Soong Ching Ling Memorial Residence in Shanghai (上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆)
Museum · Xuhui · Shanghai. Soong Ching Ling's 1920 villa on Huaihai Road, kept as she lived in it.
Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/soong-ching-ling-memorial-residence · Data checked 2026-10-02 · Rendered for 2026-10-03 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.
Why go
Soong Ching Ling (宋庆龄), wife of Sun Yat-sen and later honorary president of the People's Republic, lived in this 1920 European-style villa for about 25 years and called it home. The rooms are kept as she left them, with her two official cars in the garage and a large lawn ringed by camphor trees. It is a short, quiet visit on a leafy stretch of Huaihai Road.
What to do
- Walk through her rooms. The ground floor keeps the hall, living room, dining room and east and west studies; upstairs are her bedroom, study and the room of her long-time housekeeper Li Yan'e.
- See her two state cars. The garage holds a ZIM saloon given by the Soviet government in 1952 and a 1970s Hongqi limousine that Zhou Enlai had sent from Beijing for her use. Both are still kept in running order.
- Sit by the lawn. The 2,200 m² garden in front of the house is ringed by 28 camphor trees over a century old; she hosted tea parties here for foreign delegations in the 1950s. She also kept pigeons, the symbol of peace.
- Don't miss: The pigeon story: she fed her pigeons herself and gave a pair of white doves to President Sukarno of Indonesia in 1956.
- Best time: Weekday mornings; about an hour
- Skip if: Skip it if 20th-century Chinese political history does not interest you; the house is small.
Practical details
- Hours: 09:00–17:00 · closed Mon
- Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30
- Usually closed: Mon
- When a national holiday or special anniversary falls on Monday, it opens and the weekly closure moves to the first working day after the holiday.
- Admission: Ticketed · ¥20 adult
- Adult (18–59): ¥20
- Concession: Ages 6–18 and full-time students up to undergraduate level ¥10 (Valid ID or student card)
- Concession: Seniors aged 60–69 ¥10 (Valid ID)
- Free: Children 1.3 m and under, or aged 6 and under (Collect a ticket at the ticket service point)
- Free: Visitors aged 70+, people with disabilities, military and firefighters (Valid ID or certificate)
- Groups are limited to 20–50 people and must book 5 days ahead by phone.
- Booking: Buy in the WeChat mini-program first
- Soong Ching Ling Memorial Residence mini-program (上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆) — WeChat → search 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆 (mini-program) → buy ticket
- Online ticket QR code on the official visitor page (在线购票) — Open the page on a phone and scan the 扫码购票 code — https://www.shsoong-chingling.com/list-canguanyuyue.html
- Ticket service point (help with online purchase; free tickets) (票务服务点)
- Passport accepted: unknown — The museum asks for 'valid ID'; the 2023 guide names only the Chinese ID card.
- The museum has not authorised any third party to sell tickets or guiding; use the official channels.
- A 2023 third-party guide described real-name purchase and a 1–3 day window; the current museum page does not confirm these details.
- Last admission: 16:30
- Time to allow: About 1 hr
- Getting there: Line 10/11 · Jiaotong University · Exit 1 · 450 m
- Metro Line 10/11 to Jiaotong University (交通大学), Exit 1, about 6 min walk
- Show a taxi driver: 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆，徐汇区淮海中路1843号
- Map: Apple Maps · Amap 高德
- The museum gives 450 m from Exit 1; minutes are converted at about 80 m per minute.
- Address: 上海市徐汇区淮海中路1843号 / 1843 Middle Huaihai Road
- Foreign visitors: Buy in the museum mini-program
Not found yet
- booking.passport.accepted: The museum asks for 'valid ID'; whether the mini-program accepts a passport number is not published. (searched: official web, local guide web, web search (English), Reddit via Exa)
- booking.advance: A 2023 guide gave a 1–3 day sale window, but the current museum page does not confirm it. (searched: museum official booking page, Shanghai Bendibao 2023 guide)
Traveler tips
- Buy the ticket in WeChat before you go. Buy in advance in the museum mini-program 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆 or scan the official website's 扫码购票 code, then show the purchase code at the gate. Visitors claiming free admission collect a ticket at the service point with proof of eligibility. Caveat: The website does not confirm whether a foreign passport can complete the mini-program purchase. source
- Only buy from the official channels. The museum states that it has not authorised any third-party agent or individual to sell tickets or offer guiding inside. Ignore touts at the gate and resellers; tickets cost only ¥20 for adults, ¥10 for students and visitors aged 60–69, from the official mini-program or website. source
- Over 70 or a small child: free. Visitors aged 70 or over, children 1.3 m tall or under (or aged 6 and under), people with disabilities and some service groups enter free. Bring the ID that proves it and collect a free ticket at the ticket service point before entering. Students aged 6–18 or in full-time study up to undergraduate level pay ¥10. source
- Holiday Mondays open; closure moves later. The museum normally closes on Monday. When a national holiday or special anniversary falls on Monday, the published rule moves the closure to the first working day after the holiday. Check for a specific holiday notice before choosing a date. Caveat: No 2026 National Day notice was found; the 2024 two-day closure must not be applied to 2026. source
- Find the two state cars. In the garage beside the house are the cars she used after 1949: a ZIM saloon given by the Soviet government in 1952, and a Hongqi limousine made in Changchun in the 1970s that Premier Zhou Enlai had sent from Beijing for her. The museum says both still run. source
- Plan about an hour. The house is small and the museum asks visitors to keep their visit within about an hour; when it gets crowded, staff slow the flow of people entering the main building. Arrive around 16:00 or earlier for a 45–60 minute visit; 16:30 is only the final admission cutoff, and the site closes at 17:00. Allow time for the rooms, garage and garden. source
- Exit 1 at Jiaotong University. Take Metro Line 10 or 11 to Jiaotong University (交通大学) and leave by Exit 1; the museum gives 450 m to the gate at 1843 Middle Huaihai Road, about 6 minutes on foot. Buses 26, 44, 48, 72, 911, 920, 926 and 945 also stop nearby. source
- Leave luggage and ask for a guide. The service desk stores large luggage and lends wheelchairs, and it keeps a first-aid kit and lost-and-found. Staff guides and volunteers give tours, and the sign at the service desk shows the day's arrangements. You can also stamp a commemorative seal there. Caveat: Tour languages are not stated. source
Sources
- Shanghai Municipal People's Government (published 2024-03-19)
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆 (published 2024-09-30)
- 上海宋庆龄故居纪念馆 (published 2025-08-31)
- 上海本地宝 (published 2023-07-17)
- 上海发布 / Shanghai Municipal Government (published 2026-09-28)
- 上海市公安局 (published 2026-09-30)