Celebrity Cultural Street of Duolun
2 min readDuolun Road was built in 1911 and located in Hongkou District of Shanghai.With a length of 550 meters，the L-shaped road joins the prosperous North Sichuan Road near Hongkou Park and Hongkou Stadium.The road today is a famous pedestrian street for tourism and commerce.
Duolun Road was built by the Municipal Committee of Shanghai，which was the construction of the Shanghai International Settlement at that time.However the road was located outside theinternational settlement.Such events often happened in the semi-colonized Shanghai，which was called“constructing the roads beyond the settlement area”.The road was named Darroch after a British missionary，who came to China and met with the emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty.It was in 1920s and 1930s when the road met its golden time.A lot of writers and social elites lived there，which made the area vibrant with thoughts and literature.Until 1943，the road was changed to the name“Duolun”，by the government of the Republic of China（1912-1949）.In the end of the 20th century，the road became a pedestrian street for its cultural influence and commercial potential.Duolun Road is no doubt a historic road which witnessed the modernization of Shanghai.
In the early 20th century，many famous writers and celebrities lived in the little area around Duolun Road.Among them there were reputable writers like Lu Xun，Guo Moruo，Mao Dun，Ye Shengtaoand Wang Zaoshi，as well as those members of the influential “Association of Left-Wing writers”like Ding Ling，Sha Ting and QuQiubai.Governors or politicians，like Kong Xiangxi，Bai Chongxi，Tang Enbo and Chen Yi，lived there as well.
Duolun Road is representative of the historic architecture of the last century in Shanghai.The Islamic-style house of KongXiangxiwas elegant building along the road.The residence of TangEnbo is of a neoclassicFrench-style which was once popular in the city.Built by Chinese architect，the local church“Hongde Tang” was in a mixed-style of east and west.In the surrounding blocks，the Lilong housing is the most significant and typical urban architecture of old Shanghai.
