Echoes of Conflict: The Battle of Shanghai's Impact on the International Zone's Architecture and Culture

by M. Stock 

The Battle of Shanghai was a conflict between the Chinese Army and the Imperial Japanese Army that lasted from August to November of 1937. It is considered to be the start of the Asia-Pacific War. The battle, which decimated the city of Shanghai, is thought of as one of the longest continuous battles in modern history. The battle had a lasting impact on the International Zone and the city of Shanghai on the whole. The city and the neutral British-administered International Settlement were affected in terms of the culture of its residents and the architecture. The Bund, the main waterfront area of the International Zone is still present today and features key cultural sites such as the former Sassoon family house which is now a part of the Peace Hotel. The Ohel Moshe Synagogue, now known as the Shanghai Jewish Museum, is another site intended to preserve cultural memory.[1] Such sites are important for the historical memory of the International Zone and its diverse community and its role in the Asia-Pacific War. 

While many areas of Shanghai have been modernized, the International Zone remains a roughly 9-mile (22-kilometer) piece of the past with minimal updates of the modern world.[2] A number of the buildings, cultural sites, and landmarks that once housed the populations of the International Zone have been converted into tourist attractions. Historical preservation is a key aspect of the International Zone amidst modern Shanghai. Efforts for historical preservation have gone hand in hand with educating tourists and the public about the role the International Zone played in the Battle of Shanghai and how it was impacted. Preservation of buildings, landmarks like parks, and artifacts of material culture serve to educate visitors about the communities that lived and worked in the International Settlement years ago.

Architecture: The International Zone, now partly preserved in areas such as the Bund, consists primarily of architectural styles not seen elsewhere in the city. The French Concession is also preserved as part of the city's cultural heritage as an international city.[3] Both landmarks are important sites for tourism showcasing what Shanghai looked like in the past. In contrast, the modern city can be seen across the river. The architectural styles found in the International Zone are a mixture of both traditionally Eastern and Western building styles. There are German and Parisian style hotels and cafes made of stone, and brick alongside wooden houses with roof ornamentation and colored roof tiles, typical of Chinese architecture dating back to the Tang Dynasty. Art deco and European-style buildings like those found on the Bund are unique to the International Settlement with its ethnically and culturally diverse population. The area of the Bund along the riverbank in particular has a great amount of European-style buildings with neo-classical accents and highly detailed exteriors.

Despite being destroyed during the “Bloody Saturday Bombing” by the Chinese Air Force in an attempt to hit a Japanese cruiser in the harbor, many of the buildings on the Bund survived relatively unscathed. Other sites in the International Zone have been preserved or restored, with some being converted into museums. Architecturally, there is a mix of styles found in the International Zone corresponding with its mixed population, and efforts have been made to categorize many of the buildings according to art technique, architectural style, time period, and the population that is predicted to exist in and around the building sites. As time goes on and the modern city of Shanghai continues to build, the architecture of the International Zone provides a glimpse into the city's past.

Sites affected by the conflict: The International Zone did not experience the same destruction that the rest of the city did because it was unpredictably subjected to air or naval warfare and did not experience the trench warfare that occurred on the outskirts of Shanghai. However, it still had several sites affected by the battle. The Bund, a roughly 1.9-kilometer stretch along the river , was particularly subject to destruction. Two of the most notable historic buildings on the Bund that were affected by the Battle of Shanghai were the former Cathay and Palace Hotels, which now are combined into a two-building complex to form the modern-day Peace Hotel.[4]

The two hotels were damaged during the previously mentioned “Bloody Saturday Bombing” in which over 700 people were killed or injured. The two hotels were owned by the powerful Sassoon and Kadoorie families. These two families, originally both from Iraq, would find themselves in Shanghai having fled anti semitism and persecution in Iraq. During the Opium Wars, the two families would become quite wealthy with sizable spheres of influence, profiting from the opium trade before switching businesses and going into hospitality. In addition to operating their respective hotels they would continue owning and operating several factories. More recently, the hotels have been transferred to the ownership of the Canadian-owned Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Both the Sassoon and Kadoorie families played a significant role in the development of the Bund and the International Settlement on the whole, and their influence can still be seen today when visiting the hotels or exploring other sites on the one-mile stretch of the Bund. 

The two foreign families were key to the evolution and making of modern Shanghai due to owning several factories and their influence in business. In particular, the two families were extremely successful in the shipping and automotive businesses after exiting the opium trade. The Sassoon family has since branched out and left Shanghai, mostly to settle and do business in England. The Kadoorie family now operates their business out of Hong Kong, although their mansions, hotels, and other sites remain in Shanghai. In the 1990s, the Kadoorie family donated a significant amount of money to help fund the preservation and restoration of what would later become the Shanghai Museum.[5]

Other key sites that were affected by the conflict are the buildings of the Hongkew district due to overcrowding of civilians before the invasion of the International Zone by Imperial Japan. After the relocation of civilians who were deemed “enemies” by the Imperial Japanese to internment camps, the buildings fell into disrepair during the Japanese occupation of the International Settlement beginning in 1941 and lasting until the end of the Asia-Pacific War in 1945.[6] These buildings were recovered by the Chinese government after the war, with many being repaired through the 1990s. Some of the buildings were converted into museums showcasing what life was like for those living in the Hongkew district. Many of the once lavish gardens, parks, and race tracks found in the International Zone did not survive the war and were later remodeled for new developments.[7] Modern areas of the International Zone have been converted for the use of tourists while others remain. Some have been interiorly remodeled interiorly or restored on the exterior to give a better picture of what the original looked like prior to the Asia-Pacific War and the Battle of Shanghai.

Image captured by Alexander Kochling, The Peace Hotel, June 24, 2024.

Post-war memory and identity: The Battle of Shanghai had a significant effect on post-war memory and identity among the residents of Shanghai. During the war, anti-Japanese sentiment soared due to the invasion of the Imperial Japanese Army, first beginning in northern Manchuria with the puppet state of Manchukuo. This puppet state would be established following the Mukden Incident, a false flag planting that allowed the Imperial Japanese Army to solidify its hold on Manchuria followed by establishing Manchukuo with the former Qing emperor Puyi as its official emperor. The Imperial Japanese Army, following the false flag planting and establishment of Manchukuo in the early 1930s, gathered their forces and continued moving south and west, conquering territory as they went.[8] This expansion occurred following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which was the precursor to the Battle of Shanghai and the Rape of Nanjing.[9] Tensions are still present between China and Japan as a result of the war and the atrocities committed throughout.

In terms of the zone’s post-war identity, the International Zone plays a key role in the idea of Shanghai as an international city. The concept of post-war identity also resonates with the changes in the governing of Shanghai. With the dissolution of British oversight of the International Zone after the war the former International Settlement would become incorporated into the broader city of Shanghai with a cohesive Chinese rule. Despite being united with the rest of the city in terms of oversight, the International Zone preserves the cultural identities of non-Chinese populations in Shanghai, some of which still live there today, while others have relocated to places such as Hong Kong. This plays a role in both Shanghainese cultural identity and British cultural identity as both wrestle with their post-war memories of colonialism in different ways. 

Image captured by Alexander Kochling, The International Avenue June 24, 2024.

Conclusion: While much of the International Settlement in Shanghai was spared by the Imperial Japanese Army until its takeover in 1941, the International Zone was still affected in unique ways by the Battle of Shanghai. The International Zone underwent significant changes during the Asia-Pacific War ranging from the destruction that occurred during the accidental bombing by the Chinese Air Force when they missed their intended target and Shanghai’s takeover by the Imperial Japanese, to the building and remodeling of buildings to house an influx of refugees amidst the previously settled populations. Many of the cultural sites are preserved thanks to the work of historians, urban and contemporary archeologists, museum curators, and city officials. This preservation impacts and helps to further modern cultural understanding of the International Zone and its presence before and during the war. Additionally, the International Zone plays a role in the cultural memory of the Battle of Shanghai and the Asia-Pacific War on the whole, allowing tourists to step back into the 1930s and 1940s while having the experience of modern amenities, as well as the contrast of the modern city.   

Image captured by Alexander Kochling, Modern Shanghai, June 24, 2024.

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