Travel back in time in Art Deco Shanghai

By Explorer Lim Hui Sin

Fans of this elegant architectural style will descend on Shanghai in November when it hosts the World Congress on Art Deco. Said to be the Art Deco city of the world, a tour around Shanghai will reveal some of the city’s most distinctive and beautiful structures.

Many may be surprised to learn that Shanghai is home to more Art Deco buildings than any other city in the world. The architectural style swept through the city in the late 1920s and 1930s, thanks to Hungarian architect, Laszlo Hudec. His portfolio includes some 60 buildings, several of which still stand today. To fully appreciate the clean lines, sharp geometric shapes and smooth curves that are characteristic to Art Deco style, a canter through the older parts of the city will be a rewarding experience.

Since 1991, the World Congress on Art Deco has gathered design aficionados biannually for a week of talks and walks to celebrate the style’s many forms. From 1-6 November, Shanghai will have the honour of hosting this event.

Intrigued by the architectural style but can’t make the event and want to know more? Our list below will help you uncover Shanghai’s key Art Deco treasures.

Park Hotel

170 Nanjing West Road

Credit: Jin Jiang Park Hotel

At the time of its completion in 1934, the 22-storey Park Hotel was the tallest building outside of the US. Designed by Hudec himself, it overlooked the racecourse (now People’s Square) and, at close to 84m, remained the tallest building in Shanghai for half a century.

In 1933, a young architecture student passed the hotel and was so impressed and inspired that he mentioned the effect it had on him and his work in his memoir decades later. That young student was I.M Pei, whose iconic works, including the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, are now famous throughout the world.

1933

10 Shajing Road

Credit: 1933 Shanghai

Surprisingly, in spite of its Art Deco facade and stunning interior, upon this building’s completion in 1933, it first served as the largest slaughterhouse in the Far East. It was designed by English architects and built by a Chinese construction company using concrete imported from Britain. At the same time, Shanghai was relishing its position as one of the great metropolises of the world.

As the population of the city grew and its denizens became richer, they ate more meat, hence the need for an abattoir of such scale. It later served as a pharmaceutical factory through the 1970s right up to 2002, before its rebirth as a lifestyle hub. It now offers unique event spaces and hosts drama performances and exhibitions alongside restaurants and bars.

The main building’s original concrete finish and geometrical motif on the facade has been painstakingly restored to its full Art Deco grandeur. While this feature is eye-catching enough, it doesn’t quite prepare visitors for the interior.

On entering the space, the interplay of light and shadow adds drama to the sculpted ramps, criss-crossing sky bridges, spiral staircases and Gothic columns. The centrepiece is a theatre with a domed skylight and a polished glass stage in the middle that looks right down to the floors below. Just opposite sits an Art Deco building complete with a tall chimney that might have served as a substation once upon a time.

The  Bund

Zhongshan East 1st Road

Fairmont Peace Hotel. Credit: Fairmont Peace Hotel

Shanghai’s fabled waterfront known as The Bund is lined with grand monumental buildings in a variety of different architectural styles, running the gamut from Gothic to Neo-classical, Baroque, Romanesque and Renaissance. Fairmont Peace Hotel and The Peninsula Shanghai – which are both venues for the congress – are among those that have been identified as Art Deco structures.

The neighbourhood immediately west of the kilometre-long stretch of The Bundoffers several other Art Deco gems, too. Historic Shanghai organises Art Deco walks of the area where you can learn more.

Cathay Theatre

870 Huaihai Middle Road

Credit: Flickr

At the corner of Huaihai and Maomingroads stands the ever-popular Cathay Theatre. Its maiden screening took place on New Year’s Day back in 1932 and English-language films were shown in the theatre regularly up until 1949. Today, it remains a popular place for catching a film with friends. The well-preserved facade exhibits the beloved spare lines and symmetry of Art Deco style, which are also evident at the New Hengshan Cinema (838 Hengshan Road) and Grand Cinema (216 Nanjing Road).

Paramount Ballroom

218 Yuyuan Road

Credit: Flickr

Built in 1932, Paramount’s Chinese name, Bailemen, means door to a hundred pleasures. It sits at what was then the border of the International Settlement and the Chinese Quarters and first served as a casino before evolving into a dance hall later on. It’s a glittering jewel of a building when it’s lit up at night, with its bright lights giving it an almost quivering appearance.

In the past year, the historical nightclub has been shut for renovation and is slated to reopen in 2015 as a centre for jazz music, complete with a jazz club and music education facilities.