Lions in Shanghai

On a visit to Shanghai a few years ago, one evening I decided to walk back to my hotel, the Bund (which, actually, is a 10-minute walk from the Bund). The weather was unusually warm for December.

I noticed an interesting emblem on a pair of gates located on Julu Lu. Representing a British government activity, the symbols are quite common: two vertical lions wearing kingly crowns and facing each other.

Inside the gates, the modernized structure was just another office building or apartment house. My guess is that the original building the lions were “protecting” was a private residence, perhaps for the British Consul, or maybe an important government commerce center.

It was impressive discovering the gates at night because the evening seemed to add a dimension to the pleasant mystery.

JOHN C. KIRCHGESNER

Demarest, NJ