Visiting the Peace Hotel Museum
Peace Hotel is a landmark building in Shanghai, situated at No. 20 East Nanjing Road in Huangpu District, where East Nanjing Road meets East Zhongshan 1 Road by the Bund. Built by the wealthy Jewish merchant Sir Victor Sassoon at a cost of 5 million taels of silver, the edifice was named after the Sassoon family upon completion. This Chicago School Gothic structure stands as Shanghai's first modern-style building in its modern architectural history, featuring uniquely themed suites from nine countries and an array of distinctive restaurants, banquet halls, multifunction rooms, bars, and a rooftop garden with panoramic views.
The two buildings at the eastern end of Shanghai's Nanjing Road are both called the Peace Hotel.
The Peace Hotel was formerly known as the Sassoon House and later the Cathay Hotel. As early as 1996, it was designated by the central government as one of the second batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.
The Shanghai Peace Museum is nestled within the Peace Hotel, existing as a unique part of it. It may well be the country's first museum housed within a hotel.
Visits require reservation via the “Huangpu Most Shanghai” WeChat official account. You can enter 10 minutes before your reserved time, and a 20-minute guided tour is provided. The guide is a graceful, soft-spoken young lady with clear articulation and a high-quality commentary. Besides the small museum, she also takes you to see the lobby, the movie corridor, and the Chaplin staircase. After the tour, you are free to explore on your own and take photos, which makes for a very pleasant visit.
The Peace Hotel has three doors along Nanjing Road; this is the easternmost one on Nanjing Road, and the tour starts from this entrance.
Enter through the revolving hall door: the lobby floor is paved with creamy white Italian marble, and antique bronze filigree chandeliers hang above, exuding luxury and elegance. Dubbed "the No.1 building in the Far East," it once served as a reception and leisure spot for aristocrats and celebrities; today ordinary people can also come and experience it.
The octagonal stained-glass dome in the hotel lobby, which lets in a flood of natural light, is one of the most impressive features of the Peace Hotel. The translucent glass at the apex is already a century old. The octagonal dome remains as it was when built in 1929, relying entirely on the lofty vault for natural illumination—this is how bright it looks at noon on a sunny day, quite luminous. The octagonal hall has four passageways pointing north, south, east, and west.
On the walls beneath the octagonal pavilion hang four massive silver reliefs, made of anhydrite covered with silver foil. They depict the life and cityscape of old Shanghai’s Bund: merchant ships busily carrying goods on the Huangpu River, rickshaws and trams ringing their bells on the streets. Although that era is long past, these scenes still seem to transport me back to those years.
In the center of the lobby stands a glass-art piece of a peace dove, created and donated by glass artist Shi Senbin for the Peace Hotel’s 90th anniversary. Shaped by traditional liuli (colored glass) techniques and infused with deconstructive modern artistic language, it gracefully captures the dove spreading its wings. Made of 1,580 glass pieces and weighing one ton, the dove is life-like, serene yet romantic—perfectly matching the hotel’s name and spirit.
In many decorations and seemingly inconspicuous places around the Peace Hotel, you’ll often spot the pattern of two greyhound dogs. These were the beloved dogs of hotel founder Sassoon, who was said to be passionate about horse racing and dog racing. The antique bronze filigree chandeliers add to the luxurious, classic ambiance.
To the right of this door is the Jasmine Lounge, and to the left is the famous Jazz Bar. The Jasmine Lounge on the ground floor of the Peace Hotel is steeped in the unique charm of old Shanghai. Elegant, melodious songs waft through the restaurant, and the smiles of the staff leave the deepest impression. Enjoying a warm afternoon tea here is the ultimate cozy indulgence. When evening falls, I walk to the other side of the restaurant, because by then the hotel’s most emblematic Old Jazz Band has struck up their instruments.
The Old Jazz Band consists of six musicians who have dedicated over half a century to music, with an average age of 82. The screen at the entrance displays the original six members of the band. The band’s founder and captain, Zhou Wanrong, along with drummer Cheng Yueqiang, were members of the first all-Chinese jazz band in the 1940s that swept through Shanghai’s Paramount Ballroom—the Jimmy King Band. The band has been invited overseas 27 times to the United States, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan, performing for countless distinguished guests, including former U.S. President Barack Obama and King Harald V of Norway.
The door leading to the west wing corridor—I didn’t dare step inside.
The layout of the Peace Hotel lobby resembles the Chinese character 丰 (feng), the vertical stroke connecting to the corridor that leads to the Bund entrance. That corridor feels like a time tunnel, linking the long hotel passageways, and is called the Movie Corridor.
Since the 1930s, the Peace Hotel, with its legendary luxury, has been a favorite shooting location for films. In 1937, the classic movie "Street Angel," starring Zhao Dan and Zhou Xuan, was filmed at the Bund. Over the following decades, more than 40 well-known domestic and international films have shot scenes at the Peace Hotel, including "City Without Night," "The Unfading Radio Wave," "Centre Stage," "The Great Shanghai 1937," and "Leaving Me, Loving You."
The corridor leading to the east entrance and the Chaplin staircase is lined with movie stills from films shot at the Peace Hotel. The ceiling fixtures, wall lamps, color schemes, and patterns along the way are simply exquisite.
During the walk, I notice photographs hanging on both walls of the corridor; the guide explained these were all taken by Shanghai’s renowned photographers.
The Peace Hotel’s distinctive architectural style is an important part of the “International Architecture Exhibition of Shanghai.” The South Building is an apartment building reminiscent of the Renaissance, while the North Building is a Gothic structure in the American Chicago School style. A photo shows the suite where Sir Sassoon used to stay—now the Sassoon Presidential Suite. Pictures of the Peace Hotel’s “Nine-Country Specialty Suites”—Chinese, British, American, French, German, Indian, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish—offer a glimpse into this unique feature.
Walk through this archway and you step straight into the 1930s Peace Hotel, because everything inside remains just as it was. A vintage staircase, a famous photo spot, also appeared in "Tiny Times 3"; even the great comedian Charlie Chaplin once stayed here. Known as the Chaplin Staircase, it is the most distinctive and beautiful part of the Peace Hotel.
A certain photo doesn’t clearly show where it was taken.
A sculpture that I don’t know the name of—it was placed in the lobby before the 90th anniversary celebration.
The image below is a web photo.
This east entrance, like the other entrances of the Peace Hotel, is a brass revolving door under a high dome. The door isn’t wide, but there’s more than enough room for a person to pass through. The door near East Zhongshan 1 Road by the Bund remains closed practically year-round. According to a feng shui master, “Inside the door faces a staircase, and outside it faces the Huangpu River. If the door opens, money from the banks will flow right into the river.”
The Peace Hotel Museum is right inside the Peace Hotel. Admission is free. Just inside the entrance to the right, a small staircase leads up a narrow flight of steps to a mezzanine level, where the museum exists as a unique space.
The museum displays an array of “antique-grade” items engraved with “Cathay Hotel” — copper ice jugs, copper key tags, copper thermoses, copper ashtrays, silver spoons, vintage utensils, Art Deco furniture, and related old newspapers and books, all steeped in the patina of history. They record the splendor left behind by the original owner Sassoon and his star-studded, politically important friends. It is the first museum in China established within a hotel. In this hushed, hotel-exclusive Peace Museum, one can see a collection of silverware, porcelain, crystal ornaments, antiques, various items once used in the hotel, photographs of celebrities and dignitaries who have stayed here, and hotel brochures from different eras. Some exhibits were donated by hotel guests or former employees. This is also a small exhibition hall showcasing historical artifacts from times past. You may not know all the stories behind them, but you can still soak up a sense of the atmosphere.
The guided tour during the visit gives you a glimpse into the hotel’s history and stories. Displayed items used in the “Cathay Hotel” from 1929 to 1952 bear the logo—CH. The old objects in the hotel museum reveal the imprint of that era. To protect the prominent guests who stayed here, specially designed non-standard key tags were issued: too sharp to keep in a bag, could injure you if put in a trouser pocket—safest left at the front desk. In the 1930s, for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations held at the Cathay Hotel, the hotel could record a small aluminum record as a souvenir. Because recording equipment was limited, each disc could hold only four minutes. Back home, you could play it on a 78 rpm manual phonograph with a bamboo needle.
By 1952, the name changed from “Cathay Hotel” to “Peace Hotel,” and the logo on items changed accordingly.
The building was completed in 1929 at a cost of US$5 million. Originally called the “Sassoon House,” it was Shanghai’s first true building of over ten stories. The founder, Victor Sassoon, decided to create the most modern luxury hotel within the Sassoon House, one that would represent the pinnacle of Shanghai lifestyle. Thus the “Cathay Hotel” came into being. Sassoon loved Shanghai very much; he reserved the entire 10th floor as his private apartment. This lavish space, occupying the whole floor, was for Sassoon alone. Its dark-green pyramidal roof, about 10 meters tall, became a distinctive landmark on the Bund. Inside there were nine country-themed suites: British, Italian, Indian, German, French, American, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese.
The Sassoon House was invested by the Cathay Land Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the British-owned E. D. Sassoon & Co., with 2.4 million yuan. Built at No. 20 on the Bund (at Nanjing Road), it is a 10-story building (with a partial 13th floor) with a total height of 77 meters, making it the tallest building on the Bund at the time. Its construction area is 36,317 square meters. In 1872, the British Jew Elias Sassoon established the E. D. Sassoon & Co. in Bombay. In 1877, it set up a branch in Shanghai and purchased the 11 mu 7 fen property at No. 20 on the Bund from the American firm Augustine Heard & Co. Demolition of the old building began in April 1926, and the new building was inaugurated on September 5, 1929. Its architectural style is Art Deco, and its 19-meter-tall dark-green pyramidal copper roof has long been another prominent symbol of the Bund. The architect was the well-known Palmer & Turner Group. The ground-floor west lobby and the 4th to 9th floors housed the Cathay Hotel, the top luxury hotel in Shanghai at the time, with rooms in nine national styles. The ground-floor east lobby was leased to the Netherlands Trading Society and the Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, and the top floor was Sassoon’s own luxurious residence.
At that time in 1929, Art Deco architecture was just emerging in the West. The Sassoon House adopted the Chicago School design prevalent in the U.S. The massing, composition, and ornamental details were already greatly simplified. The 19-meter dark-green pyramid roof is a turning point in the architectural history of the Bund, marking the shift from Neoclassicism to Art Deco.
The jewel-like roof is 19 meters tall, nearly a quarter of the building’s height. Opposite it now stands Chen Yi Square; originally it wasn’t dedicated to Chen Yi but had some British governor’s statue or the like. That was destroyed during the Japanese invasion, and after liberation the statue of Chen Yi was installed.
The green pyramid roof has always been an eye-catching, iconic feature of the Peace Hotel. But why is it green? In fact, it was originally yellow—bare copper. Copper oxidizes when exposed to wind and rain, gradually turning into a mottled green patina. Finally, for the sake of appearance, it was simply painted all green. The origin of the color is quite unexpected.
Historical milestones: 1929 to 1952. When completed in 1929, it was the tallest building in the Far East. The interior of the building was extremely luxurious; nearly everything was imported from the West. It was the most beautiful, most opulent hotel in the Far East, attracting aristocrats, high officials, and celebrities of the time. Movie stars like Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and Anna May Wong all stayed here. At that time, the hotel was said to rank among the top in the world, filled with products from Europe and America. Every room had an indoor telephone and 24-hour hot water, which was quite remarkable back then. The name “Cathay” in “Cathay Hotel” is now usually translated as “Guotai,” but in ancient European languages it originally meant Khitan or Cathay, i.e., China. By 1940, the Japanese had begun to target the Anglo-American concessions, and these extraterritorial territories started to be occupied. The Sassoon House did not escape its fate; the Japanese took it over and used it as a place for house arrest, locking up some wealthy merchants from Shanghai and coastal areas. Although they were fed and the Cathay Hotel provided good service, they had completely lost their freedom.
In 1941, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, all of Sassoon’s real estate in Shanghai was confiscated by the Japanese puppet regime as enemy property. After the Japanese defeat, Victor Sassoon gradually recovered his assets, but the golden age of business had passed, so he began to withdraw funds overseas. Later, the building was bought by the Shanxi Yuhua Bank controlled by H. H. Kung. In 1949, after the liberation of Shanghai, the Sassoon company was insolvent. Through the coordination of the Shanghai municipal government, it was agreed that the Sassoon House would be used as assets to pay off the company’s outstanding land taxes, management fees, utility bills, employee wages, and so on.
After 1945, the Japanese left, and the hundred-year concession leases expired. Those overseas tycoons, seeing that their home countries were stabilizing and that Shanghai was no longer a place to linger, returned home. Wealthy mainland merchants mostly developed their business in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, or elsewhere. After 1949, the government introduced policies on property taxes, land taxes, and the like, which greatly affected the Cathay Hotel. Without high-end consumption, it ran at a loss and its operations deteriorated. By 1952, because it was insolvent, the entire building was transferred to the people’s government. It then served as the municipal government office, where Chen Yi, Pan Hannian, and others worked.
From 1952 to 1956, it was a government office. In 1956, the Shanghai municipal government moved its offices to the Bund, to what is now the Pudong Development Bank, and the building once again became a hotel. It was then that the Cathay Hotel was renamed the Peace Hotel, inspired by the International Peace Conference held in 1955, hence the new name. In 1965, when the former Palace Hotel at No. 19 on the Bund was merged into it, they became respectively the North Building (No. 20) and the South Building (No. 19) of the Peace Hotel.
From April 1, 2007, the Peace Hotel stopped taking room reservations as it prepared for a major renovation starting in the first half of that year. After the 2007 renovation, the South Building was leased to the Swatch Group for 30 years. The ground floor houses top-end brand boutiques for four watch marques, while upstairs there are 27 rooms, which are not open to the public but by invitation only to globally renowned artists who stay for free and leave their works.
The hotel was renovated again between 2007 and 2010, just before the World Expo. On July 28, 2010, after three years of renovation costing HK$500 million, the century-old Bund landmark, once known as the “No.1 Building in the Far East,” officially reopened. Though the Chinese name remained “Peace Hotel,” the English name was changed to “Fairmont Peace Hotel.”
At the state banquet of the China International Import Expo, the “CIIE Feast” and “Magnolia Enamel” tableware series were presented. The “CIIE Feast” tableware uses imported gold paste from Germany, combined with intricate craftsmanship and relief techniques to display well-defined, luxurious layers. The “Magnolia Enamel” tableware incorporates the cloisonné enamel technique normally found in traditional clocks and watches.
A centerpiece cold-dish plate with a hemispherical dome-shaped cover is especially distinctive; the front and back feature symmetrical patterns of the Shanghai shikumen (stone-framed gate), surrounded by classic architectural motifs of both banks of the Huangpu River and the city flower of Shanghai, the white magnolia. Simple yet elegant, it is a striking piece. The invitation card is also shaped like a shikumen gate.
