Shanghai Museum of Arts And Crafts

Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum is an art museum located in Xuhui District, Shanghai. It was established in October 2002 and covers an area of 5,642 square meters. The building was originally the residence of the Director of the French Concession Chamber of Industry Mansion.

This residence is in the middle of a large courtyard surrounded by high walls. Tall trees form an effective second wall in the courtyard interior. When you walk onto the property you will be able to see a small ribbon-like stream. It is said that when the courtyard was built, there was a Venetian statue sitting in the stream, but sadly, after the Cultural Revolution, all traces of the statue have disappeared. Built in 1905, this refined and secluded house was originally the residence of the French Concession's Chamber of Industry Director. Sitting on the green lawn, this white palatial structure looks a lot like the White House in Wash-ington, DC. Many locals like to refer to it as the "Little White House".

The high-powered general director's mansion was constructed on Fenyang Lu, originally known as Route Pichon. Route Pichon was a one kilometer long road situ-ated in what was then a remote stretch of Shanghai. Surrounded on all sides by farm houses and intersecting stretches of farm-land and rivers, this was not where the ac-tion was, and indeed, the mansion was supposedly situated here in order to help the general director find some peace and quiet outside the bustling streets of urban Shanghai. It was also said that the director feared trouble in the French Concession, and hid here in Shanghai's safer outlying regions. Safety in the French Concession was a valid concern considering the huge disturbances that occurred there during the 1870's and 1880's.

It took a total of five years to build the mansion, and its design reveals the French spirit of art and romance. At once dignified and ornate, careful and artistic, the grand main building is fronted by a large artistic French yard. The doors and windows have ornately carved relief sculptures, and the lobby's floor and ceiling are covered with marble finishing. Exquisite sculptures also decorate the ceiling. Today, the building is occupied by the Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts. You can admire the museum displays and beautiful residential architec-ture at the same time.

French Municipal Council: The French Municipal Council was very similar in function to the International Settlement's Municipal Council, and was the French Concession's largest municipal government organization and leadership organ. It was created in 1860 when the Taiping military entered Shanghai, and the various Interna-tional Settlements united together to protect their territory and to fight back the Taiping army. Originally, the organization was called the French Concession Ministry of Works, but it later changed its name to the French Municipal Council. From this point on, the Consul General was also Director of the French Concession's Chamber of Industry, making him the most powerful person in the French Concession.

Travel Information

Address: The General Director's residence can be found at 79 Fenyang Lu (at its intersection with Taiyuan Lu). To get there you can take bus lines 96, 42, and 45. If you are coming from Hengshan Lu, you can come over on foot. Just walk down to the Dongpin Lu in-tersection and than turn onto Fenyang Lu.

Hours of Operation: 9am-11 am; lpm-4pm