Children’s Palace of Changning District: Mansion-turned Children’s Hall

Located on Yuyuan Road, Children’s Palace of Changning District was established in 1960 as the activities, training and tutorial center of fine arts education for all middle school, elementary school and kindergartens in the district. It was the residence of Wang Boqun, a political figure of the Republic of China, and then that of Ching-wei’s after Shanghai was occupied by Japanese armies. It took 300,000 silver dollars to build this Italian Gothic style castle that covers 10.78 mu with a main construction area of 2,158.8 square meters. There are 32 rooms in this four-storey reinforced-concrete-structured mansion, connected by twisted passages and corridors. The halls and rooms are decorated with traditional East Asia ornaments and colored murals, plum-blossom-shaped lattice windows and molded red copper knobs. Foliage and blossoms are abundant in the garden all year long. It was reputed one of the best mansions in Shanghai.

What makes it special?

Once only open to celebrities, the mansion is now where the youth are nurtured and cultivated. That’s a remarkable progress. -- Ying Qinyong, Office Director of the Tourism Administration of Changning District, Shanghai

Children’s Palace: My Childhood.The Children’s Palace epitomizes my days as an elementary school student. I can still recall the long lane, the worn-out stage, a lawn where drills were carried out, and the blushes put on our faces when we were on stage, all of which are most memorable moments of my childhood.

I couldn’t help being nervous every time when I was led into the old lane by my teacher and when I was standing on the stage, watched by all the audience. It would make you laugh to see me struggling to keep my composure when performing and being so puffed up when I got a prize. Children’s Palace was my first stage, my first step forward, and where my dreams started.

Standing in front of the Children’s Palace gazing into the deep lane, I find it hard to muster up the courage to enter it. However much I wonder if the old hall has been renovated, or if the lights remains dim and the floor still creaks, I think it’s better to let the memories rest as they were.

Anyhow, I’m now on a larger stage in my life, leaving my childhood far behind. -- Di Di, resident in Zhoujiaqiao Sub-district