of the foreign lane buildings. It occupied a total area of 2,033 square meters and was the house of Swedish general consul to Shanghai between 1936 and 1947. Former Swedish general consul to Shanghai Malte Pripp lived there between 1940 and 1945.
Landmark Buildings in Changning Built by Foreign Residents
Jessfield Park
Jessfield Park, today’s Zhongshan Park, is the first concession park built by the Municipal Committee of Shanghai International Settlement. It was originally a private garden of head of H.Fogg & Co. H. Fogg, and led to Jing’an temple via Jessfield Road. Fogg sold the north half of the garden (close to Suzhou River) to Episcopal Church in the United States of America, who founded St. John’s College there. In 1914, the Municipal Committee turned the south half of the garden into the Jessfield Park. It occupied 320 mus of land. The park’s gate was on the corner of today’s Changning Road and Yuyuan Road. It was renamed Zhongshan Park in 1943, when concessions were cancelled.
Foreign Lanes (nongtang)
Lane 211 and 329 at Xinhua Road (named Anhe Temple and Fahua Road in the old times) was called “foreign lanes (nongtang)” because many foreigners lived there in the 1930s and 1940s. The lanes were designed by famous Portuguese architect Hudec (1893-1958) and developed by an American’s real estate company founded in 1922. Chinese businessmen and upper class foreigners in Shanghai built it together.
The Columbia Circle
After 1920s, the Columbia Road (today’s Fanyu Road) and today’s Xinhua Road was reconstructed, and the Columbia Road ranged from today’s West Yan’an Road to Hongqiao Road while today’s Xinhua Road ranged from Kaixuan Road to Fanyu Road. Within the range, many American real estate companies developed and built garden houses like lane 55, 57 and 95 of Fanyu Road. Foreigners living in this area were called “The Columbia Circle”. These buildings were either designed by Hudec or his company. Hence, the buildings formed a uniquely coherent style. The buildings are protected now as a special feature of Shanghai.
American Club
American Club was an entertainment, gathering and casual venue for visiting Americans in Shanghai. There were only 26 foreign residents in Shanghai when it was established, but the number was increased to 150,000 during the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance. More than 20,000 foreigners from 61 countries rushed into Shanghai in 1936 and many were Americans. Before that, foreigners from various countries all established their own organizations like the French Club, the British Club, the German Club and the Jewish Club, etc. In 1848, America had already set up its concession in Hongkou district, but Americans did not have an American club until the American Club was founded at Fuzhou Road in 1924. It was later moved to the Niuqiaobang area, today’s Shanghai Biological Products Research Institute in 1262 West Yan’an Road. The club contained four two-floor Spanish garden houses with basements and a chapel, occupying 130,000 square meters with floor space of 6,210 square meters. It was designed by Hudec around 1925.
Methodist Girl’s High School
Methodist Girl’s High School was founded in 1892 by American Methodist Episcopal Mission Young John Allen. The school was located at the cross corner of West Xizang Road and Hankou Road. Later, the school bought 86 mus of land at Jiangsu Road with donation. The school was moved to the new location in 1917 and Yang Xizhen became the first Chinese principle of the school in 1929. The school was named Methodist Girl’s High School in 1930 and was renamed Shanghai Number Three Girl’s High School after it merged with St. Mary Girl’s School in 1953.
Foreign Celebrities in Changning in Modern Times
Henry William Boone (1839-1925)
American Henry William Boone was born in today’s Jakarta of Indonesia on June 7th 1839. He moved to Shanghai with his father, the first bishop of Episcopal Church in the United States of America to Shanghai. Later he went back to America for medical study and opened his business in Shanghai in 1861. He started medical service for Europeans and Americans in Shanghai and also was in charge of medical treatment at the health center of American Episcopal Church. At first, there weren’t many patients, but people started coming after Boone cured an abandoned cholera patient. He got infected with cholera the next year and went back to America for vacation. Later, he found a position at L.A Municipal Hospital although he still wanted to work in Shanghai.
In 1880, American Episcopal Church assigned him to be the church’s doctor in China in charge of opening hospitals and medical schools. So, Boone arrived in Shanghai on August 31.
At that time, Tongren Hospital was in trouble because the houses were demolished. It was left with only two temporary rooms with two beds. There were no professional doctors. Boone tried very hard to rebuild the hospital and he became president of Tongren Hospital. It gained fame under his management and even patients from as far as Hunan Province came all the way to Shanghai. The hospital gradually expanded. By 1904, the hospital was equipped with X-ray machines, examination rooms and one of the best-equipped operation rooms in China. It became a rather influential religious hospital in China.
Boone was also interested in medical education. In 1880, St. John’s College added a medical school. At first, medical assistants were trained in Chinese. The college started training doctors in English from 1896. Boone was education director and professor. Tongren Hospital also set up a nursing school in 1882 to train Chinese nurses.
Boone set up a health center at the gate of St. John’s College in August 1880 for residents in the nearby neighborhood, twice a week.
Boone went to suburbs around Shanghai every spring and autumn for five to six days and cured 450-750 people each time.
He cared very much about academic activities in the medical field. In 1896, he suggested the founding of today’s Chinese Medical Association and published today’s “Chinese Medical Journal”. He also set up a medical library and a medical museum (the medical museum is attached to Tongren Hospital). In 1897, Chinese Medical Association elected him to be representative of China to attend the International Medical Conference in D.C. He was also elected vice president of Shanghai Medical Association.
In 1910, Boone went back to America for sickness.
Francis Lister Hawks Pott (1864-1947)
Francis Lister Hawks Pott was born in New York. He got B.A in Columbia University in 1883 and got Bachelor of Theology at New York College of Theology in 1886. He became an English teacher at St. John’s college later and became director of the college in 1888.
When the school was just founded, it was limited to middle school education and the dorms were decrepit. Pott carefully managed the school and the school’s property went up by two million Silver Yuan in 30 years. The campus was expanded from 84 mus to 228 mus. He organized construction of 15 buildings and 28 houses including dorms, education buildings, office buildings, chapels, libraries, museums, labs, communication rooms, etc. The education range was expanded to cover college courses and it became one the top schools in China, equipped with school of theology, medical school, school of arts and sciences, and construction engineering school, etc.
Pott motivated English education. All courses besides Chinese were taught in English. He also discriminated against Chinese language and forbade patriotic teachers and students from joining the “May 30th Movement”. He was principle of the college for 52 years. He was also head of the school of arts and sciences and was in charge of the middle school. He taught English, physics, chemistry, astrology, and geology, among other courses. He was also chair of China Christian Education Association, general commissioner of Municipal Committee Education Commission, chair of Royal Asian Academy, etc.
He studied Chinese history in leisure time and was author of “China’s Uprising”, “China’s Crisis”. He published “Brief of Chinese History” and “Summary of Chinese History” in 1904 and “Brief History of Shanghai” in 1928.
In 1944, Pott went back to New York and visited China again in 1946. He passed away the next year due to heart diseases.
Ladislaus Edwara Hudec
Ladisalaus Edwara Hudec was born in Czech Slovak in 1893 and graduated from Royal Academy of Budapest. He was elected member of Royal Institute of Portuguese Architects in 1916. He came to Shanghai in early 1918 and worked under American architect R.A.Curry. He worked for a very long time in Shanghai until right before 1949 and passed away in 1958. He designed many landmark buildings including International Hotel, the Grand Bright Theatre, Hong’en Hospital, the Moore Memorial Church, etc.
Rewi Alley (1897-1987)
Rewi Alley from New Zealand came to China on April 21st in 1927. In 1933, He joined the first international Marxism study group where he met George Hatem, Smedley, Edgar Snow, Madam Sun Yat-sen, Pan Hannian and Feng Xuefeng, etc. He supported the Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party and worked with Smedley and Madam Sun Yat-sen to send many medicines, medical and communication equipment to Jiangxi area through various ways. His apartment at Yuyuan Road was once a secret shelter of the communist party and was equipped with the secret radio on the roof. He kept in touch with the central committee in Jiangxi area. Many officials and staff of the party hid in his apartment for many times. On a dark night in 1935, Madam Sun Yat-sen and some others cheered for the success of the Red Army in his apartment.
In November 1937, Alley, his American friend Snow and his wife discussed about the significance of long-term fight and of organizing industrial coops. They agreed that China would lack industrial goods as the industrial areas got lost during the war. In order to support the fight, it would be best to organize industrial coops to develop small-scale handcrafts and semi-mechanical industries to produce necessary goods for the army and civilians, which would guarantee the final success of the fight. Alley was elected to organize meetings to discuss the plan.
In May 1938, Alley and some friends at the meetings founded Chinese Industrial Co-operative Association. The Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party greatly supported the founding in Hankou. International friends and Chinese overseas also donated to the founding of the association. During the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance, almost 3,000 industrial coops were set up and tens of thousands of refugees and workers produced large amount of necessary goods to support the war.
After 1949, Alley moved to Beijing in 1953. His apartment at 4, Lane 1315 Yuyuan Road was listed as a memorial spot by the municipal government in 1992 to conduct patriotic education to teenagers.