It is the only old building to have survived in the area - all the others have been bulldozed to make way for broad avenues, skyscrapers and parks.

The original master of the house was Chen Guichun, a Pudong native and self-made business tycoon.

A philanthropist, Chen built schools and made donations to charitable organizations.

The large homestead was built between 1922 and 1925.

The front two courtyards were reception and sitting rooms and the back two courtyards were living areas for the Chen family. Near the enclosing wall were more than 20 rooms used as servants' bedrooms, store rooms and garages.

The building reflects Shanghai's encounter with, and accommodation of, Western culture. Although the layout of the mansion was Chinese, various Western notions were incorporated into the building.

All the bedrooms and studies and sitting rooms were of Chinese style while the dining rooms, lounges and bathrooms were Western.

Both Chinese and Western patterns were used in the residence. The Chinese patterns were animals, flowers and birds and figures taken from "The Romance of Three Kingdoms", a Chinese literary classic. Western patterns included roses, tulips and lilies.

Chen lived in the house for fewer than three years after it was completed. He died from food poisoning, probably at the hands of his business rivals.

During the Japanese invasion of China, Chen's family abandoned the house and fled Shanghai.

The house was first ransacked by local hooligans and later occupied by the Japanese. All the furniture, clothes and artifacts were swept away. For a period it was even used as a factory.

After the end of World War II, the house accommodated the Kuomintang Garrison Headquarters.

In 1958, it was taken over by the city government and rented to residents. Some small houses were set up in the open spaces and gardens around the house. At its peak, the residence, originally the home of one family, was home to 80 households.

During the opening-up drive of Pudong in the early 1990s, all the households were removed out of the Chen Guichen Residence.

The Municipal Government invested more than 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) renovating the house to its original glory.

The building now houses the Lujiazui Exhibition Hall displaying Lujiazui's past, present and future with a host of photographs, models, artifacts and drawings.

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