Darroch Road was built by the Shanghai Municipal Council, the municipal authority of the Shanghai International Settlement. It was an "extra-settlement road", built outside the boundaries of the International Settlement, but over which the Settlement authorities had extraterritorial jurisdiction. It was named after John Darroch, a British missionary to China who had been received by the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. A primarily residential street, the golden age of the road was in the 1920s and 30s, when it attracted writers and other prominent residents, giving it a reputation as a vibrant centre of thought and literature. In 1943, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the puppet government collaborating with the Japanese occupation changed the road name to "Duolun", after a county in Inner Mongolia. It became an ordinary residential street, until a revived interest in Republican-era history led at the end of the 20th century to it becoming a popular tourist and shopping destination, and the closure of the street to traffic.
Duolun Road is representative of the historic architecture of the 20th century in Shanghai. A number of larger private residences were initially built by Chinese industrialists, and many were later purchased by political and military personalities. Prominent private residences include the Islamic-style influenced former residence of H.H. Kung; No. 210, which was for a time the home of Bai Chongxi ; and the Frenchneoclassical former residence of Tang Enbo. Fitch Memorial Church, named after George Field Fitch is a unique mixture of Chinese and western architectural styles, the only such mixed-style church to survive in Shanghai. The former campus of China Art University, in traditional style, was also where the League of Left-Wing Writers was founded. In the surrounding blocks, there is a well-preserved area of dense lilong housing, showcasing the typical urban texture of Shanghai-style residential architecture.
Regeneration and today
In order to counter degrading infrastructures and to rejuvenate the area, the local government launched a project of regeneration at the end of the century. A project began in 1998 to conserve and restore the historic buildings and turn them into museums, galleries, cafes or craft shops. In the project the local infrastructure was upgraded and new cultural elements such as street sculptures were added to the new pedestrian street. The sites of important historical events and residences of prominent historical people would be made more accessible and open to the public. A museum of modern art was also part of the project. Pedestrianisation was completed in 1999.
