Shanghai China City Hall Built 1933 Statue Destroyed by Japan 1937 Real Photo Postcard

The Shanghai Civic Centre, including its prominent City Hall, was a grand architectural project initiated in the early 1930s during China's Republican Era. Located in Jiangwan, outside the foreign concessions, it was envisioned as a modern administrative heart for Shanghai, symbolizing Chinese sovereignty and aspirations for a strong, unified nation. Designed by Chinese architects, the City Hall masterfully blended traditional Chinese palace architecture with contemporary building techniques, featuring classic tiled roofs and a symmetrical layout.