Soong Ch’ing-Ling’s residence, again
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This photo of the most famous villa on Avenue Joffre (Middle Huaihai Road) was posted on Reddit by a descendant of the original owner, the captain Leo R. Ball. Now known as Song Qingling’s Memorial Residence, the villa was built around 1921 and featured some nautical elements to suit the taste of the captain. The photo shows the wife and the little son of Leo R. Ball in the 1920s. The majestic camphor trees that make the garden so special were planted then!
Eventually, the Ball family moved to more modest accommodations in the French Concession, and the next residents of the villa were Doctor Alfred Virnich and his family (his clinic was also nearby). In 1945, after the end of the Japanese occupation, the Kuomintang turned the residence into a guest house for visiting diplomats.
In 1948, the Americans Roger and Helen Lapham moved into the house. Helen criticized the stuffy interior, with its abundant desks, chairs and spittoons but a critical shortage of comfortable beds. With her intervention, the villa obtained its rich carpets, custom-made in Tianjin, green chair upholstery and golden bamboo-themed curtains that still adorn the house. Accustomed to luxury, Sun Yat-sen's widow Soong Ching Ling (Song Qingling) lived here late in her life (she died in 1981), and the compound has since served as her memorial museum.
1803 Avenue Joffre // 1843 Middle Huaihai Road // 淮海中路1843号
Our article about this house in Russian: https://magazeta.com/arc-song-qingling