French Club Traditional Cache
Crow T Robot: Please contact me if this one is resolved. Thanks.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The cache is located inside the garden of the former "cercle Sportif Francais"
The old building has been renovated and a high rise tower has been built on top to host the Okura Garden Hotel.
Residents loves the place as it is one of the few park in the city center when you can walk and sit on the grass. Great area for picnics and play with the kids without having to ride away from downtown.
The cache is a small lock&lock box. There is no pen so bring your own.
If you visit on weekends, chances are that many muggles will be around so use discretion when retrieving the cache.
About the Building:
At the end of Opium War in 1842, foreigners flowed into the port city of Shanghai. After the British built the British Settlement, the French established their own Concession. In 1900, about 600 French lived in the French Concession, but in 1920's, it was over 3,500. The French Club was built in 1926 by French architects, along the main boulevard of the French Concession, Avenue Joffre, now which is called Huai Hai Zhong Road. In the 1920's, the garden used to be a sports field. One could play tennis and "Petanque" in the Garden. In the 1950's, there was a domed pavilion built in the center of the garden to match these on the club roof, because, formerly, there were two on either side of the roof which were demolished in 1949.
The History of the Building
1926: the building was constructed as the French Club
1920's - 1930's: the building was used as the French Club
1940's: the building was used by the U.S. Army and an indoor swimming pool was built at the place of the current Oasis Cocktail Lounge
After the establishment of the P.R. of China in 1949, the building was used as a People's Culture Palace with the garden as a sports field
1959: Mao Ze Dong, the Chairman of Chinese Communist Party, stayed here for a period and the garden had some changes to match the use of his leisurely walk
1960's and 1970's: the building was vacant and guarded by the army
From the end of 1970's: the building was renamed as Jin Jiang Club
1985: a renovation project started to create the Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai
1989: the renovation was finished
20th March of 1990: the Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai opened and the building joined the new tower to incorporate the hotel, lobby, function rooms, business center and Rose Coffee Shop
The Garden:
After the establishment of the people's republic of china, the club was used as the people's culture palace, the garden as soccer field and sports field. In 1959, when Chairman Mao stayed here, walking path was paved and trees were planted so that the garden was created as the present form. a domed pavilion was built there to match those on the club roof, because, formerly, there were 2 domed pavilions on either side of the roof.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf ybpngrq ng gur fbhgu-jrfgrea pbeare bs gur cnex. Gurer vf n fznyy fgbar fgehpgher bss gur cngu, obk va va bar bs gur ubyybj ebpxf.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures