The French Concession is the area of Shanghai that got its name in the mid 1800's when the French negotiated for its citizens the establishment and government of a small nook within the city. It probably got it's reputation as the "Paris of the East" because of the pleasant tree-lined streets, the fashionable air about the district and local Shanghainese bustle. The eclectic architecture was built with French and Belgian money and shows mixed Chinese-European styles, but the area did not benefit from the trading revenue that other areas of town realized. So by the 1930's it became the city's center of lawlessness and decadence, with denizens earning their keep through crime, gambling, prostitution and the operation of the famous opium dens.
It so happens that the old Mansion we were staying in was formerly owned by the Godfather of Shanghai - triad kingpin Du Yue-Sheng also known as "Big Ears." He represented all that was the outrageous, brash, lawless and decadent 1930's Old Shanghai.
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So as my Mom and Dad sat out on the veranda of their hotel room imagining life in old Shanghai what they didn't know to incorporate into their thoughts was that they were sitting on "Big Ears" Du's balcony and looking out on Du's view. Standing in the foot steps of the Chinese Godfather himself. Now that I am remembering our stay at the Mansion Hotel it was difficult to find any information on the old mansion's history. I guess the owners of the hotel didn't want us to incorporate the opium dens and concubines into our fairy tale of life in old Shanghai.
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