1768弄 Middle Huaihai Road

Xiafei Garden

霞飞花园

A garden neighbourhood and a literary network

A group of houses, not a solitary mansion, defines this place. Earlier Lane 1754 and present Lane 1768 lead to the literary gatherings at Shao Xunmei’s No. 17.

Explore the historical timeline

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Published September 2022; capture date unstated

Trees, lane and houses inside the development; the image does not identify No. 17.

Photographer uncredited; see source page · Image source · Rights retained by creators and source; no open licence stated

Building date: 1930
Designer: Not established by the consulted records
Character: Spanish-style linked garden houses
Original use: Housing group
Recorded use: Residential neighbourhood
Location: 1768弄 Middle Huaihai Road

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2]

The people behind the address

A life in brief

Shao Xunmei (1906–1968) was a Shanghai poet, writer, translator and publisher. The Palace Museum records his contribution to modern literature and publishing; this salon was one part of his literary circle.[2] [1]

Contributions and influence

His contribution included bringing texts, translations and writers together. Gatherings at No. 17 made a home a meeting point in Shanghai’s publishing culture.[2] [1]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

Built in 1930, the houses form a garden neighbourhood around an internal route. The tourism account records 28 houses and an old nickname referring to that number.[1] [2]

Changing lane numbers can confuse old addresses. Keep 1754, 1768 and house 17 together, and distinguish Shao’s home from the whole development.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

Read the group

Compare repeated roofs and spacing. The illustrated highlight represents the group, not an exact identification of No. 17’s roof.[1] [2]

Pale walls and red tiles

Roof colour contrasts with pale walls. Look at balcony and window proportions rather than treating every detail as simply European.[1] [2]

Trees and inner paths

Camphor trees and paths connect individual houses. A photographed inner lane is not necessarily a public passage.[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.

1930
The neighbourhood is built
The tourism record dates construction; the designer remains unverified.[1] [2]
Date not established
Literary meetings at No. 17
The source records Shao’s salon without a complete chronology.[1] [2]
2022
The neighbourhood in publication
The guide publishes an undated interior-lane view; it is not evidence of the original 1930 appearance.[1] [2]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Observe the entrance, trees and visible façades from public pavement. Respect residential access controls; a historical association does not promise entry.[1] [2]

Location: 淮海中路1768弄
Where to look: Spanish-style linked garden houses
Access: Check the venue’s current admission, booking and exhibition notices.

Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-26 · Check the venue’s current admission, booking and exhibition notices.

Shanghai and the world

Connections along the avenue

Housing development shaped the block; literature and translation connected a private drawing room to a wider world. Nearby Sheng’s residence offers another view of overlapping family, industry and cultural networks.[1] [2]

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.

Shanghai Tourism · Huaihai architectural walk (2022) ↗
Building and historical record; not a guarantee of access today.
Palace Museum · Shao Xunmei ↗
Building and historical record; not a guarantee of access today.

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.

Undated photographs carry the source publication date only; they do not establish present access. Missing historical stages are not illustrated with another building or an imagined scene.

Rights retained by creators and source; no open licence stated

At a glance