“Central Station”, they called it. This grand building before us, now known as the \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740, was once the heart of the Shanghai Municipal Police.
Let’s delve into the history of this place. The \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740, or Central Police Station, represents the formal establishment of the Shanghai Public Concession police force. The original police force was formed in 1854 with just 29 constables.
The \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 was first located on Henan Road. As the police force grew, it needed a larger, more central headquarters.
The building we see today was constructed between 1933 and 1935. Before that, from 1892 to 1894, a four-story building designed by Whitfield & Kingsmill was built on the corner of Henan Road and Fuzhou Road. The police moved in the summer of 1894.
In 1933, a new ten-story building was constructed. It stood opposite the Shanghai Public Concession Engineering Bureau. This new Central Police Station, the \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740, boasted a simple exterior but a luxurious interior. Construction of \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 was completed in May 1935.
Imagine the bustling activity within these walls. The Shanghai Municipal Police was a diverse force. Initially, it was composed mainly of Europeans, mostly Britons. Chinese officers joined in 1864. Over time, the force expanded to include Sikh, Japanese, and Russian contingents.
The Shanghai Municipal Police played a crucial role in maintaining order within the Shanghai International Settlement. They dealt with everything from petty crime to political unrest. They even developed innovative policing techniques in response to rising crime rates.
However, the \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 also has a dark past. In 1925, police officers opened fire on Chinese demonstrators. This tragic event sparked the May Thirtieth Movement.
In 1941, the Japanese army occupied the International Settlement. The police force came under Japanese control. Following the end of the International Settlement in 1943, the \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 was taken over by the Wang Jingwei regime.
Today, the \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 serves as a reminder of Shanghai’s complex history. It stands as a testament to the city’s colonial past and its evolution into the modern metropolis we see today. In 1994, the building was listed as one of Shanghai’s Outstanding Historical Buildings.
The \u516c\u5171\u79df\u754c\u603b\u5de1\u6355\u623f\u65e7\u5740 is now part of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. It continues to serve the city, albeit in a very different capacity than it did in its tumultuous past.