Shanghai Wukang Road
In Shanghai, 64 roads are not allowed to be broadened. Among these 64 roads, Wukang Road, originally Route Ferguson, is the most special one. It's the north and south link two Shanghai’s two most prosperous avenues. However, Wukang Road is extraordinarily featured with its unique mystery and tranquility. Walking on Wukang Road, different from the bustle and hustle of the outside world, all you feel is quiet from the heart.
Architectural styles on this road are various, but all European styles, including Mediterranean style, English style, French Renaissance style, and so on.
Some buildings are open to the public, like the Former Residence of a famous writer, Bajin (1904-2005), at No.113, and the former residence of Song Qingling, and so on. However, some are forbidden to enter.
There are many specialty shops and restaurants on this road. Visitors can have a taste of Thai Food, Chinese Food, Western Food, and so on.
In 2011, Wukang Road was recognized as one of the National Historic and Cultural Streets of China.
Notable Buildings
Located in Xuhui District, Shanghai, Wukang Road is a 1.71 km historic road. It is not long but lined with 37 officially protected historic buildings and famous for the location of many celebrities’ former residences and old trees. It takes about 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other. Each house shows its stories and history.
Wukang Mansion, the most famous building at the southern end of Wukang Road, was designed by the well-known architect Hudec in the French Renaissance style, shaped like a giant vessel about to leave the port. It was finished in 1924.
Song Qingling, the wife of President Sun Yat-sen, lived at the end of the road across Huaihai Road. Now, her home is open to the public as the Song Qingling Memorial Residence.
The former residence of the famous writer Ba Jin(1904–2005) at No. 113 was originally built in 1923 in Spanish style. Ba Jin lived there from 1955. The residence was opened to the public in December 2011.
The former residence of Huang Xing at NO.393 of Wukang Road is a Tourist Information Center and the Xuhui Historical Building Art Center that provides self-guided walking tours.
Politicians like Huang Xing and Tang Shaoyi; business leaders like Dong Zhujun, Steel Magnate Zhu Hengqing, Flour King Sun Duosan and Sun Duoxin; Film stars Sun Daolin, Zhao Dan had lived in Wukang Road for many years.
History
The original name of Wukang Road is Route Ferguson, which was in honor of the first builder of this road, John Calvin Ferguson who was an American educator and president of Nanyang Public School, the predecessor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. To make it easier for students and his colleagues to go to school, he used his own salary to build this road in 1897.
It was broadened and paved by the government of the French Concession.
It was renamed Wukang Road in 1943.
Nearby Attraction
Shanghai Yang Peiming Propaganda Poster Art Center
Propaganda Poster Art Center shows hundreds and thousands of original posters of China from the Mao Zedong period, especially the Cultural Revolution period. The gallery ceilings are decorated with cracks and spider webs. The posters are filled with joyful soldiers, chubby children, and happy ruddy-faced peasants in the field with an abundance of food in their baskets. At the end of the tour, there is a little museum gift shop where visitors may purchase various originals and replicas.
The center is in the basement of a high-rise residential building on Huashan Road facing Wukang Road.
Location:
Wukang Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
How to Get There?
Wukang Road is not far from the CBD in Shanghai. Getting from the CBD to Wukang Road takes about 30 minutes by taxi or private vehicle. You can also take subway line 10 to Communication University and then walk about 10 minutes to Wukang Road
Ticket Price:
free
Opening Hours:
all-day