The Soong House on Seymour Road: A Pictorial Tour

There are several Soong houses in Shanghai that you can visit, but the modest house on Shaanxi Bei Lu that was the family home for more than a decade is not open to the public. So, for your viewing pleasure, some photos (from our private 2020 visit)!

Built in 1908, the house was purchased in 1918 – or perhaps earlier, but the family didn’t move in until after patriarch Charlie Soong had died (of stomach cancer. Or was he poisoned? To discuss!) Before this, the family had lived in Hongkou for decades, so why the move? Perhaps it was daughter Mayling, then 20, who had complained that their Hongkou house wasn’t big enough, and who wanted to be closer to the Shanghai action? Perhaps the decision came from Mammy herself—maybe she wanted a fresh started, maybe, as a Shanghai girl, she, too, wanted to be closer to the city.