Yan'an Road (;

Shanghainese The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the Districts of Shanghai, central districts of the Shanghai, City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as ...

: Yi'ue Lu) is a road in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, a major east–west

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...

through the centre of the city. The modern Yan'an Road is in three sections, reflecting three connected streets which existed pre-1945: Avenue Edward VII, Avenue Foch and the Great Western Road. The streets were joined together under a common name by the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

government in 1945, then renamed in the early 1950s after the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

took over Shanghai. The road is named after

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...

, the Communist base during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

East Yan'an Road

East Yan'an Road stretches from the southern end of

the Bund The Bund or Waitan (, Shanghainese romanization: ''Nga3thae1'', , ) is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East Zhongshan Road No.1) within the former Shang ...

in the east to Xizang Road (near

People's Square People's Square is a large public square in the Huangpu District, Shanghai, Huangpu District of Shanghai. It is south of Nanjing Road (West) and north of Huaihai Road (East). People's Square is the site of Shanghai's municipal government head ...

and the customary centre of urban Shanghai) in the west. Yan'an Road East follows the course of an ancient canal, the West Yangjing Bang (the East Yangjing Bang was on the east side of the

Huangpu River The Huangpu (), formerly romanized as Whangpoo, is a river flowing north through Shanghai. The Bund and Lujiazui are located along the Huangpu River. The Huangpu is the biggest river in central Shanghai, with the Suzhou Creek being its maj ...

; the two were more closely connected when the Huangpu River was a small tributary of the larger

Suzhou Creek Suzhou Creek (or Soochow Creek), also called the Wusong (Woosung) River, is a river that passes through the Shanghai city center. It is named after the neighboring city of Suzhou (Soochow), Jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior ...

). The Yangjing Bang (also Yang-ching-pang and Yang-king-pang) was the boundary between the British Concession (later part of the

Shanghai International Settlement The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction ...

) to the north, and the

Shanghai French Concession The Shanghai French Concession; ; Shanghainese pronunciation: ''Zånhae Fah Tsuka'', group=lower-alpha was a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1943, which progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Th ...

in the south. It was also close to the walled Chinese city. The mix of nationalities in this area gave rise to the Chinese name "Yangjing Bang English" for

Chinese Pidgin English Chinese Pidgin English (also called Chinese Coastal English or Pigeon English; ) is a pidgin language lexically based on English, but influenced by a Chinese substratum. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was also Chinese Pidgin Englis ...

. In 1914–15, authorities in the two concessions co-operated to fill in the Yangjing Bang. The former canal along with the two narrow roads which ran alongside it together became a wide avenue and a major thoroughfare. In 1916, the two authorities agreed to name the new road "Avenue Edward VII", after

Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. In 1943, as part of a wholesale renaming of "Western" road names in Shanghai, the puppet government collaborating with the Japanese occupation renamed the road "Great Shanghai Road".上海特别市政府训令　中华民国32年10月8日(沪市四字第12468号)
(Order of the Government of the Special Municipality of Shanghai); dated 8 October, 32nd year of Minguo

943 Year 943 ( CMXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Allied with the Rus', a Hungarian army raids Moesia and Thrace. ...

(No. Hu Shi Four-12468) In 1945, the

government, after recovering Shanghai at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, renamed the road ''

Zhongzheng Zhongzheng or Chungcheng () is a common name for places, roads, schools or organizations in Chinese-speaking areas, though today predominantly in Taiwan. The majority of these places and things are named after Chiang Chung-cheng, the preferred g ...

Road East'', after

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

. The new Communist government of Shanghai renamed it ''Yan'an Road East'' in 1950 as part of the wholesale renaming of roads and parks named after

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

figures.上海市人民政府公告上海市新订若干条道路及公园名称　1950年5月25日(市秘四字第1209号)
(Notice of the People's Government of the Municipality of Shanghai: various new names for roads and parks established by the Municipality of Shanghai. Dated 25 May 1950 (No. Shi Mi Four-1209), ''Local History Office of the Municipality of Shanghai''. The eastern end of Yan'an Road East features a group of historic skyscrapers dating from the early 20th century. Further west, the road is today mainly lined with large contemporary skyscrapers, as well as several government office buildings. Other important historic sites along Yan'an Road East include the

Shanghai Natural History Museum The Shanghai Natural History Museum (; Shanghainese: Zånhae Zyzoe Pohvehguoe) is a museum dedicated to natural history in the city of Shanghai. It is one of the largest museums of natural sciences in China. Formerly housed in the Shanghai Cotto ...

, the

Great World The Great World () is an amusement arcade and entertainment complex located in Shanghai, China. Built in 1917 on the corner of Avenue Edward VII (now Yan'an Road) and Yu Ya Ching Road (now Middle Xizang Road), it was the first and for a long time ...

entertainment centre, and the

Shanghai Concert Hall Cadillac·Shanghai Concert Hall is located on the intersection of Yan'an Road and South Tibet Road of Huangpu District, Shanghai. It was founded in 1930 as Nanking Theatre. In 1949, its name was changed to Beijing Cinema. In 1959, it was renam ...

Central Yan'an Road

Yan'an Elevated Road Huashan Road Jingan Park

Central Yan'an Road also follows the course of a small canal (Chang Bang). The canal also became the boundary between the International Settlement and the French Concession after the two concessions expanded west in 1899 and 1914 respectively. In 1920, the canal was filled in, and the concession authorities agreed to name it "Avenue Foch", after French marshal

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...

. In 1943 it was renamed "Luoyang Road", in 1945 it was renamed "Zhongzheng Road Central", after Chiang Kai-shek, then renamed Yan'an Road Central in 1950. Yan'an Road Central is lined with commercial and residential buildings. Major landmarks include the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n neo-classical

Shanghai Exhibition Centre The Shanghai Exhibition Centre () or the Shanghai Exhibition Hall () is an exhibition and convention centre in central Shanghai. The building was built in 1955 as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Building () to commemorate the alliance between China ...

West Yan'an Road

West Yan'an Road stretches from the western end of central Shanghai to

Hongqiao Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of the two international airports of Shanghai and a significant airline hub of China. Hongqiao Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights, although the airport also serves international fl ...

, in what was once the western suburbs of Shanghai, but now largely urbanised. Yan'an Road West was built by the International Settlement's municipal council in two part. The eastern part in 1910 within the western extension of the International Settlement by filling in another canal, the Chaixing Bang. The western part was an "

extra-settlement road {{No footnotes, date=January 2021 300px, A map of the western districts of Shanghai in 1933, showing the extra-settlement roads area in the upper left. The extra-settlement roads ( zh, 越界築路) in Shanghai were roads constructed by the Shangh ...

", built in 1922 beyond the western boundary of the concession (a ''de facto'' land grab to extend concession authority beyond the agreed boundaries). The road was named the Great Western Road. In 1943 it was renamed "Chang'an Road", then in 1945 it became Zhongzheng Road West, and in 1950, Yan'an Road West. The east end of Yan'an Road West features a number of historic mansions, such as Kadoorie's House. To the west, Yan'an Road West once provided access to a number of large suburban estates and country retreats owned or used by members of the International Settlement's elites, including a golf club which is now the

Shanghai Zoo Shanghai Zoological Park (), or commonly Shanghai Zoo in short, is the main zoological garden in Shanghai. It is located near the township of Hongqiao (formerly Hung-Jao) and is administratively in Changning District. Shanghai Zoo was formerly k ...

. At its western end was a small aerodrome. Today, the road passes through several clusters of large commercial buildings including a large number of hotels, as well as several retreats set in large green spaces reserved for the use of the Communist Party and army elites. It was expanded to Huqingping Highway in 1995 alongside the Xuhong Railway from Gubei Road at Hongqiao Road. At its western end, it stops at Huqingping Highway (as well as the Outer Ring Road) and goes towards Hongqiao Road, which then become Yingbinyi Road, the entrance road to

Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of the two international airports of Shanghai and a significant airline hub of China. Hongqiao Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights, although the airport also serves international fl ...

Terminal 1.

West Yan'an Road Station West Yan'an Road () is the name of an interchange station between Lines 3 and 4 on the Shanghai Metro network. The station is named after Yan'an Road Yan'an Road (; Shanghainese: Yi'ue Lu) is a road in Shanghai, a major east–west thorough ...

at Kaixuan Road is a

Shanghai Metro The Shanghai Metro (; Shanghainese: ''Zaon6he5 Di6thiq7'') is a rapid transit system in Shanghai, operating urban and suburban transit services to 14 of its 16 municipal districts and to Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Served as a part of Shangha ...

station.

Post 1950 developments

In 1989, the Yan'an Road East Tunnel was built, connecting Yan'an Road to

Lujiazui Lujiazui, also known under its Shanghainese name Lohkatse (, , lit. meaning " heLu (surname 陸), Lu family's mouth"), is a locality in Shanghai, a peninsula formed by a bend in the Huangpu River. Since the early 1990s, Lujiazui has been dev ...

Pudong Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic city ...

, on the east side of the Huangpu River. Between 1995 and 1997, an elevated expressway was built along Yan'an Road, as the east–west axis of an urban elevated expressway network, beginning in the west at

and ending in the east with a left turn down a ramp onto the surface road of the Bund. In 2008, to improve the streetscape in this part of the city, the easternmost section of the expressway, from just east of the

, was demolished, replaced in part by the

Bund Tunnel The Bund Tunnel () is a sub-surface road and road tunnel in the city of Shanghai, China. The tunnel connects the districts of Hongkou to the north and Huangpu to the south. In the south, the tunnel begins on a stretch of South Zhongshan Road, ...

, a tunnel via which cars were funneled into a new underground roadway under the Bund. In 2017, a

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

line called Yan'an Road Medium Capacity Transit System (Route 71) opened along of Yan'an Road with 25 stops. The line is operated with

trolley bus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es running on dedicated transit lanes along the surface-level roadway (i.e. under the elevated expressway).

References

{{Shanghai Streets in Shanghai

East Yan'an Road

Central Yan'an Road

West Yan'an Road

Post 1950 developments

See also

References