A little bit of the glitz and glamour of Shanghai's famous nightlife past is returning thanks to the Paramount.
Located at the corner of Yuyuan and Wanhangdu roads in Jing'an District, the ballroom was once considered the best in the Far East before the country's liberation in 1949.
In present day, visitors will find the former haunt of the rich and famous has been returned to its former glory.
In September 2001, Taiwanese businessman Zhao Shichong invested some 25 million yuan (US$3 million) into the ballroom's restoration, aiming to revive its charm and to create an experience of the city's past in modern Shanghai.
"The Paramount was in the spot of the 1930s and 1940s and was a unique  showcase for the glamour of Shanghai," said Zhao, who personally took a hands-on approach to helping breathe glamour and color back into the landmark. "It left a legacy of famous people and stories in its wake."
Zhao said the ballroom had attracted a large contingent of VIPs, celebrities and members of the elite during its time. In 1936, Charlie Chaplin dropped in with his wife during a visit to the city.
Tao Weihong, one of those born into a celebrity family in the early 1920s, has witnessed the ups and downs of the Paramount over the past 60 years. Today, she cannot resist the temptation to dance at the Paramount as she did 60 years ago.
Dressed impeccably, the 79-year-old's eyes sparkle with excitement when she recalls the first time she went to the ballroom and experienced Shanghai's nightlife.
"The Paramount was the most luxurious ballroom of its kind in the city," she said. "The first time I went there was as a young girl in my twenties."
The glamour of the early 1940s filled her head and she soon began painting romantic images of that golden era. Its avant-garde architectural style, modern facilities, the old Shanghai ball songs and the Chinese jazz band led by Jimmy King are showcased in her paintings.
Tao said in 1931, Gu Liancheng, a Chinese merchant, spent nearly 700,000 liang of silver (equivalent to 35,000 kilograms) to open the facility as a casino. The exterior and interior of the hall were designed in art deco style, then the most fashionable style.
In those days, the Paramount was a place to socialize for the upper-class, especially those students attending Western schools who were strongly influenced by Western civilization. Tao was one of them.
"A gentleman coming here needed to equip himself with a business suit, a shirt and with all the necessaries befitting his social status," Tao said. "Of course, other accessories like a tie should not be neglected."
Ladies dressed themselves in elegant "qipaos," embodied by a classic pattern, exquisite cut and soft fabrics.
"The lifestyle among the upper-class at the time was exquisite and elegant," Tao said.
She said the ballroom of the second floor had a distinctive spring floor and the colorful lights always flashed to the rhythm of the music.
"Jin Ni was my favorite singer at that time," she said. "I have the same feeling today when I listen to these old songs."
She said Jimmy King's band contributed a lot to the Paramount's success, as jazz was the rage in the 1940s. Shanghai was the jazz capital of Asia.
During the Japanese occupation (1937-1945), the Paramount fell into a depression. It was reduced to a place where spies and traitors sought fun and made trouble.
In 1954, the building was changed into the Hong Du Cinema.
As reforms spurred growth in the 1990s, development swept into Shanghai. The Paramount, meanwhile, remained deserted.
Now, after a half-century's hiatus, a developer had arrived to revive the glory of the famous nightspot.
"Although half a century has passed, everything here seems familiar to me," Tao said. The "Walk Way style", the jazz band and the old Shanghai ball songs are all elements of the last century's flavor.
It remains a palace of nostalgia which older people enjoy as a place holding a treasury of memories.
Considering the diverse background of it customers, the Paramount now attracts young and old alike, experiencing the mood of the ballroom in its heyday.
With a total area of 3,500 square meters, the Paramount includes a ballroom on the second floor, another on the third floor and a Western-style restaurant on the fourth.
The fourth floor features golden armchairs where the audience can enjoy performances by professional dancers and singers from Ukraine as well as a tasty meal.