WANDER SHANGHAI

2 Wukang Road

Mo Shangqing’s house

莫觞清旧居

A silk-industry family at the northern end

2 Wukang Road. The house predates the Mo family’s arrival. Wenhui’s family history records that silk industrialist Mo Shangqing bought it in 1926, four years after construction. The building date and the beginning of its association with Mo therefore tell different stories.

Explore the historical timeline
Trees frame the house at 2 Wukang Road and its white curved balcony.

Published 2024-11-29; photograph undated

The garden-facing façade of 2 Wukang Road, with its curved central balcony and lawn.

张健 / 第一财经 · Image source · © 第一财经

At a glance

Built
1922See the account and sources below
Architect
Not identified in the checked sourcesSee the account and sources below
Architecture
Garden house with classical detailsSee the account and sources below
Original use
Private residenceSee the account and sources below
Use today
Recorded as residential in 2023See the account and sources below
Address
2 Wukang RoadSee the account and sources below

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2]

The people behind the address

A life in brief

Mo Shangqing (1871–1932) was a silk entrepreneur from Wuxing, Zhejiang. Starting in silk production and factory management, he co-founded Jiucheng Silk Mill in 1903 and expanded into several mills and silk weaving. He bought No. 2 in 1926; its family history also includes his son-in-law Cai Shengbai.[3] [4]

Contributions and influence

His contribution was industrial: investment in silk reeling and the Meiya weaving enterprise helped extend Shanghai’s silk business from raw silk to woven textiles. He provided an industrial foundation; Meiya’s later achievements under Cai Shengbai should be distinguished from Mo’s own work.[3] [4]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The house predates the Mo family’s arrival. Wenhui’s family history records that silk industrialist Mo Shangqing bought it in 1926, four years after construction. The building date and the beginning of its association with Mo therefore tell different stories.[1] [2]

Mo and his son-in-law Cai Shengbai connect the garden to Shanghai’s silk industry. Part of the grounds accommodated his daughter and son-in-law, becoming the starting point of today’s No. 4. The neighbouring addresses share a family history, but not necessarily a construction date.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

A garden-facing centre

The three-bay southern front centres on a semicircular room and curved balcony. This principal elevation may be hidden from the pavement.[1] [2]

Columns and balcony

Two Tuscan columns articulate the central entrance. Read their relationship to the balcony before concentrating on ornament.[1] [2]

Different approaches

A southern garden and northern arched entrance offer distinct approaches; a view over the wall cannot reveal the entire plan.[1] [2]

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. 1922

    A house is built

    Construction preceded the Mo purchase. The checked sources do not name its designer.[1] [2]

  2. 1926

    The Mo family arrives

    Mo Shangqing bought the residence, linking this address to his family and silk business.[1] [2]

  3. 2023

    Residential continuity

    The Civil Affairs article records residential use, including members of the family’s later generations.[1] [2]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Find No. 2 from the pavement near Huashan Road, then continue south.[1] [2]

What to look for
Look for walls, tree crowns and visible roof sections; the full garden front is not necessarily visible from the road.
Visiting
Treat it as a private home and do not enter without permission.
Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-22 · Check current notices for access and business hours. A historical account of use is not confirmation of today’s operating status.

Shanghai and the world

Part of Wukang Road’s lived history

The garden and family household offer a different residential model from the larger rental apartments nearby. The family’s business history does not establish who designed the house.[1] [2]

At Lane 40, compare this acquired family residence with houses whose original architectural drawings survive.[1] [2]

Return to the Wukang street view

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. Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau · A walk along Wukang Road ↗

    A 2023 account; descriptions of use refer to the period of that article.

  2. Wenhui Daily · The story of 2 Wukang Road ↗

    Zhang Wei’s 2017 account of ownership, family and elevations; conflicting floor-area figures are omitted.

  3. Wikipedia · Mo Shangqing: life and enterprises ↗

    The people behind the address

  4. Wenhui Daily · The story of No. 2 Wukang Road ↗

    The people behind the address

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 retain their original framing and proportions. Publication dates are not capture dates; unknown photograph dates are not inferred. Details, group views and architectural drawings are identified in the captions.