Former Residence of Song Qingling

Over the course of her life, Song Qingling lived in this house for the longest period of time. To Song Qingling, Shanghai was her place of birth, and she is quoted as saying, "I go to work in Beijing, but I come home to Shanghai." Song returned to Shanghai for the final time during the Spring Festival from December 1979 to February 1980. After spending her holiday here, Song returned to Beijing. She fell ill and died on May 29, 1981 at the age of 88.

Passing down a long outdoor corridor will take you deep into the heart of the Song Qingling residence. Lined with luxuriant old camphor trees, this path is cool and comfortable in the summer time. Emerging from the corridor takes you right into the memorial plaza. A white marble statue of Song Qingling can be seen here, and it coordinates well with the surroundings. The residence's main building is a three storey milk-white structure shaped like a ship.

Built at the beginning of the twentieth century, the structure was built by a Greek ship captain as his own personal dwelling. After the end of World War Two, the property was confiscated by the Kuomintang Central Trust Bureau as property of the enemy regime. In a letter to a friend, Song Qingling once wrote that she wanted to leave the Sun Yat-sen residence and have it turned into national monument, a memorial for people to visit and look upon with reverence. Chiang Kai-shek gave personal orders to have this former Greek property authorized for Song Ringling's use. In 1948, she moved out of the Sun Yat-sen building and into her new home.

Today the residence shows Song Ringling's house just as it was when she lived there. The rooms are decorated simply but gracefully with gentle tones. There is a restaurant next door that Song visited frequently. An avid reader, Song had two studies on the first floor where she would often work and write. Sometimes she would do nothing, just sitting quietly and looking out on the property. You do not need to set aside a large amount of time to see the whole residence, but the garden outside is a nice place to linger and enjoy the silence.

There are all kinds of Song Qingling books, postcards, and other materials on sale at the entrance.

Travel Information

Address: Located at 1843 Huaihai Zhonglu. You can get here on foot from Hengshan Lu. It will take you about 15 minutes to walk from the Hengshan subway station.

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 1pm to 4pm.

Tickets: 8 RMB