Political and business luminaries once hung their hats here

Editor’s note:

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Shanghai. Once dubbed "the Paris of the East,” the city has evolved into a fusion of multiculturalism. Along the way, Shanghai has accumulated a repository of stories about the people and events that have shaped its history. Five areas of the city occupy pride of place in that journey: People’s Square, Jing’an Temple, Xujiahui, Lujiazui and Xintiandi. This series, a collaboration with Shanghai Local Chronicles Library, visits them all to follow in the footsteps of time.

Plane tree-flanked Nanchang Road in downtown Shanghai was once the address of many influential political leaders and business pioneers. They left a lasting legacy.

Among the political luminaries was Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China. Sun and wife Soong Ching Ling lived at 59 Nanchang Road as a temporary residence for more than three years after they returned to Shanghai from Japan in May 1916.

Sun also used this address for important political meetings. Photographs from that period show Sun in front of the house with colleagues such as military general Chen Jiongming and revolutionary author Zhu Zhixin.

The original house is long demolished, and the site now hosts the Shanghai Science Hall.

In January 1920, Sun moved to 7 Xiangshan Road, a block away from his Nanchang Road residence. The European-style villa there was his last residence in the city and has been preserved. While living there, Sun met there with Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, co-founders of the Communist Party of China.

After Sun died in 1925, his wife remained at the address until 1937.

Today, this historical venue has been turned into a museum honoring Sun.

Another notable was Yang Hucheng, who lived briefly at 65 Nanchang Road in 1937 before going into exile.

In 1936, he was one of two Kuomintang generals who engineered the kidnapping of then Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek and placed him under house arrest, hoping to force him to change his policies. What came to be known as the Xi’an Incident did succeed in temporarily ending the Chinese civil war, allowing the nation to unite against Japan’s aggression.

Another key figure associated with the road was the revolutionary leader Chen Qimei, who lived at 100 Nanchang Road. Chen, a close ally of Sun, played a crucial role in founding the Chinese Revolutionary Party, the predecessor of the Kuomintang.

Chen was deeply involved in early nationalist efforts. His assassination at his residence in 1916 shocked the nation.

Prominent business leaders who contributed to Shanghai’s industrial development also called Nanchang Road home.

One of them was Wu Yunchu, known as the “MSG king” for founding China’s first factory to produce monosodium glutamate, a food flavoring.

An advocate of national self-sufficiency, he focused on developing chemical-related industries rather than relying on foreign imports.

Another notable business figure who lived on the road was Wang Xiaolai, the chairman of the National Chamber of Commerce during the Republic of China (1912-1949) era.

Wang, who resided at 212 Nanchang Road for three decades, was a strong advocate for the development of Chinese-owned businesses and worked to strengthen national industries.

During the early years of the Republic of China, he played a vital role in shaping economic policies and organizing the business sector, especially during politically turbulent times.

Wang Yansong, another key industrialist, also lived on the road. Wang’s contributions to Shanghai’s silk and textile industries helped cement the city’s status as a commercial hub and left a lasting legacy in its industrial history.

Many of the old historical houses along Nanchang Road have been preserved as cultural landmarks. Some have been transformed into museums or memorial sites; others continue to function as private residences.