Babylon on the Whangpoo – 1842 to 1911
In the 10th century, Shanghai
was already established. At that stage it was a mere fishing village named ‘Hu Tu’, after the hu, or bamboo stakes, which held the fishermen’s nets in place. By
the seventeenth century, the city had grown into a major port in the trading
junk routes, being situated approximately halfway along the coastline of China
and only 14 miles from the mouth of the Yangtsze River. To repel attacks from
Japanese and other pirates, the city was enclosed by a wall, three and a half
miles around. Like all Chinese cities, it had gates at all four compass points
and a grid of parallel north-south and east-west streets; there was a main
temple and yamen to the north and an
alarm drum tower in the centre. At night, the gates would have been closed by a
curfew and not re-opened until the dawn. With the establishment of the treaty
ports and the coming of the foreigners, this was all about to change.
‘Chinatown’: the Old Chinese City (aka.
‘Nantao’)
The foreign legations established
themselves around the old Chinese city, turning it into an island. The original
walls had long outlived their usefulness but now the Chinese residents found
themselves forced to cram back inside these limits. Driven from the outlying
territory, the Shanghainese were suddenly competing for a very limited living
area. Many merchants moved their shops north to Foochow Road or Nanking Road, opting
to live over their premises and thus beat the squeeze. Roads within the old
city became narrower and the buildings taller. Overnight, the regular pattern
of the original town plan was turned into a cramped and twisting maze of narrow
lanes and backstreets.
The old city at once became a high
density microcosm of Chinese culture. The streets were packed with people
moving to and from their work: coolies, barrow-men, jinricksha operators. Stalls lined the already narrow lanes making
traffic issues a deadly hazard; purveyors of food and drink, medical
practitioners, calligraphers and spice sellers all cried their wares and
services to the passing parade of potential customers. To the Westerners, this
locale was fraught with danger. The crowds and the smell were simply
overwhelming to foreign sensibilities and they consciously avoided going there.
The Chinese didn’t mind. Within the
walls, a relaxed atmosphere prevailed, free from the artificiality imposed by
Western attitudes. In the hot weather, shop owners sat before their stores
stripped to the waist and fanning their bellies to stay cool; in the legation
quarters, the same businessmen wore long blue robes and regarded pulling up
their sleeves – even in the hottest weather – as ‘unprofessional’. Opium dens
and the houses of concubines flourished in the Chinese City, along with
gambling establishments, from which the clatter of mah-jong tiles could be heard at all hours.
The daily round of activity within the
Chinese City included regular festivals; in fact, Westerners often boggled at
the sheer number of festivals the Chinese celebrated in the course of a year. Winding
parades of monks or dancers, accompanied by the shrill clashing of cymbals and
the popping of fireworks added to the already overwhelming atmosphere within
the walls and made the place an even more alien realm to the foreigners.
Within the old city, Chinese law ruled.
All Chinese citizens fell under the jurisdiction of the yamen here, although, if caught in
flagrante outside this locale, they were prey to the foreign courts which
prevailed there. Generally speaking, the Chinese had no say over extradition
matters in attempts to reclaim their people from other districts; however, they
certainly never surrendered their people to Foreign Justice once they were
safely within their own walls.
The Chinese organised their own police
force and fire patrols within the Old City; they also enacted their own system
of regulatory statutes to maintain peace and order. Outside, the rest of
Shanghai (theoretically, all of
Shanghai) was run by the Shanghai
Municipal Council and the Concession
Council but these bodies were generally happy to let the Chinese alone. The
Chinese had no representative rights at all on either of these boards but were
allowed to witness public meetings and even voice opinions in open sessions
(whether they were listened to or not was another matter entirely).
Population pressures forced the Chinese
residents to breach their walls and move further south, along the banks of the
Whangpoo River and Sillawei Creek. Those living here initially fell outside of
Chinese law and if caught felt the full weight of either French or Settlement
justice. This expansion was the first stage of what would come to be called the
Municipality of Greater Shanghai –
i.e., everything outside of the settlement areas. At the southern end of the
Bund (away from the French waterfront area) and along the shores of the creek
mouth, a flotilla of junks became almost permanently tethered, a floating
population of Chinese residents in every sense of the word.
Numbered Locations in the Old Chinese
City:
1
Temple of the City God –
This temple was restored and elaborated upon during the Ming Dynasty by Pan
Yunduan, who was also the builder of the Yu Yuan Garden. It contains a noteworthy
image of the Buddha, plated in gold.
2
Chinese Bazaar – This
open area is daily flooded with vendors from outlying regions selling the goods
they have on offer: fruits and vegetables, exotic spices, animals of all kinds.
Almost anything can be found here for those diligent enough to search and
haggle.
3
Yu Yuan Garden (‘Garden of Contentment’) – This ancient enclave was begun in 1559 by Pan Yunduan, a
Ming Dynasty official, as a gift to his father. Its main feature is a small
lake traversed by a nine zig-zag bridge (designed to confuse demons) in the
middle of which is a sumptuous pavilion. This feature is said to have inspired
the design on the famous Willow Pattern tea service made in Sheffield, England.
Other buildings in the Garden contain libraries and collections of calligraphic
works. The entire area is maintained by the monks of the City God Temple and
permission to enter the pavilions and peruse the collections within must be
obtained from them.
4
Temple of Confucius –
the Confucian Temple in the Old City is an elegant, pleasantly proportioned
complex including a small but exquisite garden. The shops surrounding the
complex specialise mainly in selling books and many merchants sell books,
scrolls and ancient prints from barrows in the surrounding streets.
5
Dajing Taoist Temple – This
is an ancient and well-respected centre of Taoism in the City.
6
Saltwater Sisters – Purveyors
of sex in Shanghai are not all based on the land, nor do they all operate out
of ‘smoke and flower houses’ or the palatial apartments of concubines. Some of
them ply their trade on the water, working out of junks moored off the French
Bund (where the police can be bribed to look the other way), or sometimes
offshore near ‘Bamboo Town’. These women are colloquially known as the
‘Saltwater Sisters’ but – besides having a novel means of avoiding any legal
hazards – their lot is no better than other prostitutes in Shanghai at this
time.
‘Frenchtown’: the French Concession
When the Foreigners were first let in to
Shanghai, there was some initial discussion of how the port would be divided
up: the British and American legations soon decided it would be better to join
forces; however the French chose not to dilute their cultural unity. They chose
to remain a separate entity, with their own ruling bodies and legal system.
From the beginning the atmosphere of
‘Frenchtown’, as it became known, was noticeably lax. The governance of the
area devolved upon the French Consulate who relayed matters of importance to
the authorities in French Indochina to the south. This roundabout way of
dealing with daily situations of government, at several removes, meant that
most matters were left in the hands of the gendarmes.
The French Municipal Council did not have a local presence until early in the
1860s.
The police force in the French
Concession, unlike the International Settlement, was run mainly by Chinese
officers and their men. Over time, this force became corrupted by members of
the local tongs – especially the notorious
Red Gang - and the French Concession became the centre for vice and
drug-smuggling in the city. The French residents in the area were happy to turn
a blind eye so long as they benefitted heavily from the activity.
Despite the seedy nature of business in the
area, Frenchtown grew as an elegant and refined part of the town. Famous
architects were contracted to design grand facades and whole districts were
turned over to genteel, plane tree-shaded avenues of tea and coffee houses. In
the lead up to the Bolshevik Revolution,
the area became very popular with Jewish refugees and the Concession became
noteworthy for its bookstores, goldsmiths and fabric retailers, not to mention
its Russian cafes.
However, the French Concession was not a
place in which to wander idly after dark. Members of the Green Gang and the Red
Gang warred violently on the streets and prostitutes and pickpockets roamed, on
the look-out for ‘marks’. The opium dens and sing-song houses glowed redly
throughout the night and in the taverns and restaurants, brawls and gun fights
were not unheard-of.
Numbered Locations in the French
Concession:
1
Cercle Sportif Français (‘French Club’)
– The hub of social and
political life in the French Concession. Like its counterparts in the British
and American areas, membership to this fraternity was an entree into the upper echelons of society. The word ‘sportif’ was a misnomer: while the venue
did offer a swimming pool and several tennis courts, the raison d’etre of the Club was socialising, not physical fitness. The
Cercle Sportif Français at 290 Route Cardinal Mercier was the most
cosmopolitan in membership of any club in Shanghai: women members were limited
to forty in total and there were always many more on the waiting list. There was
a roof garden for dancing in the summer and, in the winter, there were usually
Sunday afternoon tea dances in the ballroom on the first floor. Male visitors
in Shanghai could obtain Club privileges by the customary procedure of being
nominated and seconded by existing members; army and navy officers of all European
countries and America automatically became members simply by ‘signing in the
book’; ladies who were relatives of members of the ‘French Club’ could also
become temporary members.
2
Canidrome – To the
initial bewilderment of the Chinese, the French built this dog-racing track on the
corner of Avenue du Roi Albert and Rue Lafayette for their own edification
and delight. The track hosted competitions for both greyhounds and whippets and
the gambling (along with the inevitable crime rate) was intense. The ‘Champs de Courses Français’ was a
favourite diversion for Shanghailanders, the greyhounds racing on advertised
dates in the French Concession. Dog racing was banned in the International
Settlement and greyhound importation had been prohibited by the Chinese Government;
but the sport flourished at the Canidrome - where the greyhounds were bred -
and offered ample opportunity to those who chose to risk a wager.
3
French Municipal Council – Finished
in 1863, the French Municipal Council officers undertook to take charge of
governing the Concession after it was decided that oversight from the
diplomatic offices in Indochina (Viet Nam) was clumsy and inefficient.
Nevertheless, not much changed in Shanghai: the police force still took money
from gangsters, was still largely owned and operated by gangsters and was largely
staffed by Chinese gangsters. The French Municipal Council’s main task was to
set a tacit list of ground rules to ensure that corruption stayed discreetly
out of the public view and to ensure the steady flow of graft monies into
French coffers...
4
‘Blood Alley’ – Also
known as ‘Bloody Alley’, this was quite simply the most dangerous part of
Shanghai. The Rue Chu Pao San, a tiny
lane and only the second to be named in honour of a Chinese Shanghai resident,
was lined with opium dens, ‘smoke and flower houses’, gambling establishments
and, more than any of these, the rankest, filthiest, bars on offer. The street
would fill up quickly at night, with sailors on shore leave looking for a good
time, along with those folks out to see that they got it. Fights broke out
regularly; hookers would team up to get their ‘marks’ drunk on bad hooch, then
roll them for their valuables; pimps stalked the length of the street, rapidly
selling the services of their girls waiting in nearby alleys and doorways. Most
bars opened directly onto the street and those sitting in the window seats and
sidewalk tables knew to duck quickly when gunshots rang out, as they did
regularly from passing rickshaws and gangs of ne’er-do-wells. If Shanghai was
famous as a wild town, Blood Alley was Shanghai’s wild heart.
The International Settlement
When they first moved in, the British
claimed all the land north of the Avenue Foch and Yangjing Creek to the banks
of Soochow Creek which, at the time served as a defensive barrier. The
Americans took the two areas east of Soochow Creek, lying either side of
Hongkew Creek: the suburbs of Hongkew and Yangtsze-Poo. Within a fairly short
time however, they chose to merge with the British, forming one large
international community. Western solidarity could have been the altruistic
reason for this decision but more likely was the perception that the low-lying,
boggy terrain of Hongkew was ‘inconvenient’ for a decent life in the city.
Hongkew was fated to forever after be tagged in this manner and its
consequences will be discussed shortly.
The
Bund, or ‘waterfront road’, was the focus of the International Settlement.
Shortly after their arrival from Canton, the taipans built a row of bungalow-style residences that served as their
bases of operation. Soon thereafter, along the mouth of Soochow Creek and the
northern bank of the Whangpoo, warehouses (or ‘go-downs’ in Pidgin) sprang up
and business began in earnest. No longer confined to a ‘foreign ghetto’ as they
had been in the southern Kwangtung capital, these entrepreneurs began to build
- and they built big. As an easy mnemonic, roads paralleling the Bund were named for regions and
provinces of China; the roads radiating outwards from the Bund were named for various Chinese capital cities. Within this
grid, buildings appeared to accommodate the mechanism of foreign trade: banks,
hotels and even cathedrals.
Initially, the buildings were not very
high: the unsteady Whangpoo shoreline kept things at four storeys or less. What
they lacked in height however, they certainly made up for in style. The road of
choice on which to live was Bubbling Well
Road which began at the terminus of Nanking
Road and headed out west to the Settlement limits. Legend had it that there
was a magical spring once on this trail that had miraculous healing powers and
this is the origin of the road’s name. In no time at all, mansions were
springing up along the road, each surrounded by high enclave walls and
protected by sturdy gates. Since the ground around the Whangpoo was not very
stable – one engineer said it was “like building on dish water” – enormous
concrete and wooden piles had to be driven into the ground first before
building could commence: the Settlement rang to the constant “ah-ho, ah-ho,
ah-ho” singing of the coolies, as they rammed these piles into the mud with
massive hand-operated pile drivers.
Between Thibet Road and the Bund,
the heart of Shanghai speedily grew. Shopkeepers from the Old Chinese City,
seeking refuge from the crowded conditions there, set up shops with upstairs
residences along Nanking and Foochow Roads to escape the squeeze:
these two streets soon became a shopper’s paradise and an essential place to
visit in the city. These roads became quickly hung with the red-and-gold
shingles of the store owners, brightly proclaiming their services and the
traffic levels swelled to reflect the success of their enterprise. Jinrickshas, sedan chairs and wagons
clogged the streets, along with the phaetons and carriages of the Western
princelings: on a busy day it could be almost impossible to move along these
thoroughfares.
Numbered Locations in the International
Settlement – The Bund
1
British Embassy – The
land for this edifice was purchased by Sir Rutherford Alcock in 1848 and the
building was swiftly erected as a symbol of international domination. This
first building was destroyed by fire in 1870 and rebuilt in 1873. Over the
years other buildings were added to form a complex of structures including The
British Court of Justice, The British Naval Office, the Office of Works and the
Consul’s Residence. The British Embassy was the first building to be erected on
the Bund by the International
Settlement; however, the first foreign flag to fly over Shanghai was the
American flag which was hoisted over the American Settlement in Hongkew prior
to integration. Abashed by the oversight of not having erected a flagpole
before the ‘yankees’, the British Ambassador ordered a hastily-constructed flagpole
to correct the omission. At this time the ‘pole is still a rough-and-ready
affair, ‘though serviceable.
2
Jardine Building – The
‘Old Muckle House’: this is the headquarters of Jardine, Matheson’s & Co., the brainchild of Scot, William
Jardine and his associate James Matheson. These two almost single-handedly devised
and enacted the foreign invasion of China and the opening of the treaty ports.
Of all the businesses in Shanghai this is the one that inspired dreams of
fantastic wealth and many young men applied to them for positions from which to
grow their fortunes. At this stage, Jardine’s
is a cluster of small buildings in an unprepossessing compound; a more imposing
structure came later.
3
Palace Hotel – Built in
1907, the Palace was the first hotel in Shanghai and a luxurious place to stay
for newcomers to the city. Single rooms (on the American plan, with meals
included) cost $12; double rooms cost $24; and suites could be arranged with
the management on a per night basis. The Palace was known for its sumptuous
roof garden which was destroyed in a bomb attack in 1914 and again in a fire in
1920. Later on in 1937, the building was severely damaged by Chinese
Nationalist bombs meant for the Japanese flagship moored in the Harbour. The
site was later incorporated into the restored Cathay Hotel and renamed the ‘Peace
Hotel’. Originally standing in front of the hotel was a statue of Sir Harry
Parkes: in 1941, the occupying Japanese forces melted it down for its war
efforts.
4
The Concordia – The
German Club. Sumptuously towered and turreted, this Edwardian bastion dressed
like a Tyrolean fantasy was a testament to the importance of the German
presence in Shanghai. It was torn down in 1934 to make way for the Bank of
China Building. Erected across the street from the Concordia was a statue of
Sir Robert Hart; it too was melted down by the Japanese in 1941.
5
Shanghai Club
“Lay your cheek along the
bar and you will see the curvature of the earth”
-Noël Coward
An elite gentlemen’s club built along the
lines of the famous clubs of London. The Shanghai Club was renowned as having
the longest bar in the world (at 30 metres, or 110 feet) and this formed the
basis of the social activity within its walls: visitors and the newest members
(usually termed ‘griffins’) sat closest to the entrance and the windows looking
out onto the Bund; longer term
members arranged themselves along the middle section of the bar in order of
seniority, while the oldest members had tables and seats reserved for them
furthest from the hurly-burly in the darkest recesses of the building. A ‘black
ball’ system was very much in evidence in this fraternity and to be ‘cut out’
of the Club’s society meant being excluded from the International social scene
entirely.
The interior was decorated in lavish
style with Greek statues, an Italianate marble staircase and an
Elizabethan-style billiard room. A visit to the famous bar was considered a
‘must see’ for tourists, however women, Chinese and non-whites were ruthlessly
excluded from membership. During World
War Two, the Japanese ousted the British and used the site for their own
parties and get-togethers ... and sawed the legs off the billiard tables.
6
American Consulate – The
original site of the American powers; it later relocated to a position on the
Whangpoo in southern Hongkew, in the early 1930s.
7
Holy Trinity Cathedral – Built
in 1866, the Cathedral was designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott;
however, the plans were considered too grand for the parish and were
extensively modified by architect William Kidman. The slate roof of the red
brick building was finally completed in 1869 and a bell tower completed the
project in 1893. The steeple was later removed and has not been replaced. A
Boy’s School was added to the complex in 1929; of its many alumni, the best known is J. G. Ballard. The Cathedral languished
uncared-for for many years, serving time as government offices: it is currently
in the process of being restored by the Chinese Protestant Church.
8
Municipal Offices – Established
in 1854, the Municipal Offices occupied the entire block bounded by Honan,
Kiangsi, Foochow and Hankow Roads. In the next century, this parcel of land was
turned over to extensive re-building but at this stage it stood as a cluster of
mixed buildings. The offices included the Town Hall, Police Force Headquarters,
the Shanghai Volunteer Corps Headquarters, the Public Works and Education
Department, the Public Library, Headquarters for the Orchestra and Band and a Centre
for Chinese Studies
9
American Club – Not far
from the American Consulate, the stately edifice of the American Club welcomed
American taipans and consulate
workers every day for lunch. This is the home of the US community in Shanghai
at this time.
10
British American Tobacco Co.
– The British American Tobacco Co. (BAT) set up business headquarters in 1902,
with other offices scattered around town. This initial building was replaced in
1924 by larger accommodations that consolidated the business’ administrative
holdings. Production and manufacture was conducted by factories in the Pootung
district. By 1920, over one-third of this company’s profits were garnered from
its Chinese enterprise.
11
Garden Bridge – Built in
1856 by a resourceful Englishman named Willis, Garden Bridge was the first to
span Soochow Creek. Mr Willis became a very wealthy man by the imposition of a
toll on traffic across his bridge. The toll was discontinued after his death
whereupon the bridge became the property of the Municipal Council. In 1908, the
original wooden construction was dismantled and replaced by a steel gambrel
design built to accommodate the new trolley buses being introduced into the
city scene. This was the first steel bridge built in Shanghai and the first of
twelve bridges that would ultimately cross Soochow Creek.
12
Whangpoo Park – Begun in
1868, the gardens of Whangpoo Park were a haven reserved for the foreign
community. The ‘Park surrounded a genteel bandstand and was maintained by a
Scottish gardener; Sikh police guards kept a vigilant eye on the reserve and
ensured that its governing regulations were strictly adhered to. These
regulations were posted at the entrance and were a source of controversy and
unrest in the city, specifically Regulation 4 which stated: “Dogs, Chinese and
Bicycles are not admitted”. The word ‘Chinese’ was removed from this regulation
in 1917 due to protest (although Chinese people were still forbidden to enter
the ‘Park unless in the company or service of foreigners) and, in 1928 the
regulation was overturned completely by a law passed by a Chinese majority in
the Municipal Council which made all
Settlement and Concession parks accessible to Celestials and Foreigners alike.
Also of interest here at this time, is the monument to Raymond Margary who was
murdered by Chinese bandits whilst on assignment for the British government in
Yunnan and whose death, along with the Tienstin
Massacre, forced a ratification of all outstanding foreign treaties with
China at the Chefoo Convention.
13
Shanghai Land & Investment Co.
– The Shanghai Land & Investment
Company came into its own during the land boom in the city during and after
the Small Swords invasion and
signalled its dominance of the construction financing market by building its
new offices in 1908.
14
Gibb, Livingston & Co.
– Probably in response to The Shanghai
Land & Investment Company’s lavish construction on the opposite corner,
this well-heeled shipping company rebuilt its own headquarters with no
intention of limiting expense. Topped by a striking black ‘witches hat’ the
building is a mass of curlicues and other decorative features. The ‘hat’ was
dismantled during the Communist takeover but the rest of the confection
remains.
15
The Russo-Asiatic Bank –
Along with many other businesses on the Bund at the end of the Nineteenth Century,
The Russo-Asiatic Bank took advantage
of the technologies gained from years of building on the Whangpoo mud to tear
down its old headquarters and build something that was more fitting of such a
refined institution. The resulting Neo-Classical structure, finished in 1902,
was a lavish but sedate edifice, notable for being the first building in
Shanghai to use ceramic tiling on its outside facade.
16
Customs House – In 1843,
the British Imperial Maritime Customs Service
(IMCS) established themselves on this
site in a scattered compound of warehouses and temporary office buildings. In
1851, this arrangement was destroyed in fighting with Small Swords rebels during their occupation of the city. After this
invasion was overthrown, the International community successfully argued that
the Customs and Excise business would be more efficiently run by foreign
nationals, thereby eliminating losses due to ‘squeeze’ and began consolidating
in earnest. In 1857, a new building was completed, in the Chinese style with turned
up eaves and tiled roofs. This was later replaced in 1893 with a Tudor
construction, composed of two bold wings and a clock tower 34 metres (110 feet)
high. The IMCS was the raison d’etre of many well-known
Shanghai residents, including Sir Harry Parkes and Sir Robert Hart.
17
& 18 Russell & Co. Buildings
– Russell & Co. were for the
Americans what Jardine’s was for the
British: bold opium businessmen of a ‘never say die’ character. The only
differences between the two companies were a less-than-razor-sharp business
acumen and an inability to get out of the market in time. The firm was
originally based in Boston but moved to Shanghai in 1846 to be closer to the
game. Their original headquarters on the corner of the Bund and Canton Road
resembled a three storey Southern Mansion constructed of stone. In 1877 with
the opium business facing uncertainty, they were forced to sell their business
premises (to the China Merchants’ Steam
Navigation Company, the first China-owned company to set foot on the Bund) and
relocate to the other end of the block on the corner of Foochow Road (17). This new building was more sombre
and was supposed to be the symbol of a turnaround in their economic fortunes;
however, in 1891 the firm failed and was forced to sell to the Imperial Bank of China.
19
China Mutual Life Insurance
– The China Mutual Life Insurance Company
was a British-owned business and the first life insurance company in China.
Like many other successful businesses it took advantage of the technologies of
the new century by rebuilding its offices in 1910. This building too, is a
lavish affair, with stained glass windows executed by the boys of a local
Catholic orphanage, sumptuous marble friezes and banded stone walls. Unlike
many buildings whose decorative features were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, this
building remains intact, probably by virtue of it being recommissioned as a
watch factory in 1955.
20
Signal Platform – This
tower was first built as an Anglo-Dutch collaboration in 1884 and was rebuilt
in 1907. It comprises a small blockhouse with accommodation for a harbourmaster
and a tall tower, designed to be reminiscent of the Royal Observatory at
Greenwich. The tower displays signal flags and houses various meteorological
instruments, including a weather vane. Most importantly however, it contained a
time-ball mechanism to allow ships in the harbour to calibrate their watches to
Greenwich Mean Time: at the same time each day, an iron ball would be raised to
the top of the mechanism’s central mast and dropped, to be cushioned by the
action of a piston at the base of the shaft. The instant of drop allowed the
sea captains to check their chronometers.
Numbered Locations in the International
Settlement – Hongkew
1
General Hospital – The
first of many hospitals to be built in Shanghai, this was the also the first
non-denominational medical institution to be constructed in the city for a long
period.
2
Astor House Hotel – The
Astor originally commenced business on Astor Road in 1844 before moving to its
current location in 1858. Over time it changed hands many times and was
strategically re-developed to cater for the needs of the foreign community and
its visitors. The Astor became a refined social institution where young ladies
made their debuts and attended tea dances. In 1917 under the management of the
Kadoorie clan, the ballroom was expanded and lavishly decorated, including an
ornate Peacock Throne over the orchestra pit, a nod to the new owners’ Persian
roots. The Hotel was taken over by the Japanese in 1937 and again by the
Communists in 1949, when it became low-budget accommodation for workers. In the
1990s, the ballroom saw service as the Chinese
Stock Exchange for a time.
Known for its elegant dining room, the
Astor House Hotel was host to such famous guests as Ulysses S. Grant, Bertrand
Russell and Charlie Chaplin. Single rooms (on the American plan with meals
included) cost $12; double rooms cost $20; and a suite for two costs $30 per
night. Now a government-run concern, the Astor House is still operating today.
3
‘Bamboo Town’ – After
the Americans abandoned this low-lying area for less muddy positions with the
rest of the foreign community, this region was left to degenerate and become
low in every sense of the word. A sprawling mass of ‘go-downs’ and wharves
between Ward Road and the waterfront, this is a maze of crooked streets and a
nest of ne’er-do-wells. While busy and active during the day with the business
of loading and unloading ships, at night the area becomes a den of thieves,
thugs and other unsavoury types. Gambling, opium and prostitutes are the
nightly concerns of ‘Bamboo Town’ but all the games are rigged, the alcohol is
watered down and the whores operate out of ‘nail sheds’ for ten cents a time,
rather than play the convoluted games of their high-class sisters. Visitors are
warned away from ‘Bamboo Town’ – unless they are no strangers to depravity and
are well-armed.
4
Shanghai Waterworks – The
Municipal Council envisioned a waterworks from early days of foreign occupancy
of the city but it wasn’t until 1880 that the vision started to become a
reality. The Shanghai Waterworks was established as an incorporated company in
that year; construction began in 1881 and the first water was pumped in 1883.
Prior to this innovation water was hauled
from the Whangpoo River or Soochow Creek in buckets and stored in large clay
jars called ‘kongs’. The water was
then settled with alum salts over several days before being boiled prior to
use. Despite all these efforts, cholera and typhoid fever were still common
occurrences in the city. The arrival of the waterworks was universally
celebrated.
The plant was engineered to produce a
daily output of 13.6 megalitres (3,000,000 gallons) but a rising demand saw
this output increase dramatically to 15 times this quantity by the 1930s at
which time the plant – with its quaint exterior, reminiscent of a baronial
castle - was expanded and modernised. From the outset, engineers and
maintenance staff achieved a bacterial reduction of 99.99% with careful reports
being sent to London for evaluation. Originally the plant was only supposed to
produce potable water for the International
Settlement; however, an ‘off peak’ supply was routed to the French Concession shortly after opening.
Today the re-named ‘Yangshupu Waterworks’ supplies 80% of Shanghai’s drinkable
water from one of the filthiest rivers in the world.
5
Ward Road Prison – This
infamous jailhouse was built in four sections from 1903 to 1928; it is
indicative of the Americans’ disdain of the areas originally allotted to them
that such an institution was erected here at all. The four-storey jail has a
non-radial arrangement of cells with sizes ranging from 3.4 to 3.6 metres
squared. By the 1930s there were 11 cell blocks in total with 920 cells: along
with administration buildings, workshops, a hospital and cafeteria, it was the
biggest prison in Shanghai and one of the largest in Asia. Taken over by the
Japanese during their occupation, Ward
Road Prison became synonymous with torture and death and it was from here
that the invaders policed the Jewish
Ghetto which they established to the north.
Numbered Locations in the International
Settlement – The Wider Settlement
1
Hall & Holtz
“One shopped at Hall &
Holtz; Lane, Crawford & Company; Laidlaw & Company; and Kelly &
Walsh. One read the North China Daily News, Shanghai Times,
Shanghai Mercury, L’Echo de Chine, Der Ostasiatische Lloyd and The Shanghai Nippo. One
danced in the chic ballroom of the Cercle Sportif Français and partied at cabarets like the Casanova,
Del Monte and Ciro’s.”
-Lynn Pan,
In Search of Old Shanghai
Hall & Holtz was a reputable British
firm established in 1885 and specialising in general merchandise from across
the globe. These, their Shanghai offices, opened in 1906 and claimed to be the
first department store in the city. The fanciful five-storey building had
residential apartments on the top three floors – complete with Juliet balconies
– while the store operated out of the ground and first floors. Their wide range
of millinery, clothing, haberdashery and other Western merchandise made them an
instant hit with expatriate women and wealthy Chinese.
2
‘The World of Flowers’
From the earliest days of Western
occupation, the region lying between Nanking and Foochow Roads was notorious as
a neighbourhood dedicated to retailing sensual pleasures. With its proximity to
the dock areas and the Bund, this area became a ‘red light district’ attracting
the attentions - and money - of myriad waterfront workers. After the Small Swords invasion and the
overcrowding of the Old Chinese City, Chinese merchants relocated here to set
up shops and continue their businesses: The neighbourhood became a tangle of
alleyways between ramshackle, gaudily painted structures, wherein legitimate
businesses rubbed elbows with less honourable pursuits.
This was the home of the majority of
Shanghai’s courtesans, as well as the headquarters of many bustling brothels;
opium dens proliferated here along with gambling halls, tea houses and taverns.
During the day, shops did a roaring trade to the shouting of vendors, the
groaning of coolies and the hum of speeding jinrickshas;
by night, the alleys were perfumed by incense and the steam from noodle carts,
while wandering actors and musicians staged kerbside performances, lit by the
red glow of the ‘flower and smoke’ houses and the occasional flash of
fireworks. In typical Chinese fashion, this playground of the senses became
known as ‘the world of flowers’; to the foreign missionaries, this was the
beating heart of the ‘Whore of Asia’.
3
The Door of Hope
“I can still see a little
crowd of furiously hurrying people that broke across my path one evening. In
front of them was the flying figure of a girl, her little silken coat torn and
hanging from one shoulder. She was ten paces ahead of her pursuers as she
passed me, her little face drawn and blanched with terror and exhaustion.
Fortunately, her pursuers were not agile. A stout madam hobbled along on little
feet; two burly men in blue peasant clothes lumbered along beside her,
apparently the major-domos of her establishment. And all too apparently, the scudding miss ahead
was a very recent inmate of that establishment, launched on a gallant and
desperate break for freedom.
The crowd parted like
sheep. A few heads turned around out of curiosity, but none out of sympathy.
The pursuers swept by. Suddenly the girl turned under a bright street light and
began to pound with both fists against a kind of matchboard doorway. A tall
Sikh policeman started across the street from his traffic post on the opposite
corner. Then the crowd closed in and it was all a blur.
When I got to the fragile
doorway under the light the girl was gone and the Sikh policeman was dispersing
the crowd. They scattered quickly, all but the stout woman and her two strong
men. The woman scolded vehemently and viciously shook her fist at the sign
above the doorway through which the victim had escaped. Then the policeman
moved her on in true Occidental fashion and the incident seemed to be closed.”
-Gardner Harding, 1916
The
Door of Hope is a
strange instance of the kind of help that the Foreign Legations felt that they
were honour-bound to offer the Chinese, as well as being a clear case where
something actually beneficial to the
Celestials in Shanghai was ultimately ruined by Missionary involvement.
Miss Cornelia Bonnel, a missionary and
English teacher based in Shanghai from 1900, witnessed a bond servant being
mistreated by her mistress in the street; dismayed that none of the other
Chinese present offered assistance she determined to convert the house in which
she was living at the time into a refuge for such maltreated women. Her home in
Seward Road was converted to this purpose and soon other foreign missionary
women and wives of the foreign legatees offered their help. Eventually, a ‘receiving
house’ was established in the heart of the red-light district (or ‘world of
flowers’ as the Chinese referred to it) on Foochow Road. This office was given
special legal status by the Municipal Council, conferring immunity to any
person who fled there, seeking escape from harsh (usually sexual) slavery. Once
‘received’, the claimant was removed to the house on Seward Road and
re-educated with skills that would garner them employment elsewhere.
In 1908, the operation moved from Seward
Road to leased premises on Chekiang Road which were larger and more useful.
After an initial year with the organisation, the girls were sent to outlying
businesses established by the Door of
Hope, where they were set to work making clothing, embroidered
handkerchiefs, socks, fan boxes, custom bridal trousseaux and wooden dolls. Attempts were also made to place the
girls in positions at hospitals or as clerks where they could establish a
career on their own merits.
Missionary societies and churches eagerly
began to collect funds for the Door of
Hope and the organisation received between 50% and 65% of its funding from
this source. Along with these monies came injunctions from the missions that
prayers and bible instruction would form a daily part of the women’s routines,
something that was not always joyously received by the inmates.
Male Shanghai residents soon cottoned on
to the idea that there was a body of women rescued from the streets who were
available for marriage. As these men were, as often as not, kidnap victims
themselves with little prospects of obtaining a wife, they approached the Door of Hope with legitimate and hopeful
offers of marriage. Initially, the organisation was happy to see their recruits
returned to society in these promising circumstances; however, several
missionary societies objected, insisting that the rehabilitated women must only
marry Christian applicants. By insisting upon this rider, the charity lost a
significant part of its funding from the Chinese
Council for the Municipality of Greater Shanghai which felt that the
limitation was needless and unhelpful.
With this means of moving back into
society effectively stopped, the inmates of the Door of Hope became jaded and disillusioned. Many of them simply
escaped and returned to life as prostitutes; others became trouble-makers
within the institution and there are records of fights, stealing and even
attempts to escape by means of digging tunnels. After the Revolution with the establishment of the Chinese Anti-Kidnapping Society, the charity
gained a stronger footing and a greater degree of social respectability.
Regardless of the niceties of social feeling, the charity was still around up
until the Japanese Occupation in 1937
and the dolls that the women made in that time are today regarded as highly
collectable commodities.
4
Shanghai Racecourse and Recreation Grounds
This 12-acre spread of lush green grass
is almost synonymous with foreign occupation of Shanghai. This reserve was used
exclusively by expatriate citizens to indulge their desire to see horseflesh
pounding along the turf at great speed. It quickly became the hub of social
activity in the International Settlement and generated much interest among the
Occidental and Oriental communities alike. The popularity of horseracing was
such that the Shanghai Racecourse was the third wealthiest foreign corporation
in the city.
While horses raced around the edge of the
green zone, other types of sports were undertaken within its compass: in 1863,
the Shanghai Cricket Club purchased land within the area to build a cricket
pitch. Polo and tennis were other favourites, along with rugby, soccer and hockey.
There was also a bridle path paralleling the racetrack, where taipans and ‘griffins’ could exercise
their horses.
Owning a horse, or an interest in a
horse, became an obsession for many Shanghailanders. Initially, horses were
imported from Arabia or Australia, but attention was soon focussed on shaggy Mongolian
ponies which, while less elegant in appearance, were tougher and of greater
endurance, thereby providing a better spectacle on the track.
The Shanghai Racecourse held two ten-day
festivals every year in Spring and Autumn. These were gala events in which huge
amounts of money passed hands and which were accompanied by lunches, fêtes and soirées. Banks and businesses closed every day at 11.00am during
the festivals, allowing their employees to attend. Until the end of World War
One, Chinese were forbidden within the Shanghai Racecourse but they were still
able to bet on the outcomes of the races through bookmaking venues and other
operators throughout the city.
5
Shanghai YMCA
“The Foreign YMCA should be
your downtown headquarters. They are ideally equipped to help you use your
spare time to its best advantage. Read their daily list of activities giving
the hours for tours, dancing lessons, lectures and all sorts of special
events.”
-Flying Tigers’ guidebook,
1945
The YMCA (Young Man’s Christian
Association) was begun in America in 1851; after being introduced into China in
1885, the Shanghai branch was established in 1900. Unlike most other missionary
societies, the YMCA’s focus was more upon education and physical fitness than
conversion and was held in higher regard by the laity as a result. Membership
of the ‘Y’ gave one the possibility of accommodation, food and companionship
across the planet and members of military, Christian and other organizations
were encouraged to join. At this time in Shanghai, the ‘Y’ is a compound of
rather cluttered but well-tended buildings; after 1933 and seven years of
building, an imposing multi-storey presence took over on this spot, ensuring
room for all comers.
The sister association of the YMCA, the
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was begun in Britain in 1855, came
to China in 1890 and set up a base in Shanghai in 1908. Like the YMCA their
focus was on education and they taught English and Chinese literacy, child
welfare, disease prevention, cooking, sewing and classes in Bible study. After
the Communist takeover and except for the duration of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the YWCA was the only foreign
agency allowed to operate within China.
6
Chang’an Temple - ‘The Temple of Tranquility’
Bubbling Well Road was so named because
of a mystical spring it led to, rumoured to have healing powers. The spring has
long since vanished but the temple that was established near it and looked
after its pilgrims, still stands and is the oldest religious building in
Shanghai.
Located about a mile west from the
Shanghai Racecourse, the Chang’an Temple was first constructed in 247 AD. Like
many Chinese temples it was rebuilt and renovated many times during its
existence, including being relocated from its original site near Soochow Creek
during the Song Dynasty in 1216 AD.
Major repairs were carried out in 1851 under the Manchu rule; it was converted
into a plastics factory under the Communists in 1953; restored as a temple in
1983 and again renovated in 1998. Between 2004 and 2007, two large extensions
were built on either side of the main gate, this work being funded by an
international bequest from Buddhist communities around the world.
The building has four halls: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of the Three Saints, the Hall of Virtuous Works and the Abbot’s Chambers. In each stage of its
construction, this basic format has been preserved. Among the Temple’s
treasures are a copper bell dating from the Ming
Dynasty, an ancient statue of Kwan-yin carved from camphor wood and the
world’s largest seated figure of the Buddha carved entirely from jade.
