FEBRUARY 2026
REGISTER: via the “book here” button or email shanghaiartdeco@gmail.com
February 15, 10am ART DECO (UN)DRESSED/RMB 200 members, 300 nonmembers
We love the plane trees, really we do—but most of the year, their lush leaves hide the details and delights of Shanghai’s Art Deco buildings. NOW, when the leaves are off the trees, is a window of opportunity for a rare unobstructed view of the city’s glorious Art Deco buildings, to see them as their architects meant for them to be seen: all the delicious details, surprising shapes, and hidden histories that peep coyly behind the foliage the rest of the year.
It’s not just the stunning architecture, either: it’s the stories behind the buildings, stories deeply rooted in Shanghai’s history, its evolution, its very character. This walk will take us to one of the city’s richest caches of Art Deco, in the heart of the former French Concession: we’ll stroll these historic streets, duck into lanes, share Shanghai’s Art Deco story, and the lore and legend behind these gorgeous buildings that define Shanghai’s signature style.
Join us and take advantage of Shanghai’s brief season of bare branches!
WALK
February 19, 10am XIANGYANG LU: Moguls, Mansions, and Art Deco/RMB 200 members, 300 nonmembers
There’s nothing quite like exploring the entire length of an historic Shanghai street to see the rich diversity of this city, the stories and layers of a century’s worth of history, and discover the secrets that lie hidden behind familiar sights.
Xiangyang Lu was originally in the former French Concession, bordering Chinese territory. Here, we’ll find traces of the Russian enclave in the onion domes of the Russian Orthodox Mission Church and the even fainter traces of the New Synagogue; see lavish mansions–one owned by a Southeast Asian movie mogul and another by a Jewish tycoon—the story of a tragic poet, classic Shanghai lane neighborhoods, Art Deco apartment houses, dancing in the beautiful park, and more!
RECORDINGS: Scan the “Recorded Events” QR code to book and receive event recordings. (For the full list of available recordings, click here
RECORDED ART DECO EVENTS
The Shanghai Art Deco Story
Shanghai’s glamorous Art Deco style was unique, born of a unique time and place: the energy of cosmopolitan Old Shanghai. In this lavishly illustrated talk, we’ll trace the origins of the Shanghai Art Deco style, explore how it could have only come into being at this particular moment in Shanghai, and take a look at its expressions in architecture, fashion, furniture, graphic and industrial design, movies, and more. We’ll take a look at how it influenced the city’s aesthetic and became its signature style, even today. And we’ll share some of our own Art Deco collection!
Members of Historic Shanghai, our parent organization, enjoy discounted prices and other benefits. Interested in joining? Click here.
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