ABSTRACT
Opened in the late 1930s, Meilongzhen Restaurant is a celebration of Chinese gastronomic tradition in a setting that bears resemblance to the gentlemen’s clubs of European capitals of the era. With its generous layout of lounges and rooms on three floors, Meilongzhen epitomises the sophistication and cosmopolitanism of pre-World War II Shanghai, the ‘Paris of the East’ that attracted merchants and fortune seekers from around the world. In 1938, two opera lovers opened Meilongzhen Restaurant on Weihai Road, one block south of its current location, taking the name for good luck. It proved appropriate; like the villagers in Meilong, the restaurant mostly served simple dishes. Eventually Meilongzhen’s chefs combined flavours from both Shanghai and Sichuan cuisines, making Sichuan duck their signature dish. During the Cultural Revolution, Meilongzhen was added to a list of places associated with colonialism and capitalism.
