In booking our China itinerary, Henry found a small boutique hotel online, the Moller Villa Hotel, in an interesting area of Shanghai known as the French Concession. The building was built in 1936  by Eric Moller, a shipping magnate from the Netherlands. According to legend, he built this building in the style of a fairy castle to fulfill the dream of his daughter. Pictured in the hotel lobby is Mr. Moller with his household staff of  15 Chinese servants, most in traditional dress. Beyond the gardens and walls of this villa, popular for weddings, is a neighborhood filled with tree lined avenues and boulevards, quaint shops and boutiques, restaurants, and wine bars. This concession has an interesting history that dates back to the 19th century. After the First Opium War, fought by the British to protect their trade in opium from their colonies in India, The Treaty of Nanjing opened four new ports to trade and ceded Hong Kong to the British. Shanghai and the provinces along the Yangzi River became the British “sphere of influence”, with Germany and France having other provinces under their influence. With the arrival of the British, the atmosphere of Shanghai became one of glamour and decadence. The city was divided into “concessions” where foreign nationals lived in miniature versions of first Britain, then France, then the USA, then Japan. In each concession, the guest country was responsible for providing electricity, water, a judiciary system, and a police force. Today, the area is a neighborhood center with housing in modernized hutong styled compounds. Washed laundry hangs over pedestrians’ heads on tree lined streets, recycling collectors ring their bicycle bells to attract contributions to their trash heap, and chic young men and women frequent the discount shoe stores and small boutiques along the street where large shopping malls serve as anchors to the intersections. Older citizens amble along with dogs and canes, while watch vendors try to lure tourists to their “factories”. Henry and I found the Garden Book Store and Cafe, which had a marvelous selection of books including  “new releases”. Nearby, on a venture to see the new Four Seasons Hotel, we stumbled upon Steinway Haus. Henry went in, sat down, and played a few passages, then introduced himself.  It was all great fun!

PHOTOS:  Left Column: 1. View of the Moller Villa from the pedestrian skyway. 2. Early 20th century French villa in the French Concession. 3. Mannequins in the window of a small boutique. 4. The allée shaded street in the French Concession. Center, Top:  View of the mansion hotel, Moller Villa. Center, Bottom: Henry, tickling the ivories at Steinway. Right Column: 1. A French styled garden near the Moller Villa. 2. Street scene, the French Concession, Shanghai. 3. Hat shop in the French Concession. 4. Autographed poster with calligraphy from Chinese pianists at Steinway Haus.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE