Jing'an District 静安区

History

The district takes its name from Jing'an Temple (静安寺), which traces its origins to the Chiwu era of the Three Kingdoms state of Wu, when it was called Hudu Chongxuan Temple (沪渎重玄寺). It took the name Jing'an in 1008 and in 1216 moved from the bank of the Wusong River (吴淞江) to its present site on today's Nanjing West Road, earlier than the founding of the city of Shanghai. The district itself was created in 1945 and named after the temple. According to the Shanghai government, China's first operating railway and first tram both started within today's district.

Two national events are tied to buildings here. The Second National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party met from 16 to 23 July 1922 in a 1915 shikumen house that was then the home of Li Da (李达); the site became a national key cultural relics site in 2013. From 26 October to 1 November 1937, Chinese soldiers remembered as the "Eight Hundred Heroes" held Sihang Warehouse (四行仓库) on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek, a defence whose end marked the close of the Battle of Shanghai. The warehouse is now a national key cultural relics site with a memorial museum in its western part.

What to see

Jing'an Temple is laid out with the temple halls in front and a pagoda behind, around three main buildings: the Mahavira Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Hall of Three Saints. In the Nanjing West Road area are the Paramount (百乐门), a dance hall built in 1932; Zhangyuan (张园), a garden redesigned in 1892 where Shanghai's first electric light and first bicycle are said to have appeared; and Changde Apartments (常德公寓), where the writer Eileen Chang (张爱玲) lived for about five years. The Shanghai Exhibition Centre (上海展览中心) was completed in 1955 as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Building on the former private garden of Silas Hardoon (哈同). Shaanxi North Road (陕西北路) is listed as a Chinese historic and cultural street.

The Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆) stands inside Jing'an Sculpture Park (静安雕塑公园), described as the only park in central Shanghai devoted to sculpture. The Shanghai Railway Museum stands on the site of the 1909 Shanghai station of the Shanghai–Nanjing railway, the old North Station. The Yuanli Pawnshop (元利当铺), built in 1932 on Wuding Road (武定路), is described as the largest and best-preserved castle-style pawnshop left in Shanghai.

Highlights

• Jing'an Temple 静安寺: Named Jing'an in 1008 and moved to its present site in 1216; the district is named after it.
• Sihang Warehouse 四行仓库: Held by the "Eight Hundred Heroes" from 26 October to 1 November 1937 on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek.
• Site of the Second National Congress of the CPC 中共二大会址: 1915 shikumen house where the congress met in July 1922; national key cultural relics site since 2013.
• Shanghai Exhibition Centre 上海展览中心: Completed in 1955 as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Building on the site of Hardoon's garden.
• Shanghai Natural History Museum 上海自然博物馆: A branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum inside Jing'an Sculpture Park.