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Duolun Road (simplified Chinese:多伦路;traditional Chinese:多倫路;pinyin:Duōlún Lù;Shanghainese:Dulen Lu), formerlyDarroch Road (窦乐安路;竇樂安路), is a historic street inHongkou District,Shanghai, China.[1]
Laid in 1911, the road is 550 metres long. Both ends of the L-shaped road join toNorth Sichuan Road nearLu Xun Park andHongkou Stadium. The road is today reconstructed as apedestrian street.
Darroch (Duolun) Road was built by theShanghai Municipal Council, the municipal authority of theShanghai International Settlement. It was an "extra-settlement road" (Chinese:越界筑路), built outside the boundaries of the International Settlement, but over which the Settlement authorities had extraterritorial jurisdiction. It was named after John Darroch, aBritish missionary to China who had been received by theGuangxu Emperor of theQing Dynasty. A primarily residential street, the golden age of the road was in the 1920s and 30s, when it attracted writers and other prominent residents, giving it a reputation as a vibrant centre of thought and literature.
In 1943, during theSecond Sino-Japanese War, the puppet government collaborating with theJapanese occupation changed the road name to "Duolun", after a county inInner Mongolia. It became an ordinary residential street, until a revived interest inRepublican-era history led at the end of the 20th century to it becoming a popular tourist and shopping destination, and the closure of the street to traffic.[2]
In the early 20th century, many writers and celebrities lived in the area around Darroch Road. Among them were famous writers, namelyLu Xun,Guo Moruo,Mao Dun,Ye Shengtao, andWang Zaoshi, as well as members of the influentialLeague of Left-Wing Writers includingDing Ling,Sha Ding andQu Qiubai. The League itself was founded on Darroch Road. High-ranking political and military leadersH. H. Kung,Bai Chongxi,Tang Enbo andChen Yi also lived there.
Duolun Road is representative of the historic architecture of the 20th century in Shanghai. A number of larger private residences were initially built by Chinese industrialists, and many were later purchased by political and military personalities. Prominent private residences include theIslamic-style influenced former residence ofH.H. Kung; No. 210, which was for a time the home ofBai Chongxi (andPai Hsien-yung); and theFrenchneoclassical former residence ofTang Enbo.
Fitch Memorial Church (called "Hongde Tang" (鸿德堂) in Chinese), named after George Field Fitch (費啟鴻) is a unique mixture of Chinese and western architectural styles, the only such mixed-style church to survive in Shanghai. The former campus of China Art University (中华艺术大学), in traditional style, was also where theLeague of Left-Wing Writers was founded. In the surrounding blocks, there is a well-preserved area of denselilong housing (including bothShikumen and newer styles), showcasing the typical urban texture of Shanghai-style residential architecture.
In order to counter degrading infrastructures and to rejuvenate the area, the local government launched a project of regeneration at the end of the century. A project began in 1998 to conserve and restore the historic buildings and turn them into museums, galleries, cafes or craft shops. In the project the local infrastructure was upgraded and new cultural elements such as street sculptures were added to the new pedestrian street. The sites of important historical events and residences of prominent historical people would be made more accessible and open to the public. A museum ofmodern art (Duolun MOMA) was also part of the project. Pedestrianisation was completed in 1999.
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31°15′43″N121°28′56″E / 31.2620°N 121.4823°E /31.2620; 121.4823
