Shanghai Art Deco

02/03/2026

This Saturday, Historic Shanghai’s doing a walk through the life and times of beloved Shanghai writer Eileen Chang 张爱玲.

She captured the city like no other - AND she lived and wrote for a time, at Eddington House, the Art Deco beauty on Changde (Hart) Road.

Feast your eyes on this ode to the Eddington -and come along on Saturday to see the Eddington (and other beauties) and hear more of Chang’s story.

Saturday March 7, 10am
Eileen Chang’s Shanghai
RMB 300 members, 400 nonmembers

To book: https://jinshuju.com/f/v4n9SN

26/02/2026

Is there a street with more than Changle Lu/Rue Bourgeat? Please enjoy our small sampling from a couple of blocks - and come see it in person, on Sunday!

Sunday March 1, 2pm
Lane Life, Art Deco, and the Ghosts of Rue Bourgeat (Changle Lu)
RMB 200 members, 300 nonmembers

To book: https://jinshuju.com/f/v4n9SN
Or email [email protected]

10/02/2026

This Sunday! Come explore the rare sight of Shanghai’s Art Deco, undressed!

We love the plane trees, really we do—but most of the year, their lush leaves hide the details and delights of Shanghai’s Art Deco buildings.

NOW, when the leaves are off the trees, is a window of opportunity for a rare unobstructed view of the city’s glorious Art Deco buildings, to see them as their architects meant for them to be seen: all the delicious details, surprising shapes, and hidden histories that peep coyly behind the foliage the rest of the year.

It's not just the stunning architecture, either: it’s the stories behind the buildings, stories deeply rooted in Shanghai’s history, its evolution, its very character.

This walk will take us to one of the city’s richest caches of Art Deco, in the heart of the former French Concession: we’ll stroll these historic streets, duck into lanes, share Shanghai’s Art Deco story, and the lore and legend behind these gorgeous buildings that define Shanghai’s signature style.

Join us and take advantage of Shanghai’s brief season of bare branches!

Sunday February 15, 2pm
ART DECO UNDRESSED French Concession edition
RMB 200 members, 300 nonmembers

To book: https://jinshuju.com/f/nVgfBo

17/01/2026

In 2026, Shanghai celebrates 100 years of Art Deco: it was February 1926 when the Art Deco ballroom of the the Cercle Sportif Français opened its doors, and Shanghai got its first taste of the Art Deco style that would come to define this city and become its signature.

We celebrated 100 years of Art Deco the best way we know how—with an infiltration of that iconic ballroom! And then we took a walk around the neighborhood to infiltrate, er, see, some other Shanghai Art Deco classics: long may they survive!

16/01/2026

Happy birthday, Poy Gum Lee - one of our favorite Shanghai Art Deco architects.

12/01/2026

Shanghai Art Deco turns 100 this year—the new modern style arrived at the Cercle Sportif Français in February 1926.

In honor of this momentous occasion, let’s bust some persistent myths about the city’s signature style, shall we?

https://historicshanghai.substack.com/p/shanghai-art-deco-mythbusters

04/12/2025

For December, it’s a snowy edition of the immensely talented Robert Fan’s Yafa Apartments.

02/12/2025

It may be December, but those are some autumn vibes around the Park Hotel, which opened this month back in 1934, designed by the mighty and much beloved Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec.

15/09/2025

A pioneer of Shanghai’s Art Deco, too. Rest in peace, Tess, and thank you.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Tess Johnston, our beloved friend, mentor, and co-founder.

Tess pioneered the study of pre-1949 Shanghai, beginning at a time when the city’s historic buildings and their stories were ignored, and continuing for over 35 years. Her books and talks preserved the historic city before it changed beyond recognition and captured its stories, and she generously shared her knowledge with a generation of writers, scholars, and Shanghailanders.

Her groundbreaking work was a labor of deep love for the city, and continues to resonate for of all of us who love and explore Old Shanghai.

Farewell, Tess, and thank you with all our hearts.

For more on Tess, her story and her contributions: https://www.historic-shanghai.com/tess-johnston-shanghais-preservation-pioneer/

Frank Langfitt's exit interview as she prepared to leave Shanghai in 2016 is a classic: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/04/07/472258492/after-decades-a-shanghai-preservationist-heads-home-to-america