Not far from one of the main Shopping districts and in the heart of the French Concession, is the Former Residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

It is a peaceful and secluded garden residence constructed under European style. Dr. Sun Yat-sen resided
here from 1918 to 1925, together with his wife Soong Ching Ling. The building of the Former Residence was
donated by overseas Chinese in Canada in support of Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen was a great forerunner of modern Chinese democratic revolution. During his residence, Sun
produced many important works, including The Doctrines of Sun Wen and the International Development of
China, met with the representatives of Chinese Communist Party and Soviet Russia, set out to reorganize the
Nationalist Party, conceived a plan for an alliance with the Chinese Communists. And in November 1924, Sun
held a press conference here and called people to reunite the nation peacefully.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's former residence is a two-storey European-style building. The sitting room and the dining
room are on the ground floor. Upstairs are the study, the bedroom and a small sitting room.

The photo on the wall of the sitting room was taken when he was the provisional great president. In the study
and in the corridor on the second floor is kept a collection of 2,7000 volumes of books in Chinese and foreign
languages with subjects on politics, economics, military affairs, history, geography, laws and so on.

Today, all the rooms are arranged as they were when Dr. Sun lived here and the house is a
fascinating insight into the life of the revolutionary man. While walking through the house, one can
recreate the life of the owners through every exhibited article, either the knives hanging over the
fireplace, or the photos on the wall of the living-room, or the books lining the bookcases, or even a
pair of glasses once used. The small entrance fee lets you wander round the house and gardens
and refreshingly, this is one sight which is usually peaceful and free from the crowds.

This small home is a charming relic of times gone by and a visit here is a great way to break up a
shopping trip to Huaihai Lu and remind yourself of how Shanghai used to be.