TUCKED among the graceful architecture of Shanghai's former foreign concessions, 40 Huqiu Lu is, indeed, a "visually" unnoticeable lane, whose low and dilapidated brown buildings seem especially gloomy on cold, wintry days.

Because of his work, Jeffrey Wu has often visited the Wenhui Building next to the lane. Wu has devoted himself to researching Shanghai history for many years, and is now very familiar with the historical background of many old structures and roads. Yet he hadn't really concerned himself with the true history of this particular lane, even though he frequently passed through it, until his recent accidental encounter with The China Hong List, published by the North China Daily News Herald in the 1930s.

Balfour Road

The street classification of this book noted that a road named "Balfour" was "on the Museum Road" (today's Huqiu Road). In those days, Alex Campbell & Co was open for business on this road and its address was given as 2-4 Balfour Road. But the firm (hong) classification of the same book said that this company was located on 55 Yuanmingyuan Lu.

What confused Wu was that the road between Yuanmingyuan and Huqiu was called "Hong Kong Lu" - he had never heard of it being referred to as Balfour Lu before.

However, The Annals of Shanghai Streets published by Japanese residents during the same period also recorded a road named Balfour, which had been built in the central district of the International Settlement, connecting Yuanmingyuan Lu on the east and Museum Lu on the west.

Finally, Wu had to turn to Chen Zhengshu for help. Chen was a prestigious expert on the subject of Taochi (so-called "Land Rent Papers" which had been signed and printed both by foreign Consuls and Taotai, for foreigners renting land in concessions after 1843, when Shanghai was "opened" as a treaty port).

Chen was able to resolve Wu's puzzle by discovering that Balfour Road was none other than the small lane running alongside the Wenhui Building.

Balfour Road was named after George Balfour, the first British consul to Shanghai, who had been appointed to the post on November 8, 1843. Immediately after his arrival, Balfour had to rent a residence from local people to act as the British Consulate, since his request for a residence in the Native City had been declined by the Shanghai Taotai (the Intendant of Circuit, the paramount, supervisory official in Shanghai in those days).

Balfour also entered into negotiations with the Taotai in order to acquire a piece of land in the Bund region that would meet the needs of foreign merchants who had already arrived in Shanghai and needed space in which to build their residences.

After many negotiations, the Taotai finally signed The Shanghai Land Regulation along with Balfour, defining the site of British Settlement. From that point onwards, the first foreign residences began to appear in the city.

Once the British Settlement was established, Balfour spent 17,000 silver dollars to rent another piece of land for residential use. The area that the British diplomat chose, at that time, was a network of waterways.

However, the geographical advantage of this region, situated at the intersection of Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River, was so attractive the British decided to build the consulate there. In 1849, the British Consulate was finally completed, built in a combined stone and wood architectural style.

From 1844 to 1862, some other simple buildings were built in a South Asian architectural style between Yuanmingyuan and Huqiu roads by foreign firms. These were the oldest existing structures erected by the foreign concessionaires.

Foreign diplomats

They were also known as the "Group of Balfour Buildings", whose first residents included diplomats from Britain and other countries, as well as four or five appointed judges sent by the Privy Council to China to conduct court cases concerning international disputes.

The construction of these buildings stimulated the development of the surrounding areas to the west and south. Consequently, a cluster of buildings with a relatively consistent stylistic character came into being, providing the original nucleus of today's Bund.

The site around Yuanmingyuan and Huqiu roads also grew up to one of the most vigorous zones of the city, gathering many Western entertainment and cultural institutions, from the earliest Lyceum Theatre to the modern Capital Theatre, as well as the best-known library and the museum of the Royal Asiatic Society's North China Branch.

This group of buildings was regarded as the first step in the development of Shanghai's foreign concession architecture. Professor Chang Qing, head of the Original Bund project, vividly described the relationship between the Bund's origin and the Bund today using the metaphor of a tree root and tree trunk. No matter how splendid and marvellous the landscape along the Bund was, the real origin of its development was this initially modest cluster of buildings.

Destroyed by fire

Over a century ago, the finest place in the city was to be found in exactly this zone, from which the Bund originated. The grand British Consulate, which was destroyed in a major fire in 1870 but rebuilt in 1873, stood here. Close to it, the exquisite Union Church provided the most prominent landmark on the southern bank of the Suzhou Creek. Even as late as the 1920s and 1930s, this was still a zone appealing strongly to people.

But this original cluster of buildings gradually faded from people's memory as time went by. Its current neglected situation has become distressing to some observers. The beautiful garden of the original British Consulate has lost its old elegance - now only overgrown weeds and withered trees are left.

Although 13 buildings in this area have been classified as protected buildings in Shanghai, their internal structures have been allowed to deteriorate. With the coming of the new year, some recently erected buildings which have broken the harmony of the historical cluster have been slated for demolition to renew the original ambience.

Even as the quiet corner of the Bund it has become today, the original zone will once again be restored to its historical significance and awaken people's memories, increasing their appreciation not only for the classical city, but also for modern Shanghai.