A POPULAR saying has it that if tourists want to see China as it was 2,000 years ago, they should go to Xi'an; for 1,000 years ago, go to Beijing; for 100 years ago, go to Shanghai.

The city is the best destination if visitors want to see a mix of Western and Eastern culture and this is best seen in the different architectural styles of Shanghai's grand old houses.

After the signing of the Treaty of Nanking (Nanjing) in 1842 forced Shanghai to open itself to the Western powers, colonialists, adventurers and business tycoons flooded into the city. They built luxurious houses on large tracts of land.

The earliest construction in the Western style in Shanghai appeared in 1872 with the building of the British Consulate. After 1895, more Western-style houses sprang up like mushrooms after spring rain.

Mix of West and East

Today the city has over 5,000 garden houses built before Liberation in 1949. Houses in the top price range cover a total of 1.6 million square metres according to Lou Chenghao, a director of the Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Group Ltd.

"The first generation of owners were powerful politicians, army leaders, businessmen and celebrities who were willing to absorb foreign culture," Lou said.

The houses built behind groves of phoenix trees were of different architectural styles - ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Neo-classical.

The golden age of building in Shanghai was the period between the two world wars. A large number of villas were built during this time due to low labour and material costs and the abundance of skilled Chinese craftsmen.

The earliest garden houses were located along the Western bank of the Huangpu River. Then they spread west to Xizang Zhonglu, Nanjing Lu, Yan'an Donglu and Huaihai Zhonglu.

Most of the big-name politicians lived in Xuhui District and the richest businessmen resided around Yuyuan Lu and Huashan Lu. Scholars and technicians could be found in the Luwan District.

Home to the famous

A typical villa from the early days is the home of a Western banker at 1900 Avenue Haig (now 849 Huashan Lu). It was later sold to Qing Dynasty viceroy Li Hongzhang (Li Hung-chang). Li is thought to have given it to his favourite concubine Dingxiang (Clove), and that is still the name of the villa today.

Another example is the home of a member of the French Municipal Council. Built in 1905 in the classical French style and known to Shanghainese as "The Small White House" because of its resemblance to the US presidential residence, the building now houses the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Institute.

Many of the garden houses were home to famous people. Number 1843 on Huaihai Zhonglu is the former residence of Madam Soong Ching Ling, the widow of Sun Yatsen. The 435-square-metre house is a brick, wood and cement structure which looks like a huge ship. It was designed by a German architect.

In the 1960s after the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) started, former Premier Zhou Enlai arranged for Madam Soong to move to Beijing where she could be better protected. However, Madam Soong still loved to go back to Shanghai every year. She called her trips to Beijing "going to work" and her returns to Shanghai "going home".

Japanese aggression in China led to a decline in building activity. Some residents began to invest in real estate as a means of surviving the post-war inflationary spiral that depressed the economy. The villas built in that era were of a more modern and modest style, in accordance with contemporary international trends.

After Liberation, most garden houses were confiscated and became the property of the state.