Shanghai French Concession

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Shanghai French Concession
Concession française de Changhaï
上海法租界
Foreign concession of
Second French Republic, Second French Empire, French Third Republic and French State
1849–1943
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg
Flag
Seal of Shanghai French Concession.svg
Seal
Location Map of Shanghai French Concession.svg
Location of French Concession in Shanghai (red) relative to the International Settlement (yellow) and Chinese zone
Population 
 1932
478,552
History 
 Established
1849
 Disestablished
1943
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1889-1912).svg Shanghai County
Shanghai Special Municipality Flag of the Republic of China-Nanjing (Peace, Anti-Communism, National Construction).svg
Today part of Huangpu District and Xuhui District, Shanghai Municipality

The Shanghai French Concession [lower-alpha 1] was a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1943, which progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concession came to an end in 1943, when Vichy France under German pressure signed it over to the pro-Japanese Reorganized National Government of China in Nanjing. For much of the 20th century, the area covered by the former French Concession remained the premier residential and retail district of Shanghai, and was also one of the centers of Catholicism in China. Despite re-development over the last few decades, the area retains a distinct character and is a popular tourist destination.

Contents

History

Rue du Consulat (East Jinling Road), the rue principale or "high street" of the original French Concession, pictured in the 1930s. East Jinling Rd. in 1930s.jpg
Rue du Consulat (East Jinling Road), the rue principale or "high street" of the original French Concession, pictured in the 1930s.

Establishment

The French Concession was established on 6 April 1849, when the French Consul in Shanghai, Charles de Montigny, obtained a proclamation from Lin Kouei (麟桂, Lin Gui), the Circuit Intendant (Tao-tai/Daotai, effectively governor) of Shanghai, which conceded certain territory for a French settlement. The extent of the French Concession at the time of establishment extended south to the Old City's moat, north to the Yangjingbang canal (Yang-king-pang, now Yan'an Road), west to the Temple of Guan Yu (Koan-ti-miao, 关帝庙) and the Zhujia Bridge (Tchou-kia-kiao, 褚家桥), [1] and east to the banks of the Huangpu River between the Guangdong-Chaozhou Union (Koang'tong-Tchao-tcheou kong-hoan) and the mouth of the Yangjingbang canal. The French Concession effectively occupied a narrow "collar" of land around the northern end of the Old City, south of the British settlement. At an area of 66 hectares (986 mu), the French Concession was about a third of the size of the British settlement at that time. A further small strip of riverside land to the east of the Old City was added in 1861, to allow the construction of the quai de France, to service shipping between China and France.

Demography

Orthodox Cathedral of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church, Old Shanghai.jpg
Orthodox Cathedral of the Mother of God
This building is an example of western style architecture in the Shanghai French Concession French Concession building - Shanghai.JPG
This building is an example of western style architecture in the Shanghai French Concession

While the French Concession began as a settlement for the French, it soon attracted residents of various nationalities.

In the 1920s, with the expansion of the French Concession, British and American merchants who worked in the International Settlement often chose to build more spacious houses in the newer part of the French Concession. One legacy of this Anglophone presence is the American College on Avenue Pétain (now Hengshan Road), and the nearby Community Church.

Shanghai saw a large influx of Russian émigrés in the wake of the 1917 Russian Revolution. This raised the Russian population in the French Concession from 41 in 1915 to 7,000. This number increased to 8,260 by 1934 after the Japanese occupation of northeast China, where many Russians worked on the Chinese Eastern Railway. Two Russian Orthodox churches can still be seen in the former French Concession. The Russian community had a large presence on commercial streets such as Avenue Joffre and contributed to the development of the music profession in Shanghai.

The Chinese population in the French Concession swelled during the Taiping Rebellion, reaching about 500,000 just before the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. During World War II, Japanese forces initially occupied only the Chinese areas, leaving the foreign concessions alone. Residents of the Chinese areas moved into the French Concession in large numbers, reaching 825,342.

Localities

Clements Apartments on Rue Lafayette Clements Apartments 2.JPG
Clements Apartments on Rue Lafayette
Normandie Apartments (aka Wukang Mansion), on Avenue Joffre Normandie Apartment.jpg
Normandie Apartments (aka Wukang Mansion), on Avenue Joffre

Historical buildings in the French Concession

See also

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References

Notes

  1. French: Concession française de Changhaï; Chinese :上海法租界; pinyin :Shànghǎi Fǎ Zūjiè; Shanghainese pronunciation: Zånhae Fah Tsuka

Citations

  1. The commonly recorded "诸家桥" appears to be an erroneous back-translation from a French source: 城区史首在史料准确--《上海卢湾城区史》若干史料问题商榷(许洪新) Archived 18 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

Further reading