Anecdotes of Former Residences of Celebrities in Shanghai

“Anecdotes of Former Residences of Celebrities in Shanghai” refers to modern figures, places and historical events and legends after the opening of Shanghai as a commercial port, with former residences of celebrities as the carrier and historical time as the background. In 2007, “Anecdotes of Former Residences of Celebrities in Shanghai” was listed by Shanghai Municipal Government in the list of the first batch of City-level Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shanghai. Tianping Sub-district and Hunan Sub-district in Xuhui District are famous historical and cultural regions in Shanghai. After Shanghai was opened as a commercial port, the French Concession was set up here, where there were garden residences of various architectural styles and historical figures of various social strata in modern Shanghai. It was a microcosm of over 100 years’ history of Shanghai, with strong historical and cultural atmosphere, thus giving birth to anecdotes of former residences of celebrities in Shanghai. Most of the anecdotes were passed from mouth to mouth, with distinct imprint of the times and local specialties. The anecdotes range from the opening of Shanghai as a commercial port to the Anti-Japanese War and the KMT-CPC Civil War and to the founding and construction of the People’s Republic of China, including celebrities in modern Shanghai and historical events, such as patriots and the proletariat committed to saving the nation, and national capitalists who launched the industrial movement. Reflecting the history of opening and development of modern Shanghai, it witnesses over 100 years’ civilization and urban development of modern Shanghai, and is a vivid portrayal of the society of modern Shanghai and even the whole country.