North Shaanxi Road, built in 1914 and known as Seymour Road back then, is one of Shanghai’s best cultural and historic streets and boasts 21 listed historic buildings and residences of former celebrities. Like the famous Duolun and Wukang roads, North Shaanxi Road is one of the city's prime historical treasures. Today, close to the golden commercial triangle formed by MeiLongZhen Plaza, CITIC Pacific Plaza and Plaza 66, it is also a street embellished with various kinds of trendy and exquisite boutiques, restaurants and cafes.

Let’s first check out the historic buildings there!

Prada Rong Zhai

No.186 Shaanxi Road North

This attractive standalone garden villa is the former residence of Rong Zongjing, one of the most successful capitalists in China in the Republic of China era, who was dubbed "The King of Flour". This well-preserved villa, now valued at over 1 billion RMB, served as Rupert Murdoch's Shanghai office for News Corp before the lease ended in 2011. Later, Italian luxury brand Prada rented it and reopened it as a showroom, gallery and events space in October 2017, after 6 years’ renovation. Now it is open to the public.

The Soong family residence

No. 369 North Shaanxi Road

Built in 1908, this two-story English-style garden villa was purchased by the Soong family in 1918. The Soong family, the most influential family in China in the early 20th century, moved into the house in 1918. It was in this building that the wedding ceremony of Soong Mei-ling, the fourth of six children of Charlie Soong, and Chiang Kai-shek, the famed Kuomintang leader, was held. In 2003, it became a venue for charity and welfare group meetings and was listed as a historical building of Shanghai in 2005. It is now managed by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. It is a pity that it is not open to the public for visit.

Former residence of Sir Robert Ho Tung

No.457 North Shaanxi Road

The elegant Terrace House is the former residence of the influential Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist Sir Robert Ho Tung, who bought the land here in 1926. Sir Robert was a very large shareholder in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company and other big concerns. In 2004 the house became a business center. Now it is the home of the Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House.

The Ohel Rachel Synagogue

No.500 Shaanxi Road North

The Ohel Rachel Synagogue was built in 1920, and in the 1930s and 1940s was a refuge for Jews who flocked to China in order to escape persecution in Europe. In 1993, Shanghai declared Ohel Rachel a historic landmark and the building functioned as offices and storage for the Communist Party Youth League for another five years. It is now under management of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. 　

The Tsung The Girls' Middle School

No.461 Shaanxi Road North

The garden villa of the Tsung The Girls' Middle School was built in 1905, where legendary actress Ruan Lingyu and the sister of Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei studied. The school moved to Shaanxi Road in 1940 and today the site holds Qiyi High School.