Russian Emigre Architects and Their Legacy in Shanghai

In the 1920s–1940s Shanghai was home to a large Russian diaspora, counting more than 30,000 persons in its heyday. Professional architects, engineers, decorators and contractors were a significant part of this community, and they worked on hundreds of projects, some of which survive to this day. The following article introduces the key figures among the Russian émigré builders, such as the architects Alexander Yaron, Wladimir Livin-Goldenstaedt, Gabriel Rabinovich and Emmanuel Gran, sculptors and interior designers Jacob Lehonos, Victor Podgoursky, Isabella Karsnitsky and Valentin Shabaeff, construction engineers Alexander Kooklin, Vladimir Dronnikoff, Ilarion Tomashevsky and Alexander Reyer, among others. By tracking down their careers and identifying their projects we demonstrate that the availability of Russian professionals enabled the growth of the foreign and Chinese construction firms and made a significant contribution to the rapid growth of the city in the 1920s and 1930s. The Shanghai Russian diaspora dissolved by 1930, but more than 80 Russian-built projects are still found in the streets of Shanghai. In spite of their high visibility and artistic value, they remain largely unrecognized and unattributed to their authors. This article makes a step towards better awareness of the Russian-built legacy in Shanghai and the impact of the Russian diaspora.