WANDER SHANGHAI

274 Wukang Road

Zheng Dongguo’s former home

郑洞国旧居

A changed address and layers of residential life

Shanghai Library records Zheng Dongguo living here from 1950 to 1952. The address to identify today is 274 Wukang Road; the 2026 heritage approval explicitly links it to No. 4, Lane 280. The whole Lane 280 garden-house group should not be described as his former home.

Explore the historical timeline
Pale-yellow walls, green window frames and garden palm at Zheng Dongguo’s former home

Published in a 2025 report; photograph date unspecified

The garden and pale-yellow façade of Zheng Dongguo’s former home at No. 274, with green window frames and horizontal lines characteristic of its modern design.

徐汇文旅 · Image source · © 徐汇文旅

At a glance

Built
Original date unresolvedShanghai Library contains conflicting construction dates
Architect
Architect undocumentedNo reliable individual attribution
Style
Modern with Art Deco featuresL-shaped brick-and-concrete structure
Original use
ResidenceZheng lived here in 1950–1952
Use today
Historic housing shared by several householdsIncluded in the 2026 repair-project approval
Address
274 Wukang RoadThe 2026 approval identifies the former address as No. 4, Lane 280

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2]

The people behind the address

A life in brief

Zheng Dongguo (1903–1991), from Shimen in Hunan, graduated in the first class of Whampoa Military Academy. He became a National Revolutionary Army general and deputy commander of Chinese forces in India. He lived on Wukang Road in 1950–1952 and later held CPPCC and RCCK leadership posts.[3] [4]

Contributions and influence

His central contribution was military service against Japan, including the Great Wall campaign, Taierzhuang and Kunlun Pass. He later took part in the Allied counter-offensive in northern Burma with Chinese forces based in India, connecting his career to international cooperation in the Asian theatre of the Second World War.[3] [4]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

Shanghai Library records Zheng Dongguo living here from 1950 to 1952. The address to identify today is 274 Wukang Road; the 2026 heritage approval explicitly links it to No. 4, Lane 280. The whole Lane 280 garden-house group should not be described as his former home.[1] [2]

Its construction date requires better archival evidence. The library entry offers both the late 1920s and the late 1930s or early 1940s; neither is treated here as settled. The L-shaped form, subsequent shared occupation and 2026 repair approval are more securely documented.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

An L and a courtyard

The library describes a two-storey brick-and-concrete main block, with a northern courtyard, flowerbed, former garages and service rooms.[1] [2]

A balcony altered over time

A projecting upper balcony on the south was later enclosed and roofed, according to the record; use has left physical traces.[1] [2]

Walls and base

Pale yellow roughcast, terracotta bands and a red-brick base distinguish the recorded building from nearby timber-patterned, red-roofed houses.[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. 1950–1952

    Zheng’s residence

    This period of occupation is explicitly recorded by Shanghai Library.[1] [2]

  2. 1965

    No. 274 added

    The library attributes the new address to changed access during school construction. Old lane numbers vary in its text; the 2026 official correspondence is used here.[1] [2]

  3. 2026

    Repair project approved

    The approval requires further design review and acceptance. It does not establish completed repairs.[1] [2]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Use the No. 274 plate to confirm the site and view it only from publicly accessible areas. Shared residential rooms and the northern courtyard are not a visitor route.[1] [2]

What to notice
An L and a courtyard · A balcony altered over time · Walls and base
Access
View from public pavements. Do not enter residential stairs, private gardens or school grounds, or photograph through residents’ windows.
Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-22 · Follow signs and local access rules. Documentary research does not grant entry.

Shanghai and the world

Connections along the street

No. 274, World Primary School at No. 2 in Lane 280, and the lane’s protected houses have distinct residential, educational and conservation histories. Precise addresses connect their stories without conflating them.[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 Library · Zheng Dongguo residence ↗

    Supports residence in 1950–1952 and building details. Conflicting construction dates and old-address fields are not adopted as certain facts.

  2. Xuhui heritage bureau · Approval No. 10 (2026) ↗

    Repair-project approval published 9 May 2026 verifies sites and addresses; it is not a completion certificate.

  3. RCCK Heilongjiang · Zheng Dongguo biography ↗

    The people behind the address

  4. People’s Daily Online · Zheng Dongguo in the war against Japan ↗

    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.