Shaanxi Road S. Station:

Technically, the Shanghai Science Hall isn’t considered a sightseeing spot. It’s a conference venue owned by the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in and sneak some snaps.

The two-story building was originally a French-style villa with a large garden, completed in 1926. It first served as a French school, changing to its current purpose in 1958. Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai after the People’s Republic of China was established, wrote the inscription “ke xue hui tang” (science hall) for the site.

On a typical afternoon, entering the building feels like walking into a European palace. Lattice windows cast light and shadows along a long corridor. The walls are filled with old black-and-white photos of historical events.

The corridor leads to the main hall of the villa, where a huge stained-glass window covers an entire wall. On a sunny day, the yellows and greens of the window are reflected on a polished wood floor, creating a dreamy view.

Most of the rooms in the villa have been modified into conference rooms, but small meeting spaces in hallways are more impressive than the grand halls.

In some of those spaces, Chinese-style decorations, such as lanterns, inscribed boards and screens, mix with Western-style sofas and carpets. It is a harmony of opposites.

Roaming around the villa, you might be stopped by security guards, but they are usually quite understanding of curiosity about the venue. If you ask them nicely, they usually allow you to linger.

Adjacent to the building is Fuxing Park, one of the earliest in Shanghai. Built around a century ago on a barracks site, it is one of the best preserved French-style gardens in China.

A grand sunken flower bed with a fountain dominates the park. A monument to René Vallon, a French pilot who died in an aerobatic flight over Shanghai in 1911, was removed in the 1950s.

The garden has been modified and expanded over the years to become something more than just a French garden. A Chinese-style pond and rockeries have been added, and a statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels erected in 1985 has become another icon of the park.

Address: 47 Nanchang Rd

Fuxing Park (Yandang Road Gate)

Address: 105 Yandang Rd