Tucked away on Weihai Road, Cha House is no ordinary building. Completed in 1920, the grand Baroque-style villa was once the residence of the Qiu brothers, celebrated as the "paint kings" of their era.

In the later years it became a school building, echoing with the voices of students from the Shanghai Minli High School. Through the decades, it quietly witnessed the sweeping transformations of the city's cultural and urban landscape.

At the turn of the 21st century, the mansion underwent a full restoration and was renamed Cha House in honor of Cha Chi-ming (1914-2007), the renowned Hong Kong industrialist and philanthropist.

The project gained renown in 2013 when engineers achieved the extraordinary feat of shifting the entire structure 57 meters in just 13 days to save it from redevelopment. After five years of meticulous repair, the mansion reopened in 2018, reclaiming its place as a landmark.

Today, Cha House stands at the crossroads of heritage and modernity. Its newest chapter comes with a distinctly British flourish: Harrods, the iconic London department store, has chosen this historic site for its first Chinese tea room. The Harrods Tea Rooms bring a quintessential English afternoon tea experience to Shanghai, infused with the elegance and refinement that define the brand.

The design strikes a rare harmony. From the outside, Cha House preserves its stately early-20th-century charm. Within, Harrods' signature English interiors welcome guests, blending European heritage and British luxury in a uniquely Shanghai setting.

If you go

Address: 1F, Cha House, No 420 Weihai Road, Jing'an district

Business hours: Daily, 10 am to 10 pm

Metro Line 13: Exit 8, West Nanjing Road Station

Sources: Official WeChat accounts of Shanghai Jing'an Media Center at "jaxwzx" and Harrods