Historical landmark of the birth of the Party

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

Memorial of the Central Bureau of the Communist Party of China after the Third National Congress of CPC

Address: 118 Zhejiang Rd N.

The Party’s Third National Congress was held in June 1923 in the southern capital of Guangzhou. After that event, the Party moved back to Shanghai, setting up headquarters in a building on today’s Linshan Road. 

The Party falsely claimed the building was used as offices for a taxation company to camouflage its real work. There, senior Party officials held meetings and made important decisions. The building was demolished during the Songhu Battle in 1932 during the World War II. 

Today’s memorial is housed in an historical building on Zhejiang Road N.

 In late June, the 1,100-square-meter memorial was turned into an immersive theater set against the backdrop of 1923 Shanghai. 

Primary school students and their parents visiting the site were given clues for a secret mission as part of an interactive experience with a period when revolutionaries risked their lives in clandestine activities. 

“Today’s memorials and museums should not only draw people through the door but also let them experience the past,” said Ma Jingran, director of the district’s history archive. “We hope the spirit we want to convey will be rooted in their hearts.” 

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial 

Address: 21 Guangfu Rd

This venue along Suzhou Creek was originally built as a storage facility for banks, but Japanese invaders requisitioned it as a military headquarters during their occupation of Shanghai in World War II. 

Around the warehouse, Chinese and Japanese soldiers engaged in a fierce four-day battle in 1937. It was one of the bloodiest campaigns in Shanghai wartime. Bullet holes can still be seen in the walls.

The battle is “re-enacted” through audio effects and 3D holographic projection. 

Visitors can stand among bronze statues of soldiers and listen to Colonel Xie Jinyuan talking. They can also experience the sensations of “stout resistance” and “raging flames” outside the warehouse.

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

Memorial of National Labor Union Secretariat  

Address: No. 3, 5, 7, 893 Chengdu Rd N.

The National Labor Union Secretariat was set up in August 1921 in a building close to a cluster of factories. 

At that time, labor organizations were largely fragmented and workers were mostly grouped according to home provinces.

 The National Labor Union Secretariat was set up to unite them all. 

It organized unions of workers from the tobacco, machine manufacturing, printing, textile and postal service industries by the end of June 1922. 

It was also actively involved in general strikes, encouraging workers to participate in revolutionary activities. 

The secretariat was forced to close by concession authorities in July 1922. Headquarters were moved to Beijing, with a branch set up in Shanghai.