Among Shanghai’s downtown districts, Yangpu District has abundant and characteristic historic culture heritages, which date back to the city’s age of modern industrial civilization, modern university civilization, modern urban civilization and the Chinese revolutionary period.

In the late 19th century, Yangpu became the front runner of Shanghai and even the whole China in industrial development as the urbanization process continued. The Yangshupu Industrial Area developed along the Huangpu River for 15.5 kilometers and attracted many middle and big enterprises, which left a large number of factories, warehouses and docks along the river until today.

Jiangwan-Wujiaochang area in the district used to be the place for Shanghai to pursue a new dream: China’s first urban planning blueprint the “Great Shanghai Plan” was partially implemented in the district and left a group of architecture heritages such as the old Shanghai Municipal Government Building and Jiangwan Stadium.

Yangpu is also one of the places of Shanghai workers’ movement in revolutionary ages and a number of revolutionary leaders have left legacies in the district.

The former University of Shanghai, also known as Shanghai College Hujiang University, which was set up by the American Baptist Missionary Union, was founded in the district in 1906. Fudan, Tongji and other universities later moved in and expanded their campuses in the district. Now let’s tour the district.

Historic industrial legacies

In the territory of Shanghai, Yangpu is the earliest district to have modern industry and the district used to have the most modern industrial facilities. It is the cradle of modern Shanghai industry. The more than 100-year-old castle-style Yangshupu Water Plant building is one of the prominent industrial legacies.

 

Yangshupu Water Plant

 

The former site of “new plant” of Shanghai Municipal Council’s Electric Department

 

Shanghai Fuel Gas Company Yangshupu Plant’s former site

The ‘Great Shanghai Plan’ buildings

From the 1920s to 1930s, the “Great Shanghai Plan” constructed a group of buildings with both Chinese and Western features. These buildings were designed by renowned Chinese architect Dong Dayo. The current Shanghai municipal government regards the building group, including the former Shanghai Municipal Government Building, Jiangwan Stadium, the former Shanghai Library, the former Shanghai Museum, the former Shanghai Municipal Hospital and the former Shanghai Health Testing Institute, as Shanghai municipal level cultural and historic sites.

 

The former Shanghai Municipal Government Building

 

Jiangwan Stadium

The former Shanghai Library

The former Shanghai Museum

Revolutionary cultural relics

Yangpu used to have a large number of labor workers in relatively concentrated areas, so the Communist Party of China did a major organization of the workers’ movement in the district in the old China. Nowadays the Yangpu government has built a batch of revolutionary history museums and exhibition halls to protect revolutionary historic relics and educate the younger generations.

 

National Anthem Gallery

 

The former residence of Chen Wangdao

Ye’s Garden

Yangpu is the birthplace of modern Shanghai’s higher education and the top choice to build university campuses by modern Shanghai’s education and intellectual circles.

From the modern age, Yangpu gave birth to and still has the prominent Fudan University, Tongji University, University of Shanghai, also known as Shanghai College Hujiang University, which now is University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and other universities. So the district has profound historic legacies and education resources.

University of Shanghai (or Shanghai College Hujiang University)

Fudan University

Tongji University