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Opium, Steam, and Power: The Story Behind no. 17 Fuzhou Lu

Our little Bund beauty has been operating since October 2013, but we thought you might be interested to hear the history behind the walls that play host to Liu Dao’s varied artworks. You may know that the space occupied by island6 Bundwas formerly the home of the fabulous studio rouge, which was founded by George Michell in 2004. island6 took over the 17 Fuzhou Lu location after Michell decided to focus his curatorial brilliance on his Hong Kong locations. island6 Bund sits at the corner of Fuzhou Lu and Zhongshan Lu in the shadow of Pudong’s glittering skyline, but our little corner and the bustling Fuzhou Lu have their own alluring history.

island6 Bund at no. 17 Fuzhou Lu

Branching off of the famous Zhongshan Lu waterfront, Fuzhou Lu is one of the oldest streets in our fair city. Cultural staples have long taken up residence on the leafy street that island6 Bund calls home, which was dappled with bookstores and publishing houses in the nineteenth century. [1] Albert Einstein was one of the many intellectuals who once strolled down this bustling street; he visited Fuzhou Lu in 1923 to deliver a lecture on the Theory of Relativity. [2] A number of international bookstores continue to thrive on Fuzhou, along with the requisite Shanghai magazine stands. If historic Fuzhou Lu was the spot du jour for bibliophiles, it was also the destination for lovers of another kind, with an estimated 151 “singsong” houses crowding the sidewalks. [3] Books and consorts weren’t the only commodities to be had on our lovely street…

Historic Fuzhou Lu

Now divided into multiple buildings and street numbers (17 and 19), the edifice on Fuzhou Lu is one of the oldest on The Bund; our stately gray structure was completed during the Qing Dynasty, in 1857. [4] The building was home to the American trading company, Russell & Co., which was founded in Guangzhou, and dealt in the exotic Eastern goods of tea, silk, and that ultimate prize – opium. [5] Russell & Co. established the first navigation sub company – the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company – which at one time controlled eighty percent of Chinese navigation on the Yangtze, and allowed its parent company to enjoy the “era of Russell & Co.” in Chinese navigation between 1862 and 1877. [6]

Samuel W. Russell, Founder of Russell & Co.

During its heyday, no.17 Fuzhou Lu’s former proprietors played a key role in Shanghai politics, and most of the American consuls of the time had connections to the company. [7] Russell & Co. eventually lost control of the navigation business, when the first Chinese shipping company – China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company – set up a rival steamship business in 1872, and bought out Russell & Co. in 1877. [8] The China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company established its headquarters right next door, on the site of the former Russell & Co.’s riverfront garden. [9] The red brick, Neo-Renaissance, no.9 Zhongshan Lu was constructed in 1901, and is still attached to 17 Fuzhou by a narrow corridor. [10] No. 9 has enjoyed a prominent spot along the Bund waterfront ever since, is frequently exclaimed over in Shanghai travel guides, and often has its view obscured by double-decker tour buses cooing over its well-preserved façade.

Cover of a China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company Brochure

No.9 Zhongshan Lu

Whew! There you have it. Who knew we had set up shop in the former home of one of Shanghai’s most powerful enterprises? Well, we can definitely sense some kind of otherworldly power emanating from our walls, but we suspect it’s just Liu Dao’s artworks beckoning to us. In more recent history, our home on the Bund hosted a Grand Openingexhibition from its debut on November 22, 2013 until mid-March. More recently, island6 Bund has been occupied by a smorgasbord of illicit delights in the ongoing exhibition, , which you may partake of until April 28 th.

So, head on down to our little nook at 17 Fuzhou Lu to absorb some Shanghai history, and to propel yourself into Shanghai’s future with island6.

[1] http://www.echinacities.com/Shanghai/city-guide/Shanghais-Fuzhou-Road-More-than-Just-a-Book-Street.

[2] http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/Shopping/Special-Shopping-Street/200810/14-101.html.

[3] ibid.

[4] http://www.idealshanghai.com/features/1247/.

[5] James Z. Gao, : (Lanham, Maryland: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2009) 302.

[6] Gao, , 302.

[7] ibid., 303.

[8] Zhaojin Ji, , (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Inc., 2003), 62.

[9] http://www.idealshanghai.com/features/1247/

[10] http://www.chinese-architecture.info/BUND/SH-BU-005.htm.

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