The building can be read 丨The roof of the Racecourse Hall: Wind Needle, Golden Horse, Red Moon

In February 1933, the Building of the Racecourse was inaugurated. The reddish-brown bricks and stones intersected, and the hands on the bell tower were bright, making it a landmark scene of Jing'an Temple Road (now Nanjing West Road). The new sensation writer Mu Shiying said: "On the roof of the racecourse, the golden horse on the wind needle spread four hooves towards the red moon..."

The Horse Racing Club, also known as the Racecourse, is actually a horse racing club. Where there are English gentlemen, there are racecourses, and this seems to be a law. In 1850, when there were only more than 200 Western expatriates in Shanghai, mainly British, they brought horse racing into the land that had only been open for seven years. Due to the competitive charm of horse racing and the temptation of gambling bonuses, this Western sports entertainment project has rapidly emerged in Shanghai. In 1862, when the racecourse appeared on Jing'an Temple Road, three places had already been changed. At the same time, the Polo Club came into being, and the original building was a beautiful two-storey Western-style building, surrounded by open doors, with a bell tower on the roof, sanitary facilities and bathrooms. In 1932, the Racecourse demolished the old house and rebuilt the new building. The building was designed by the British merchant Ma Haiyang Company, and the contractor was the Yu Hong Ji Construction Factory as a member. The exterior of the building is naturally majestic, but the exquisite interior and the perfection of the function fully reflect the entertainment and service of the members. On the ground floor is the ticket office and lottery collection office, on the mezzanine floor is the bowling alley, on the first floor is the club, there are cafes, card rooms, newspaper reading rooms and marbles rooms, etc., and the café is equipped with a huge brick fireplace. The restaurant is on the southern side of the first floor, with a corridor outside, made of red tiles, where the owner can observe his horse, and in front of it is the reclining grandstand. On the second and third floors are private rooms, there are more than 30 rooms, in front of the boxes is a corridor, directly facing the racecourse, you can see various activities. Each private room is a private space and very comfortable. There is a swimming pool and Turkish bath in the building, and there is a dedicated staircase for female guests. The bell tower is located at the northern end of the roof, 160 feet high, the diameter of the four sides of the bell is 10 feet, so the hands can be seen in the distance, and there are sixteen clocks throughout the building to report the time for the visitors.

On February 28, 1934, the opening ceremony of the Racecourse Club adopted the opening ceremony commonly used in the West. That day, the architect Spence gave a small box with a gold-colored key in it to the general manager, Bai Ke. Beck used this key to open the door, and members poured in, opening the celebration feast of the mansion.

The club holds a grand Christmas party every year, and on the long table of the restaurant is a sumptuous silver bowl filled with flowers. The silver bowl was surprisingly large. Once a man made a bet with a beautiful lady and asked her if she would dare to jump in. Unexpectedly, she immediately agreed, instructed the servant to pour out the flowers and water in the bowl, fill it with champagne, and then, in full view of everyone, stepped on the table and jumped into the silver bowl.

There will always be a tongren club, with Chinese as the main body. In 1938, member Shi Weichen, in the name of a club figure, imitated the "Buried Room Inscription" and made a text of the Zhizhi body inscription, which is also another scenery of reading architecture:

The part is not in shape, and if it is shaped, it is "eyebrow" (stone eyebrow). Happy is not much, although "less" is also ling (Zhao Shaolan). Si is paradise, but I am "eternal life" (Chen Yongsheng). Sit in the south and the Racecourse hall in the east. There are "Hongsheng" (Zhang Hongsheng) and "Xianjun" (Hongxian Jun). You can "listen to sheng" songs (Chen Lisheng) and listen to "Fengming" (Zhuang Fengming). He wanted to "seek wealth" (Tang Meifu) to "relieve hunger" (Lu Zhongqi) and "Hongfa" (Li Hongfa) to "benefit people" (Shi Weichen). Dong Chang Hong Xian, officer Lu Xi Bird. "Ou" (Ou Ersheng) Junyun: What is "difficult" (Wang Naizhi)?

Author: Chen Zuen (Professor, School of Humanities, Donghua University)

Editor: Zhou Minxian

Editor-in-Charge: Shao Ling

*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.