Three historical sites to open for free in Xuhui

Wang Rongjiang / SHINE

Three historical structures will open to the public for free in Xuhui District around the end of the month, the district government said over the weekend.

They include the former residence of late playwright Xia Yan (1900-1995) and a restored study of translator Cao Ying (1923-2015), as well as the historical Cloisters Apartments.

Visitors will be able to make reservations between Tuesday and Sunday through the WeChat account (meilihengfu) and enter the buildings for free between 9am and 4:30pm. Each building will receive 200 visitors daily. and a Chinese language guide will be available.

The Cloisters Apartments, built in the 1930s, will be converted into an exhibition hall to showcase the culture, events and architecture of the Hengshan and Fuxing roads historical zone, which has 15 heritage-listed structures, 1,074 excellent historical buildings and 1,620 preserved historical structures.

The Spanish garden villa once served as a popular social place for celebrities from both home and abroad, Su Zhiliang, a Shanghai Normal University history professor and an academic counselor of the building told a public forum on Saturday.

The building at 62 Fuxing Road W. once served as the office building for the Hunan Road Subdistrict. Many parts of the two story structure, such as the balconies, fountains and mosaic floor tiles, have been preserved.

The Cao Ying Study, a historical villa at 178 Wulumuqi Road S. near the former residence of the famous translator of Russian literature works, aims to showcase the life achievements of Cao, Sheng Shanshan, the daughter of Cao and curator of the exhibition told the forum.

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

Cao, whose real name was Sheng Junfeng, translated all the novels of Leo Tolstoy into Chinese, said Sheng. He used the pseudonym Cao Ying, literally meaning "baby grass," to demonstrate his tiny but vital power. He aimed to create a bridge between China and Russia with the translated works, she said.

Cao once spent six years translating "War and Peace," the same amount of time it took Tolstoy to write the masterpiece. He made cards for each of the 559 characters in the novel to better understand their characteristics and relationships, she added.

The study, or a memorial exhibition hall, has restored the working environment of Cao with the original desk, chair, stationery, translation tools and manuscripts.

The former residence of Xia, neighboring the translator's study, features a retrospective exhibition of the playwright's experience in Shanghai, especially his devotion to the revolutionary campaign after joining the Communist Party of China.

The district government has already opened the former homes of writer Ba Jin (1904-2005), playwright Ke Ling (1909-2000) and cartoonist Zhang Leping (1910-1992).

The Hunan and Tianping subdistricts which are in charge of the historical zone have opened a number of service stations to serve visitors. Volunteers at the centers can also introduce the history of the buildings and the figures who once lived inside.

The former home of respected revolutionary leader Huang Xing (1874-1916), located on Wukang Road, for instance, has become a visitor center for other historic residences in the area.