Shanghai is a city full of history. There are many old buildings here that are suitable for weekend check-ins. The Jinjiang Duchen Classic Shanghai New City Bund Hotel is one of them. The architectural style is unique and full of historical charm. Let’s take a look at what fun places there are here.
Jiangxi Middle Road and Fuzhou Road intersect to form a special intersection. At the four corners of the intersection, four historical buildings built in the 1920s and 1930s stand respectively, forming a street heart space with distinctive characteristics in the Shanghai urban historical district. Among them, two sister buildings with symmetrical layouts and basically identical facades are even more spectacular. Today, let’s learn about one of them – the Duchen Hotel (now known as the Jinjiang Duchen Classic Shanghai New City Bund Hotel).
The building itself
The Duchen Hotel is located on the northeast side of the intersection of Jiangxi Middle Road and Fuzhou Road. It was designed in 1929 and completed in 1934. It covers an area of 1331㎡, with a building area of 10540.2㎡. The steel frame structure system has 1 basement floor and 14 floors above ground, with a building height of 49.98m. The building’s eight floors and above step back in a stepped fashion to create a towering feeling; the exterior walls along the street on the first floor are made of granite, and the main entrance and the top floor, tower eaves, etc. have typical Art Deco patterns, making it a high-rise hotel building with early modern architectural style with Art Deco elements.
The building is one of the typical works of Gonghe Architects in Shanghai’s public concessions in the 20th century. Since its completion in 1934, it has been one of the tallest and most luxurious hotels in Shanghai at the time, once leading the way in “urban fashion”.
The building located at No. 180 Jiangxi Middle Road and the adjacent No. 170 Hamilton Building land both belonged to the Sassoon Group, a British company. The two buildings stand on either side of Fuzhou Road, they were built at the same time, with symmetrical layouts and identical facades. Together with the Construction Building and the former Public Works Bureau Building at the four corners of the same street corner, they each receded at the street corner, forming concave curved exterior walls and setting up corner main entrances. Through the joint enclosure of road space and building facades, they form a street heart space with distinctive characteristics, which is of great research value in Shanghai street history.
The building is an excellent example of the use of advanced structural systems, construction techniques and building materials at that time. The building was one of the first in Shanghai to use deep pile construction. Through effective control of the construction process, it did not affect the adjacent Jin Cheng Bank Building, and the construction of the building was completed in just one year; advanced all-steel structure system was adopted, the wall used the then domestic leading “gas mud brick” produced by the British-owned China Gas Mud Brick and Tile Company. It not only has the advantage of being lightweight, but its microporous structure also enhances the insulation and sound insulation performance of the wall.
Since its opening in 1935, the building has only been used for office purposes by the Shanghai Municipal Chemical Industry Bureau from 1958 to 1964. Otherwise, it has been used for hotel functions for a long time. In 1964, it resumed its hotel business and was managed by the Jinjiang Group. It has been renovated and repaired several times in 1988, 2000, and 2013-2016.
In 1994, the Duchen Hotel was designated as the second batch of excellent historical buildings in Shanghai.
Building restoration
After more than 80 years of use and renovation, the building has problems such as messy outdoor environment, missing architectural details on the exterior walls, outdated mechanical and electrical and fire systems, and its architectural function, decoration standards, facilities and equipment can no longer meet the needs of modern hotel use. Therefore, since 2013, the building has undergone a comprehensive renovation. During the renovation, the key protected areas are the overall environment of the building, the west and south facades and basic plane layout, the original basement bar room, the first floor lobby, lobby and first floor restaurant, the “Zilai Hall”, the original stairwell and fireplace, iron railings, etc. characteristic detailed decorations.
The distinctive Art Deco architectural exterior walls and interior decoration details are important components of the building’s most historical architectural charm. After several historical renovations, a large number of missing or altered elements have been formed. Through the analysis of historical materials and comparison with the existing samples of the sister building, the original Hamilton Building, the renovation and restoration design restored the original architectural details of the main parts of the facade, so that the building truly and completely presents a rich and beautiful historical image.
After protection and renovation, the Duchen Hotel retains and restores the original important spaces and characteristic decorations of the building, highlighting the building’s historical and cultural value, and overall enhances the safety and comfort performance of the classic historical hotel.
Building check-in points
1. Main entrance
The main entrance has three semi-circular arched recesses, decorated with individuality, reflecting the characteristics of the era, it is an important component of the first floor lobby space that carries historical memory.
2. Basement bar
The basement bar has red brick arched walls, embedded glass stained glass windows, solid wood beam frame walls, the style is simple and natural. It was once a public activity place with social fame in Shanghai. The bar counter, iron window, wall lamp, wine barrel and wall tiles are all original historical objects.
Opening hours
Address: No. 180 Jiangxi Middle Road, Shanghai
Opening hours: The hotel is open 24 hours a day.
Nearby check-in points
1. Shanghai Commercial Bank Building
Located in the Bund historical and cultural district, the Shanghai Commercial Bank Building is an excellent historical building in Shanghai. It is one of the early important works of Tonghe Architects in the Bund area of modern Shanghai. The building has been used as the office of Shanghai Commercial Bank, Shanghai Trust, and later as residential housing, business offices, etc.
Address: No. 190 Beijing East Road
Opening hours: The exterior of the building is open all day, and the interior is open according to the opening hours of the merchants.
2. Rockbund
Rockbund is located at the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Suzhou River, east of Yuanmingyuan Road and No. 33 Park Green Space, west of Huqiu Road, north of Suzhou River Road, and south of Beijing East Road. It consists of 11 historical protected buildings, 6 new buildings, and a complete public space. Currently, some areas have been opened, and in the first half of 2022, Rockbund will be fully opened, and is expected to become a new landmark of the Bund.
Address: Yuanmingyuan Road, Huangpu District
Opening hours: The exterior of the building is open all day, and the interior is open according to the opening hours of the merchants.
Recommended travel route
Ducheng Hotel → Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Building → Customs Building → Yifeng Building → Rockbund → Shanghai Postal Museum
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Trip Footsteps. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.tripfootsteps.com/travel-guides/china-travel-guides/8333.html
