The century-old mansion of a shipping magnate is a tribute to patriotism

Editor’s note:

Rome was not built in a day. There was no Shanghai either. Once dubbed the “Paris of the East”, the city has evolved into a blend of multiculturalism. Along the way, Shanghai has amassed a repository of stories about the people and events that shaped its history. Five districts of the city take pride of place on this journey: People’s Square, Jing’an Temple, Xujiahui, Lujiazui and Xintiandi. Created in collaboration with the Shanghai Local Chronicle Library, this series visits them all to follow in the footsteps of time.

Built in the year of his death, Yingchuan Xiaozhu immediately stood out for its elegant combination of Chinese and Western architecture. The residence was carefully designed, with high brick walls and ornate mahogany beams. Its rooms were symmetrically arranged around open courtyards, creating a quiet oasis.

From the engraved scenes from the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the beams to the 12 carved flower panels symbolizing each month of the year, Yingchuan Xiaozhu has become an artistic work that reflects Chen’s cultural pride and refined taste.

He named the mansion after his ancestral home in Yingchuan district in central China’s Henan province, linking his heritage to a sense of heritage and family roots.

Chen’s path to becoming one of Shanghai’s most respected philanthropists was neither simple nor easy. He was born into a poor family and faced difficulties from an early age. Orphaned at a young age and raised by his brother, he worked as a dock worker before eventually getting into the then-bustling shipping industry.

Through tenacity and determination, he built a thriving shipping company that became a key figure in trade on the Huangpu River.

However, for him, the personal success of a merchant was not the end point. At every step of his journey, he remained deeply involved in the struggles of ordinary people, developing a deep understanding of the city’s growing need for health care and social infrastructure.

Perhaps his most significant contribution was the establishment of the first hospital in Pudong, now called Shanghai Oriental Hospital, to address the critical shortage of medical facilities in the area. During this period, many Pudong residents suffered from preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever. Shocked by the lack of medical care, Chen led a campaign to build a modern hospital.

His friend, the famous artist, poet and calligrapher Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), joined the cause, creating works of art to help raise funds for the medical facility.

Chen served as the hospital’s first director, overseeing its operations and ensuring that the hospital remained accessible to the common people.

His beloved home, Yingchuan Xiaozhu, was destroyed during the dark times of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in the late 1930s. During the Japanese occupation, it was turned into a military outpost and prison where resistance fighters were tortured and executed.

After World War II, with the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War, the mansion again became a site of persecution by the Kuomintang government. Communist martyr Li Bai (1910-49) was once held here.

Today, Yingchuan Xiaozhu is a symbol of the sacrifice of patriots who fought for the liberation of Shanghai and the independence of China. It is preserved as a protected heritage site and houses the Wu Changshu Memorial Hall.