Deco’d to the nines

Art Deco permeates Shanghai perhaps more than any other city in the world. This artistic style, created in 1920s Paris and popular for the next two decades throughout the world, was a response to the Victorian and Art Nouveau ornamental styles of previous years. Although a very broad term, Art Deco largely represented what was then thought of as "modernity," allied with symmetry, functionality and grace. And it describes a movement not only in architecture, but also in many of the arts and crafts. Styles of jewelry, clothing and painting all came to be included under the banner of Art Deco.

Cultural history

"Art Deco is a complete style, which includes everything from furniture to lighting fixtures, fashion and interior design," said Patrick Cranley of the organization Historic Shanghai, which was set up in 1998 in order to understand and promote Shanghai's cultural history.

Here in Shanghai, there are countless examples of Art Deco that many of us take for granted. And Cranley shows us this history on public tours and presentations. He shows that even small things, such as the plate around a mailbox, or the sign over a door, are representative of the Art Deco style, their geometric simplicity and symmetry being two qualities that define them in this way.

So rich is Shanghai in Art Deco - Shanghai is said to have more Art Deco buildings than any other city in the world - that it will host the World Congress on Art Deco in 2015. The Art Deco World Congress is held every two years, to celebrate and discuss all things related to Art Deco. Last time it was held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The World Congress on Art Deco includes public conferences and tours, and it attracts people from around the world.

Cranley pointed out the special qualities of Shanghai's Art Deco treasures, "Art Deco fans are eager to see Shanghai, thus, winning the honor to host this event was easy."

For Shanghai, like every other country that experienced an explosion in this style, Art Deco meant modernity. Here in Shanghai, an element of being modern included a reaction against Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)fashions, as well as a new prosperity. Clothing was more decorative, as was everything else.

Even to this day, there are still Art Deco-influenced security grills on windows that are especially interesting because they were created with Chinese motifs. Some are even formed to look like Chinese calligraphy. Most importantly, many of the city's most attractive historic buildings were constructed with Art Deco influences.

And these buildings exist throughout the city. The Peace Hotel (20 Nanjing Road East), built between 1928 and 1929 by Sir Victor Sassoon and originally called the Cathay Hotel, is one such example. Constructed on the corner of Nanjing Road as it meets the Bund, it was Sassoon's flagship property in Shanghai. Its eighth floor interior is of particular influence, as it is a good example of Art Deco design that incorporates Chinese motifs.

Also on the Bund, the former Standard Chartered Bank Building (now Bund18, 18 Zhongshandongyi Road), built in 1935, is another example, with Chinese-inspired lattice windows executed in stone on the exterior and a Chinese roof with upturned eaves. The former Bank of Communications Building (now Shanghai Municipal General Labor Union, 14 Zhongshandongyi Road), which started before World War II but only finished after the war, has a stripped-down look and is an example of late Art Deco. The terrazzo lobby with attractive brass work makes it more than worth a visit while on the Bund.

Lost treasures

Other examples include the former Astrid Apartments (151 Maoming Road South), the former Foncim Apartments (No.1-3, Lane 78 Gao'an Road), the former Lincoln Apartments (Lane 1562 Huaihai Road) and the Jing Hua neighborhood (Lane 820 Julu Road). Elsewhere in the city, the former Rong Desheng residence (now the Juvenile's Activity Center of Xuhui district, No.20, Lane 18 Gao'an Road), the former Empire Mansions, (1300-1326 Huaihai Road Middle) and the Paramount Ballroom (218 Yuyuan Road) all exude the beauty of Art Deco.

With development, many Art Deco structures have been lost. And this is the situation in Shanghai in which many historic buildings have been destroyed in favor of modern construction.

Even so, Art Deco survives in Shanghai, and it lives on in forms other than historic buildings. In fact, Shanghai is still being built with Art Deco influences, which Cranley identifies as part of a "deco echo" movement. Examples include the Peninsula Shanghai (32 Zhongshandongyi Road) and the Jin Mao Tower (88 Century Avenue).