Behind the garden walls.
Along Wuyuan.

五原路314号

The 1932 garden house became the home of Soong Ching Ling’s nursery at the end of 1949. It served generations of children before the kindergarten moved away in 1995.

Behind the gate, the old villa has pale gray walls, white window trim and red gables. The lower street-front office block was added in 1996.

五原路288弄3号

Zhang Leping, creator of the cartoon child Sanmao, lived here from 1950 until 1992. The restored house preserves the domestic setting in which he drew much of his later work.

A modest pale garden house with a pitched tiled roof, wooden gate and small garden. The recognizable entrance lies inside the lane.

五原路258号

Designed by Xi Fuquan in the 1930s, Liberty Apartments brought high-rise apartment living to this garden-house district. Its nine-storey tower still provides a distinctive contrast with the surrounding low roofs.

Dark brick, white window surrounds and a strong central vertical strip. Stepped upper floors rise behind a garden separating the tower from the road.

五原路253—271号

Architect Fan Wenzhao designed these apartments in 1933. Rounded stair bays, restrained decoration and generous windows express an early modern approach to everyday residential comfort.

A long pale stucco apartment block with a flat roof and rounded projecting stair bays. The present building includes later additions.

五原路205弄

Built in 1938, Laisi South Village groups five similar garden houses along a lane. It shows how a shared lane could combine city living with small domestic gardens.

Pale textured walls, hipped roofs, curved window heads and discreet bands beneath the eaves. The houses and gardens are reached through a narrow entrance. The highlighted group represents the lane, rather than a surveyed footprint of each house.