Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party Building

Address: Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, 76 Xingye Road (near Xintiandi), Huangpu District, Shanghai

Website: http://www.sites-of-memory.sh.cn/firstcongress

Hours: Tue-Sun 9:00am-5:00pm, closed Mondays

Admission: Free entry to the historic site; museum admission may apply

The Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai marks the building where delegates held the founding meeting in July 1921; the location is preserved as a museum in the city’s Xintiandi area.

The preserved shikumen house contains exhibition rooms with documents, photographs and displays relating to the founding congress and the early history of the Chinese Communist Party. The museum covers the July 1921 meetings and explains how the congress concluded in Jiaxing on South Lake.

Delegates to the congress initially gathered in Shanghai in July 1921 to found the Party; because of security concerns the meeting was later transferred to a boat on South Lake in Jiaxing to finish its sessions. The Shanghai site has since been preserved and converted into a museum and memorial.

Situated in the Xintiandi area of central Shanghai, the site is located in the former French Concession district and is accessible from Huangpu District transport links.

• Meeting date and outcome: The First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party met in July 1921 in Shanghai; the meeting was later moved to a boat on South Lake in Jiaxing to complete its proceedings.

What to See#

• Former congress site and museum: The preserved shikumen building in Shanghai’s Xintiandi area that served as the location for the First National Congress; it now functions as a museum and memorial to the 1921 meeting.

From People’s Square or Xintiandi metro stations, walk 10-15 minutes east into the lanes of the former French Concession to reach the museum at 76 Xingye Road. Local signage in Xintiandi points toward the historic site.

• Go early to avoid tour groups from the nearby Xintiandi district - the rooms are small and fill quickly.
• The guided audio and labels explain the delegates' seating and the coexistence of multiple meeting sites (the original meeting moved between locations) - take time with those details.
• Combine the visit with a walk through the Old French Concession streets nearby to see Shanghai's layered urban history.