La Villa Rouge of Shanghai

La Villa Rouge towers loftily over its green, sunny, lazy corner of the Xujiahui Park. Created by the EMI Record Company, this was also home to China's first record company. EMI arrived in Shanghai at the end of the nineteenth century, bringing with it its fashionable new gramophone. In 1921, EMI bought a lot at 1434 Xujiahui Lu (today's 811 Hengshan Lu), and established the "Eastern EMI Record Company", building Shanghai's first recording studio. For a while, this was also China's best recording studio. Today, the company's recording rules and regulations, inscribed in 1983, are framed on the wall of the building's first floor. Starting here, the symbol for Pathe-Marcont, EMI's French subsidiary, quickly spread throughout China and Southeast Asia. There is a record cutting machine at the doorway of the building's first floor. This is China's oldest phonograph.

La Villa Rouge, formerly a red building, is now painted grey, and it is both grand and refined. Nowadays, the building houses a French Restaurant with a Malaysian owner and a Japanese chef. The ownership wisely did not ignore the building's history when they designed the restaurant. If you come for dinner or just want to come in and relax for the evening, the restaurant plays records on its old gramophone, adding new layers to its rich atmosphere. La Villa Rouge serves a buffet and a la carte style entrees, and the chef focuses on innovative cuisine. Here you will sample entrees that cannot be found anywhere else.

Travel Information

Address:La Villa Rouge is located at 811 Hengshan Lu (inside the Xujiahui Park).

Telephone: 021-64316639

Hours of Operation: 11:00am to 2am. The polite service people at the door will let you look around, but photography is not allowed.