Jiading’s Western wonders have stories to tell
Print Edition
Editor’s Note:
After 1949, the local government launched a series of laws and regulations designed to protect these old Western-style houses and other private residences in Jiading. However, many of them were still damaged during the “cultural revolution” (1966-76) period. Some houses were expanded to hold more residents, which also damaged the original design concept.
Fortunately, local authorities are now taking measures to protect these valuable buildings and restore them to their original appearance. Some of the old houses have been listed as cultural heritage. They are like time capsules, filled with stories waiting to be discovered.
Old western-style houses play an important part in the history of Shanghai architecture. Most of those beautiful foreign garden villas have a story to tell. Before 1949 and the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Jiading had 46 Western-style houses, including 28 in Jiading Town, 13 in Nanxiang Town and five in other areas, with 34 having gardens covering a total area of 14,981 square meters.
After 1949, most of the houses were used as hospitals, kindergartens, schools and police stations except 18 that were still residences. Some of these architectural beauties even integrated Chinese styles and they are now part of Jiading’s heritage. Hidden among Chinese-style buildings, they are not only highlights of the city’s architecture, but also the symbol of an era.
Zhu’s Garden
Located on Jiading North Street, Zhu’s house was built in 1934. The owner, Zhu Limin, was a manager of the Fuda Flower Store at that time. The brick building occupies more than 200 square meters with two floors and six rooms. Doors and windows were made of cypress so that they didn’t deform through the time. The house has a garden with an artificial hill and a lot of cypress trees. A small road in front leads to Beixiatangjie Street.
Pan’s Residence
Pan’s Residence is located inside the Jiading Hotel at 100 Bole Road in Jiading Town. It was built in 1945. It’s a two-floor garden villa combining Chinese and Western styles. The balcony is above a square front door, and there are doors on each side of the house. It belonged to renowned educationist, editor and poet Pan Yangyao. After 1949, the house was donated to the government and became the office of the Jiading County Committee of the CPPCC. Ownership was transferred to the Jiading Hotel in 1987 and it was renovated and listed as cultural heritage in 2003.
Ge’s House
Ge Chenghui’s house is in the east of Nanxiatangjie Street. Ge was a renowned doctor and the first Jiading resident to get a doctorate from Yale University. The house was built by Ge’s nephew Ge Fuzhen. It’s composed of five rooms and there’s a stone mound in front of its door. There even used to be a tennis court in front of the house. It was used as Ge’s clinic. Her nephew was the founder of Shanghai Ge’s Pharmacy on Wukang Road. He graduated from the Medical School of University of Michigan in the 1940s.
Chen’s House
Chen Dechang’s house stands out in the streets of Jiading Town. It’s at 124 Nandajie Street and occupies about 1,325 square meters. It was built in 1934 and has three floors and more than 50 rooms. It is quite easy to find among the nearby buildings. It was occupied by Japanese during the war and used as a radio station. When the war ended, a Jiading resident Qin Zhiqian established the Jiading Citizen News and rented Chen’s house as the printing workshop.
Tao’s House
Tao Jiyuan’s house is at 344 Xidajie Street. Tao (1905-1968) was a Jiading entrepreneur during the Republic of China period who was especially good at stock investment. After earning a considerable sum, he established the Jiafeng Factory and Jiaxing Bank and also invested in local education.
The outer wall of Tao’s house is in the traditional shikumen style of Shanghai, while in the middle there is a pattern which was designed in the style of the former Shanghai Huashang Securities Exchange to display the special interest of the house owner. It occupies about 700 square meters, combining Chinese and Western construction styles. It was built in 1933 and has four buildings with 30 rooms.
The first building along the river was used for parking and storage. The second building has four rooms and was where the driver, cook, bodyguard and babysitter lived. The third building is the main building, which includes a grand living room and several bedrooms for the family. The fourth building has three rooms and was used as a kitchen and dining hall. Behind it there is a garden with trees, an artificial hill and a fish pond.
Just four years after the house was built, the property was occupied by the Japanese and became the headquarters of its secret service.
Gao’s House
Gao Jieren’s house is located in the north of Jiang’s Garden. It was built in the early years of the Republic of China period (1911-1949) and occupies 1,219 square meters. Square brick piles hold five round serial arches on the first and second floors, and on the piles there are Doric orders. It has a total of 20 rooms. Since it was built with red and gray bricks, it looks red outside and is called “the red building” by locals. Gao Jieren, the owner of the house, used to have the Fengtai Flower Store in Tangjia Lane before moving to Hangzhou.
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