After 709 days of comprehensive redevelopment by Vanke, the urban renewal project Shangsheng · Xinsuo has unveiled the mystery of this area. The Shangsheng · Xinsuo project comprises three historic buildings, 11 industrial renovation buildings spanning the history of New China, and four distinctive contemporary buildings, including the Sun Ke Villa and the Columbia Country Club.
This place is truly a newly created Instagram-worthy hotspot where everything seems designed for photography. Beyond strolling and taking photos, it offers a variety of great food and drink spots, a beautiful bookstore, and an exhibition space, making it a perfect check-in destination. The only downside is that large groups of older ladies often come to take photos, occupying significant areas for extended periods.
Below is a brief history of this place:
In 1924, Puyi Real Estate purchased over one hundred mu of farmland from the government and carried out unified development around Anhesi Road (now Xinhua Road) and Columbia Road (now Panyu Road), naming the project Columbia Circle.
In 1925, following the completion of the American Columbia Country Club, which featured numerous recreational facilities such as golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts, and squash courts, it became a suburban gathering and entertainment venue for American expatriates in Shanghai, introducing the American country lifestyle to China.
In 1928, László Hudec, Shanghai’s most renowned Hungarian architect, served as the chief designer of Columbia Circle. He designed residences here in various styles—including British, American, Dutch, Italian, and Spanish—which were considered the essence of the Columbia Residential Circle. He also built his own villa and garden here.
In 1932, when Hudec encountered difficulties during the Moore Memorial Church project, Sun Ke, the only son of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, helped him overcome the crisis. Hudec later transferred his villa to Sun Ke. From 1932 to 1948, whenever Sun Ke returned to Shanghai, he stayed at this villa, which later became known as the Sun Ke Villa.
After the founding of New China, in 1953, this area was allocated to the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products (abbreviated as “Shangshengsuo”). The Columbia Country Club and the Sun Ke Villa were converted into factory workshops and office buildings, respectively. Subsequently, additional industrial structures were built in the area, including R&D buildings, canteens, warehouses, and a Bauhaus-style MMR vaccine production building designed by Guo Bo.
Over decades of development, the Shangshengsuo facilities and equipment were continuously updated and expanded. Today, new office buildings and pharmaceutical research bases have been established in other parts of Shanghai, leaving this historically significant area nestled among the architectural clusters along Xinhua Road. In 2016, a comprehensive handover of the site took place between the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products and Shanghai Vanke. Shanghai Vanke officially took over the campus, partnering with world-class architectural firm OMA and top landscape design firm WEST8 to carry out overall renovation and operations.
The entrance is located on West Yan’an Road, just a short walk east from Dingxi Road; the surrounding areas are still under construction.
The former Columbia Country Club—the architecture remains stunning.
The Instagram-famous swimming pool, surrounded by eateries on all sides~~
Blackbird
Seesaw
Daocheng Bookstore
The current exhibition is the Wave Healing Festival, featuring the Mainland China premiere of the Museum of Broken Relationships from Croatia.
Photos in this post taken with SONY A5100 + 16-50 f3.5-5.6, post-processed in Lightroom.
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