Former Site of T’ou-Sè-Wè Orphanage

Catholic Historic Buildings in Xujiahui。 Located at No.55 Puhuitang Road, it was built in 1864. The existing building has three floors, with a brick-and-wood structure. It is 16 rooms wide, with a stairwell at both east and west ends. In 1855, Catholic priest Louis Sica founded the orphanage in Hengtang, Qingpu. The orphanage was later moved to Caijiawan, Xixiang. In 1860, some of the orphans moved to Dongjiadu in south Shanghai. In 1864, the orphanage was moved to T’ou-Sè-Wè, Zi-Ka-Wei. Since the orphanage focused on handicraft, it was also called T’ou-Sè-Wè Orphanage Handicraft Workshop. Having schools and a variety of workshops, it was known as China's first vocational school. In 1953, it was taken over by Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. During the Public-Private Partnership Movement in 1956, its workshops were incorporated into related sectors. Around 1960, the movement came to an end. The Former Site of T’ou-Sè-Wè Orphanage was announced by Shanghai Municipal People's Government as Shanghai Municipality Cultural Relics Protection Unit on April 4, 2014.