Landmark: The Okura Hotel

The Okura Hotel at 58 Maoming South Road near Changle Road in Shanghai is formerly the Cercle Sportif Française, once the most luxurious private club in the French quarter, with its grand ballroom, swimming pool, lounges, and wicker sofas. The Grand Ballroom still bears its beautiful stained-glass ceiling lights. This club served as Mao Zedong’s private quarters whenever he visited Shanghai, which perhaps explains the eight-room underground concrete bunker that connects to the Jin Jiang Hotel across the street.

View this landmark on our interactive map and listen to stories in our year-long Marketplace series examining China’s changing economy, The Street of Eternal Happiness.