On 23 July 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in this French Concession building (then 106 rue Wantz). In one fell swoop, this unassuming shíkùmén block was transformed into one of Chinese communism’s holiest shrines. Beyond the communist narcissism, there’s little to see, although historians will enjoy ruminating on the site’s historic momentousness.
Site of the 1st National Congress of the CCP
French Concession
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.13 MILES
With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, plus pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese…
1.53 MILES
Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for…
2.3 MILES
One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure…
2.01 MILES
China’s tallest building dramatically twists skywards from its footing in Lujiazui. The 121-storey, 632m-tall, Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower topped out…
0.86 MILES
Tianzifang and Xintiandi are based on a similar idea – an entertainment complex housed within a warren of lòngtáng (弄堂, alleyways). Unlike Xintiandi,…
0.09 MILES
With its own namesake metro station, Xintiandi has been a Shanghai icon for over a decade. An upmarket entertainment and shopping complex modelled on…
0.56 MILES
This must-see museum escorts you through the craft of millennia and the pages of Chinese history. It's home to one of the most impressive collections in…
2.49 MILES
Shanghai may be known for its glitz and glamour, but it's got an edgy subculture too. The industrial M50 art complex is one prime example, where galleries…
Nearby French Concession attractions
0.03 MILES
This two-floor exhibition invites you into a typical shíkùmén (stone-gate house) household, decked out with period furniture. The ground-floor arrangement…
0.09 MILES
With its own namesake metro station, Xintiandi has been a Shanghai icon for over a decade. An upmarket entertainment and shopping complex modelled on…
0.39 MILES
This simple but very active temple is curiously accessed from the west, rather than the south, where the entrance to Buddhist temples usually lies. The…
0.42 MILES
This leafy spot with a large lawn, laid out by the French in 1909 and used by the Japanese as a parade ground in the late 1930s, remains one of the city’s…
5. Sun Yatsen’s Former Residence
0.55 MILES
Sun Zhongshan predictably receives the full-on hagiographic treatment at this shrine to China’s guófù (国父, father of the nation). A capacious exhibition…
0.56 MILES
This must-see museum escorts you through the craft of millennia and the pages of Chinese history. It's home to one of the most impressive collections in…
0.57 MILES
Dating from 1815, this pavilion contains the only preserved section of the 5km-long city walls. Also within the pavilion is a small Guandi temple, which…
8. Zhou Enlai’s Former Residence
0.58 MILES
In 1946, Zhou Enlai, the much-loved (although some swear he was even more sly than Mao) first premier of the People’s Republic of China, lived briefly in…