Ups and downs of Sichuan Beilu
(VIVIAN WANG)
11/29/2002
When the American Concession was carved out of Shanghai in 1848, the southern half of what was then called North Sichuan Lu was enclosed inside the concession boundary.Around 1870, the multi-country trade committee established a shooting range off the southern end of North Sichuan Lu - on Wujin Lu - which was also near the northern edge of the American Concession. In 1895, the concession bought the range and the road from the Zhabei District government which extended the concession's boundary to Wujin Lu. The southern part of North Sichuan Lu was included in the American Concession while the northern part became community property. In 1907, the Japanese in Shanghai opened a primary school on what is now No. 1838 Sichuan Beilu and in 1922, at the end of the road, the Japanese set up the headquarters of their naval and land forces in Shanghai. Later, the Japanese took over the land around the northern end of Sichuan Beilu which had been community property. According to "Old Shanghai" documents, community property was owned by the local government but because of the ineffectiveness of the government in those years, no supervisors looked after the property and it became derelict due to negligence. During the last years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Qiu Jin, a famous fighter for women's rights, established the "Chinese Women's Newspaper" at No 1545 Sichuan Beilu and took an active part in anti-Qing Dynasty activities. The Chinese community's Mid-China headquarters was set up in Hubei public school and many overseas-educated Chinese who had returned to Shanghai set up a Chinese public school near the Hengbang Bridge. One of China's greatest humanitarian writers - Lu Xun - also bought an apartment on Sichuan Beilu from where he worked and took part in political activities. Luxun Park, or Hongkou Park, now lies at the northern-most end of the road. Just off Sichuan Beilu, on Qiujiang Lu, the Second Chinese National People's Congress took place. A headquarters of the Communist Party of China also moved to the Sanmin Photo Studio at No 1325 Sichuan Beilu. The road was renamed in 1945, serving as one of the four "commercial streets" in Shanghai. In the early 1990s, the Hongkou District government renovated Sichuan Beilu with the southern part becoming a commercial zone for medium-income customers. The northern part was turned into a cultural and tourist area with Duolun Lu a cultural showpiece of the district.
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