VILLA BASSET
The Century Anniversary of the French Consul House in Shanghai
First great Western nation to proceed with an exchange of ambassadors with the People’s Republic of China in 1964, in the name of “evidence and reason” (De Gaulle), France was also, after the launch of the policy of openness and reforms, the first to install a consulate general in Shanghai on October 21, 1980.
In 1980, the new consulate moved in the Villa Basset, built in 1921 by the French architects of Crédit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient. It remains today the Residence of the Consul General and an emblematic place of the French presence in Shanghai. Over the past century, the Villa has seen many personalities who have marked the Franco-Chinese relationship. The centenary of the Villa Basset is therefore an opportunity to highlight the unique role played by Shanghai, formerly called the “Paris of the Orient”, in the history of Franco-Chinese relations, but also to look to the future and imagine the relations between France and Shanghai in the coming century.
The Consulate General of France in Shanghai presented, in partnership with centdegrés and the French community and businesses, a series of events to rediscover Villa Basset and reinvent the relationship between Shanghai and France.
This so-called “Mediterranean” house has been listed as a heritage site for the city of Shanghai since 1994. centdegrés is proud to have designed the visual identity and creative tools to support the Villa Basset century anniversary!
