Little White House
(JOSHUA SHI)
07/19/2002
Walking down Fenyang Lu, formerly Route Pichon, from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, your average out-of-the-towner might marvel at the white building for its style and magnificence.Shanghainese living nearby call it "the Little White House" because of its resemblance to the presidential palace in Washington, DC. It was one of the most opulent houses in the French Concession. It was home to a high-ranking official of the French Municipality, which ruled Frenchtown. When it was completed in 1905, only three years after Route Pichon was paved out of paddy fields, the surrounding area was rather quiet. Why the did French authorities chose to build this residence in such a remote and out-of-the way location? One reason is that the French preferred to live in a quiet place. Also, the French authorities wanted to expand their concession. They bought patches of land outside the concession, and built houses. Later they would use whatever methods to encroach on Chinese land. A famous example of Chinese people's resistance against the French encroachment was the case of the Ningbo Guild. In 1898, the French even landed some men from the one of the men-of-war in the harbour. The walls of the cemetery were demolished. This resulted in a riot, which was sternly quelled, with a Chinese shot dead and several seriously injured. Angry Chinese burnt down the residence of the French who fired the bullet. Route Pichon was midway between the French Concession and the Catholic centre of Siccawei, now spelt Xujiahui. In 1914, Route Pichon was finally included in the French Concession. The residence was like a castle in the late French renaissance style. A Kuomintang general later bought it. After Liberation, it was home to Mayor Chen Yi for nearly 10 years. Later it housed the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Research Institute. Recently it has been changed into a ritzy restaurant serving high-end Korean food.
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