HuaiHai Road was first built in 1900. It's original name is Xijiang Road. The road changed name several times over the next 50 years. In 1915, the French changed its name to commemorate their noted General Joseph Joffre (1852- 1931), who had recently defeated the German army in a battle. Avenue Joffre, became an unforgettable memory in the Shanghai senior peoples mind. Later, Shanghai municipality changed the name to Huaihai Middle Road, to commemorate the success of the HuaiHai Campaign.
Completed in 1924, the eight-storey building was designed by the renowned Hungarian-Slovak architect László Hudec (1893–1958), who designed many landmarks in Shanghai. It is in the French Renaissance style and is the oldest veranda-style apartment building in Shanghai. There's an urban legend that the name was to commemorate Normandie, a World War I-era battleship. However no such battleship served in WWI in the French Navy. The building looks like a ship from one direction. The unusual wedge-shape of the building is reminiscent of the Flatiron Building in New York City.
The cache is not quite at the building, but close by.
BYOP