The site of the first Chinese Communist Party Congress in 1921
The students and I visited the Xintiandi section of Shanghai today. This neighborhood is home to the museum that commemorates the site of the first congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. Here, firebrand iconoclasts like Chen Duxiu and Marxist philosophers like Li Dazhao built the party that would come to dominate China some two decades-plus later.
The birthplace of the CCP to the right, a gateway to shops and restaurants to the left
The location of this museum couldn’t be more incongruous. It is surrounded by what could only be described as a frenzy of consumer capitalism. Just to the left of the museum entrance is a gateway to fashionable cafes, bars, restaurants, and shops. And the city blocks surrounding this street are absolutely filled with high-end shops and malls.
The students enjoy an ice cream in Xintiandi
It’s hard to imagine what Chen Duxiu, or for that matter, Mao would think of this neighborhood if he came back and saw what it has become. But I think it’s pretty safe to say they’d be confused.
In any event, it’s a nice place to stop for an ice cream on a hot day. And Shanghai has more than it’s share of hot days.
