WANDER SHANGHAI

上海市徐汇区湖南路262号

Hunan Villa

湖南别墅

A garden residence behind walls and layers of history

The municipal heritage register lists 262 Hunan Road as Hunan Villa. Shanghai Library dates the garden residence to 1931. Its later history intersects with Zhou Fohai, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping and He Zizhen.

Explore the historical timeline
Entrance at number 262, illustrated in Century’s He Xiaoping oral history in 2018; capture date unknown.

Capture date unknown

Entrance at number 262, illustrated in Century’s He Xiaoping oral history in 2018; capture date unknown.

Photographer not individually credited; see source · Image source · Rights retained by original creators and source

At a glance

Construction / use dates
1931, Shanghai Library record
Architect
Not established in the reviewed sources
Character
Western-style detached garden house; attic storey and L-shaped plan
Original use
Garden residence
Use and access
Protected building; regular public visiting is unverified, so observe from the street
Address
上海市徐汇区湖南路262号Hunan Road

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2] [3]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The municipal heritage register lists 262 Hunan Road as Hunan Villa. Shanghai Library dates the garden residence to 1931. Its later history intersects with Zhou Fohai, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping and He Zizhen.[1] [2] [3]

Accounts differ on He Zizhen’s arrival. Her niece He Xiaoping’s oral history in Century says 1962, as does the library entry’s main text, while an event on that same page says 1954. This profile follows the oral history’s 1962 date and keeps the discrepancy visible.[1] [2] [3]

Look up, then look closer

Details worth a closer look

Read from the street

From Hunan Road the first view is the number 262, boundary wall and trees. Source photographs help explain the main house’s L-shaped plan and roofline deeper inside; the gateway is not the villa itself.[1] [2] [3]

A closer detail

In the main-house image, rough stonework, deep eaves, balconies and planting create layers. Later fittings such as air conditioners remain visible in the monochrome view. Its capture date is unknown; it is not a documented 1930s photograph.[1] [2] [3]

Monochrome image identified by the source as Hunan Villa’s main house, with stonework and later air conditioners visible. Published 2017; capture date unknown.

Capture date unknown

Monochrome image identified by the source as Hunan Villa’s main house, with stonework and later air conditioners visible. Published 2017; capture date unknown.

Photographer not individually credited; see source · Image source · Rights retained by original creators and source

One building, changing roles

Read the building through time

Captions distinguish photographic dates from publication dates; periods without reliable images are covered in the text.

  1. 1931

    Construction year recorded by the library

    Date supplied by Shanghai Library’s architectural record; it does not identify an architect.[1] [2] [3]

  2. 1949

    The house enters a guesthouse phase

    The library records temporary stays by the Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping families during this phase.[1] [2] [3]

  3. 1962

    Oral history records He Zizhen’s arrival

    The year follows He Xiaoping’s oral history; the alternative 1954 date remains a documented conflict.[1] [2] [3]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Protected building; regular public visiting is unverified, so observe from the street[1] [2] [3]

Address
上海市徐汇区湖南路262号
Approach
Entrances, events and access can change; follow current notices. Historic significance does not make residential stairs, gardens or living spaces public.
Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-26 · Entrances, events and access can change; follow current notices. Historic significance does not make residential stairs, gardens or living spaces public.

Shanghai and the world

Place the address in the city

Hunan Villa stands by Wukang Road but is addressed on Hunan Road. Nearby houses, writers’ homes and apartments offer different patterns of urban living. Distinguishing wall, entrance and main house makes its place in the neighbourhood clearer.[1] [2] [3]

Back to the street guide

Text and image sources

This account is based on the sources below. Unverified details are identified as such. Where photographs are included, sources and licences are listed beneath each image.

  1. Building and local-history source ↗

    Used to check dates, uses and architectural descriptions; photo dates are separately identified.

  2. Further research and biography ↗

    Used to check dates, uses and architectural descriptions; photo dates are separately identified.

  3. Further research and biography ↗

    Used to check dates, uses and architectural descriptions; photo dates are separately identified.

  4. Street and photograph source ↗

    Used to check dates, uses and architectural descriptions; photo dates are separately identified.

Image handling and dating

Images come from the archives or image source pages listed beneath each photograph. We resize and compress them to WebP, preserving their original proportions without colourisation or added detail. Grain, blur and scanning marks in historical photographs are retained.

Images without a documented capture date are marked undated; publication is not photography. No invented before-and-after view substitutes for a verified historic photograph.