Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Monkey King performance at the Longhua Pagoda
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
ahui Cangshu Lou; 80 Caoxi Road; tel: 6487 4095 ext. 208; Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; library
tours Sat, but call ahead to reserve), built in 1847 on land that had been donated by Paul Xu
centuries before, was Shanghai's first public library. The ground floor of the two-storey build-
ing is designed in the style of a classical Qing-era library, while the beautiful upper storey is a
fine copy of the Vatican Library. The Bibliotheca holds 80,000 volumes in several languages
and includes collections inherited after their owners had fled Shanghai, including that of the
Royal Asiatic Society. There's a very fine wooden carving of St Ignatius of Loyola on his
deathbed and another of St Francis in the public reading room on the second floor.
