WANDER SHANGHAI

390 Wukang Road

The villa at No. 390

武康路390号住宅

A consular home and an address in automotive history

Read the changing uses of No. 390 through its address, red tiles and shaded arches, from a 1932 garden villa to automotive offices.

Explore the historical timeline
Iron gates and numbered posts at No. 390, with a low white villa, red-tiled roof and arched gallery behind.

14 November 2019

The gateposts, white walls and red-tiled gallery at No. 390. Original framing retained; resized and format-converted.

N509FZ · Image source · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1932Recorded by the official city guide
Architect
Not documentedNo individual designer inferred from the style
Architectural character
Mediterranean-style garden villaWhite walls, red tiles, galleries and round arches
Original use
Residence, later an Italian consular homeResidential use in the 1930s
Present use
Automotive company officesTemporary public openings occurred; check present arrangements
Address
390 Wukang RoadSeparate from Zhou Xuan’s Lane 391 home and Huang Xing’s No. 393

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

The beginning

Why was it built here?

Built in 1932, No. 390 meets the street at the low scale of a garden villa. Red tiles sit above white walls, while deep galleries mediate between house and garden. It served as the Italian consul-general’s residence in the 1930s, bringing diplomatic activity into a domestic setting.[1] [2] [3]

The address entered Shanghai’s automotive industry in 1958. A technology-import office moved in during 1978, making the house a place for institutional work and international cooperation. Its domestic scale survived a substantial change of function: an industrial story unfolded inside a garden residence.[1] [2] [3]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

Low roofs and deep eaves

In the 2019 photograph, tiled slopes, exposed eaves supports and white walls form distinct layers. The taller building behind is not the complete outline of the low villa.[1] [2] [3]

Arches with depth

Shade behind the round arches reveals the depth of the gallery. Compare the openings and piers from the street without entering the garden.[1] [2] [3]

Read the address first

No. 390 is visible on the gateposts. Garden, iron gates and tree canopy define the street boundary; an open gate in an older photograph does not establish access today.[1] [2] [3]

Iron gates and numbered posts at No. 390, with a low white villa, red-tiled roof and arched gallery behind.

14 November 2019

The gateposts, white walls and red-tiled gallery at No. 390. Original framing retained; resized and format-converted.

N509FZ · Image source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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. 1932

    The garden villa is built

    The city guide records its construction year; subsequent consular use gives the house a diplomatic connection.[1] [2] [3]

  2. 1958

    Automotive use begins

    In March the property was assigned to a unit of the Shanghai tractor and automotive industry company.[1] [2] [3]

  3. 1978

    A technology-import office arrives

    The address became associated with the prolonged Santana project negotiations. Office work should not be confused with a vehicle assembly line.[1] [2] [3]

  4. 2021–2022

    Temporary public visits

    Reports describe a first opening and later limited visits. Their explicitly dated schedules are not permanent opening hours.[1] [2] [3]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Identify the No. 390 gateposts from the pavement, then study the low roof and gallery before continuing to the visitor centre at No. 393.[1] [2] [3]

What to notice
Compare white walls, red tiles, arches and gateposts. Do not mistake the taller building behind for the whole villa.
Access
Offices and event spaces have separate access arrangements. Without a current notice or permission, remain on the public pavement.
Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-22 · Documentary research does not verify access on the day. Follow posted notices and the property manager’s permission.

Shanghai and the world

This address within its neighbourhood

No. 390 joins residential, diplomatic and industrial histories. A house can retain its outward scale while hosting very different work.[1] [2] [3]

Compare it with No. 393 opposite: a former residence can contain several periods and uses. Identifying the address is the first step in separating the stories.[1] [2] [3]

Return to the Wukang Road walkContinue to Wukang Mansion

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 Municipal Government · Wukang Road ↗

    Official architectural guide: the 1932 villa at No. 390, the 1912 and 1933 phases at No. 393, and their distinct features.

  2. Shanghai Xuhui / Jiefang Daily · Visiting No. 390 ↗

    A 2022 report on the consular residence, industrial use in 1958 and the technology-import office in 1978. Its temporary opening schedule has expired.

  3. SAIC Motor · Corporate disclosure ↗

    The company identifies No. 390 as a business address; a business address does not imply public access.

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.

The photograph was taken on 14 November 2019. Its original framing is retained; it was resized and converted to WebP. It records that exterior, not the original appearance in 1932 or access today.