Former silk storehouse packed with significance
Print Edition
THERE is a 132-year-old storage building on Wanhangdu Road near the Suzhou River in Changning District. The 4.5-meter-high structure used to be closely associated with China’s silk business.
Once known as the “Silk Tavern,” the historic building was constructed by silk merchants from Huzhou, in east China’s Zhejiang Province. Henceforward, it was used as a production and storage center.
The facility was one of the earliest of its kind in Shanghai. Products made and stored there often wound up in European markets.
Today, the building is still used as a logistics site by local companies.
The building attained a degree of notoriety during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Han Bangqing (1856–1894) mentioned it in his book “The Sing-Song Girls of Shanghai.”
Shanghai Opera performer Ding Shi’e (1923-1988) also recounted stories of the place, where his mother once worked as a silk-reeler.
After restoration and renovation, the building’s interior still carries signs of its past. The roof of the building is supported by 9-meter and 17-meter long natural trucks without any joints, one of the most striking features.
In 2006, an industry park was set up in the building to house media, advertising and film businesses.
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