Take a stroll in the footsteps of a renowned writer
Lu Xun, whose real name was Zhou Shuren, is hailed as a leading figure of modern Chinese literature.
Lu Xun (1881-1936), the "father of modern Chinese literature," spent the last decade of his life in Shanghai's Hongkou District, during which time many of his important literary pieces were published and he helped shape modern Chinese culture.
People can now follow a 1,000-meter-long "Lu Xun Trail," which includes his former residences and the sites he often visited, to relive his legacy.
"The Lu Xun Trail" unveiled by Hongkou District government
1. Jing Yun Li (景云里 )
Address: 35 Hengbang Road
Lu Xun lived in a typical shikumen (stone-gate house) building in the lane with his wife Xu Guangping when they first visited Shanghai in 1927. Their only son Zhou Haiying was born there in 1929.
Apart from Lu, other celebrated Chinese writers and scholars who lived in the lane included Chen Wangdao (1891-1977), Mao Dun (1896-1981), Ye Shengtao (1894-1988) and Rou Shi (1902-1931).
The memorial site of the founding of the League of the Left-Wing Writers.
2. The Memorial of League of the Left-Wing Writers (Zuolian) (左联会址纪念馆)
Address: No.2 building, Lane 201 Duolun Road
Passionate young Chinese authors founded the league some nine decades ago to fight against Kuomintang repression at home amid a worsening international situation. Led by Lu, the league created a body of influential literary works, which still inspire people today.
The former residence of Lu Xun at Continental Terrace on Shanyin Road.
3. Former residence of Lu Xun (Continental Terrace) (鲁迅故居(大陆新村))
Address: No.9 building, Lane 132 Shanyin Road
Lu lived in the apartment at Continental Terrace between 1933 and 1936 with his wife Xu Guangping and son Zhou Haiying. He wrote many influential essays in the three-story apartment, as well as meeting Communist Party leader Qu Qiubai (1899-1935) and other left-wing writers.
4. Ramos Apartments (Beichuan Apartments) (拉摩斯公寓(北川公寓))
Address: 2079-2099 Sichuan Road N.
Lu lived in an apartment on the third floor and wrote more than 170 influential essays. The five-story building is well-preserved and its modern decoration style on the facade and stairway has been kept intact. It is listed as a protected historic building of Shanghai.
The renovated Ramos Apartments
5. Uchiyama Bookshop (内山书店)
Address: 2050 Sichuan Road N.
Three days after moving to Shanghai in 1927, Lu visited the Uchiyama Bookstore near his home. The shop became a favorite hangout for Lu and other left-wing intellectuals. He purchased more than 1,000 books in over 500 visits to the bookstore. It has reopened as "1927 Lu Xun and Uchiyama Memorial Bookstore."
(Click here to see the earlier story: Enduring friends: the 'saint of modern China' and a Japanese bibliophile)
The bookshop at the heart of the Lu Xun-Uchiyama friendship is in Hongkou District.
6. Duolun Culture and Art Space (多伦文化艺术空间)
Address: 251 Duolun Road
The cultural space features a café, book club and a theater. Dramas, lectures and performances are being held at the site regularly to restore the literature and art ambiance of the historic road, where many renowned writers like Lu (1881-1936), Mao Dun (1896-1981) and Xia Yan (1900-1995) often visited.
7. Former site of Woodcut Training Sessions (木刻讲习所旧址)
Address: 319 Changchun Road
Lu opened a lecture and training class on woodcut prints between August 17 and 22, 1931 to promote the inspiring woodcut paintings among the public. He invited the brother of Kanzo Uchiyama to be the teacher, while he served as an interpreter for him. Though there were only 13 students to the class, it greatly promoted woodcut art across the country.
8. Former site of Lu Xun's book storage (鲁迅存书室旧址)
Address: No.2 building, 1359 Liyang Road
Lu rented the apartment with the help of Kanzo Uchiyama to store his books and letters to escape searches by the Kuomintang. He stored 6,888 books in March 1933, including some manuscripts of Communist Party leader Qu Qiubai (1899-1935) and left-wing writer Rou Shi (1902-1931). Xu Guangping, Lu's wife, transferred the books to the former residence of Lu in Beijing after his death.
The stage drama "One night in a Café," written by Tian Han, who wrote the lyrics of China's national anthem, is performed at a historical café on Duolun Road.
