# Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara – Shanghai's Sikh Heritage > Explore the history of the Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara, Shanghai's 1908 Sikh temple, a protected cultural relic and landmark of the Asian diaspora. ![Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/thumb.php?f=Old%20Sikh%20Gurdwara%20in%20Shanghai.jpg&w=1200) Historical regional # Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara Get Directions Share: Entry: Dress Code: The Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara, located at 326 Dong Bao Xing Lu in the Hongkou District of Shanghai, People's Republic of China, is a former Sikh place of worship that stands as one of the most historically significant monuments of the South Asian diaspora in East Asia. Opened in 1908, the gurdwara served as the spiritual, social, and political heart of Shanghai's Sikh community for more than six decades, embodying the remarkable story of Punjabi migrants who found their way to China during the era of treaty ports and foreign concessions. The Sikh presence in Shanghai dates to 1885, when the British-administered Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) began recruiting officers from Punjab. These turbaned guardians became a familiar and iconic sight on Shanghai's streets, and by 1920 there were reportedly 513 Sikh officers serving in the SMP. The growing community required a dedicated and permanent place of worship befitting their numbers and their faith, which led ultimately to the construction of the Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara. The gurdwara served not only as a house of prayer but as a multifaceted community institution. Celebrations of Vaisakhi, Guru Nanak Gurpurab, and other major Sikh festivals were held here, drawing the congregation together in worship and fellowship. Beyond purely religious functions, the gurdwara became a notable center for political consciousness, particularly in connection with the Ghadr movement (1913–1917), which sought to overthrow British colonial rule in India and found resonance among Indian diaspora communities worldwide. The building gained additional historical distinction in April 1924, when the celebrated Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited the gurdwara during his lecture tour of China, becoming immortalized in a photograph taken outside the entrance with a large gathering of Sikh men and children. This visit underscores the gurdwara's role not merely as a local religious site but as a point of convergence for pan-Asian intellectual and cultural exchange. The decline of Shanghai's Sikh community accelerated after the end of World War II and the disbanding of the SMP in 1945. The last Sikhs are believed to have departed Shanghai by 1973. The building today serves as residential accommodation for local Chinese families, but its historical importance has been formally recognized: the Shanghai municipal government has designated the former gurdwara as a protected immovable cultural relic. It stands as a rare surviving physical link to the lives of the Punjabi soldiers, merchants, and families who once made Shanghai their home, and to the transnational religious and political networks that connected them to communities across Asia and beyond. ## Significance The Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara holds profound significance as a testament to the global reach of the Sikh diaspora during the era of colonial-era migration and trade. It represents one of the earliest Sikh places of worship established in East Asia, and its existence speaks to the spiritual resilience of Punjabi migrants who carried their faith and traditions to a city thousands of miles from the Punjab. Beyond its spiritual role, the gurdwara is significant as a site of political history. Its association with the Ghadr movement (1913–1917) connects it to the broader story of the anti-colonial struggle, demonstrating how spaces of religious worship could simultaneously become platforms for liberation politics among diaspora communities. This dual identity — as a house of Waheguru and a forum for political consciousness — reflects the inseparability of spiritual and temporal concerns in Sikh tradition, embodied in the foundational concept of Miri-Piri established by Guru Hargobind Sahib. The gurdwara's recognition as a protected cultural relic by the Shanghai municipal government underscores its importance not only to the Sikh community globally but to Chinese heritage preservation. It stands as a rare surviving structure associated with the South Asian diaspora in China, providing a physical anchor for the historical memory of a community that played a significant role in cosmopolitan Shanghai. The famous 1924 photograph of Rabindranath Tagore outside its entrance further cements the gurdwara's place in the shared cultural heritage of India and China. For the Sikh diaspora worldwide, this building is a poignant symbol of how far the Khalsa has traveled, carrying the light of Waheguru to the farthest corners of the world. ## Detailed History The story of the Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara begins with the arrival of Sikh policemen in Shanghai in 1885, when the Shanghai Municipal Council began recruiting officers from Punjab to serve in the Shanghai Municipal Police. The first Sikh place of worship in the city was a gurdwara on Boone Road (now Tonggu Road), which served the community in its early years. However, as the community grew and its aspirations deepened, the Boone Road gurdwara came to be seen as inadequate for a congregation of increasing size and ambition. During a Guru Nanak Gurpurab celebration in 1907, the Sikh community made the collective decision to affiliate with the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the apex Sikh organization based in Amritsar. This affiliation required a larger and more permanent gurdwara. The foundation stone of the new building on Dongbaoxing Road was laid on 11 August 1907, a Sunday, on a piece of land formally allotted by the Shanghai Municipal Council. The construction was completed and the gurdwara opened to the congregation in 1908, funded entirely through contributions raised by the local Sikh community. Throughout the early twentieth century, the gurdwara flourished as the center of Sikh life in Shanghai, hosting major religious observances and becoming deeply intertwined with the political ferment of the era. Between 1913 and 1917, the gurdwara was associated with the Ghadr movement, a revolutionary organization that sought Indian independence from British colonial rule and found support among Sikh soldiers and workers spread across the globe. In 1916, a second gurdwara was established on Gordon Road (now Jiangning Road), reportedly under the influence of British authorities who wished to counteract the revolutionary sentiment prevalent among Sikh police officers. This second institution is believed to have represented a deliberate attempt to provide a more loyalist alternative to the politically charged atmosphere of the Dongbaoxing Road building. A landmark moment in the gurdwara's history occurred on 24 April 1924, when the renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore, visiting Shanghai on a lecture tour arranged by leading Chinese intellectuals, was photographed outside the gurdwara with members of the community. Kartar Singh Sangha, who served in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service and remained in China from 1919 to 1960, was prominently featured in that celebrated photograph. The community began to dwindle following World War II and the disbanding of the SMP in 1945. By the late 1960s the remaining Sikh families had largely departed, and the last Sikhs are believed to have left Shanghai in 1973. The gurdwara was subsequently converted to residential use and is today recognized by the Shanghai government as a protected immovable cultural relic. ## Structures in the Complex ### Main Prayer Hall Darbar Sahib The two-story rectangular building housed the main congregational prayer hall where the Guru Granth Sahib would have been installed and where the community gathered for daily prayers, kirtan, and major religious observances. ### Ceremonial Entrance Stairway Architectural Feature A grand flight of 19 stairs, each approximately 2 metres in width, led up to the entrance of the gurdwara, creating a ceremonial approach and elevating the building above street level in a manner emphasising its importance as a sacred space. ### Arched Wooden Entrance Doorway Architectural Feature The primary entrance to the gurdwara was an arched doorway fashioned from wood, combining aesthetic character with structural purpose and providing the formal threshold between the external world and the sacred interior of the gurdwara. ## Visitor Information ### Dress Code As the gurdwara is no longer operational, no formal dress code applies. Visitors viewing the exterior should dress respectfully as in any historical neighbourhood. ### Photography Photography of the exterior from the public street is generally possible. Do not photograph residents or attempt to enter the premises. ### Etiquette Visitors are asked to respect the privacy of current residents. Do not attempt to enter the building, which is a private residence. Behave quietly and respectfully at this heritage site. ## Climate & Best Time to Visit ## Langar (Free Community Kitchen) Historical capacity is not documented, but the gurdwara served a community of several hundred Sikhs in Shanghai during its peak years in the early twentieth century. Seating Capacity ## Architecture The Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara was a two-story, rectangular building constructed primarily of red brick, a material common in Shanghai's early twentieth-century institutional and colonial architecture. The building faced south, aligned with the orientation of its site in the Hongkou District. Access was gained via a prominent flight of 19 stairs, each measuring approximately 2 metres in width, creating a grand and ceremonial approach befitting a place of congregational worship. The entrance doorway was arched and fashioned of wood, combining structural solidity with an aesthetic character appropriate to a religious building. The overall design is believed to have reflected a blend of South Asian religious building conventions with the colonial-era architectural styles prevalent in treaty-port Shanghai, though detailed documentation of the interior layout and ornamentation has not been widely preserved in the historical record. The red brick construction gave the gurdwara a visual distinctiveness within its neighborhood. Today, while the structure survives as a residential building, its exterior is believed to retain elements of the original form that continue to identify it as a historically significant colonial-era religious edifice and a protected immovable cultural relic. ## Structures in the Complex ### Main Prayer Hall Darbar Sahib The two-story rectangular building housed the main congregational prayer hall where the Guru Granth Sahib would have been installed and where the community gathered for daily prayers, kirtan, and major religious observances. ### Ceremonial Entrance Stairway Architectural Feature A grand flight of 19 stairs, each approximately 2 metres in width, led up to the entrance of the gurdwara, creating a ceremonial approach and elevating the building above street level in a manner emphasising its importance as a sacred space. ### Arched Wooden Entrance Doorway Architectural Feature The primary entrance to the gurdwara was an arched doorway fashioned from wood, combining aesthetic character with structural purpose and providing the formal threshold between the external world and the sacred interior of the gurdwara. ## Events & Celebrations ### Religious Festival #### Vaisakhi Celebration The Sikh harvest festival of Vaisakhi was historically one of the most important annual celebrations held at the gurdwara, bringing together the entire Sikh community of Shanghai for prayers, kirtan, and communal meals. ### Religious Observance #### Guru Nanak Gurpurab The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, was observed at the gurdwara with ardas, kirtan, and langar. It was during a Guru Nanak Gurpurab in 1907 that the community resolved to affiliate with the Chief Khalsa Diwan and build the new gurdwara. ### Historical Cultural Event #### Rabindranath Tagore's Visit On 24 April 1924, the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited the gurdwara during his lecture tour of China, arranged by prominent Chinese intellectuals. He was photographed outside the gurdwara with Sikh men and children of the Shanghai congregation, creating one of the most celebrated historical images of the site. ### Historical Political Event #### Ghadr Movement Gatherings Between 1913 and 1917, the gurdwara hosted gatherings and activities associated with the Ghadr movement, a transnational organisation working for Indian independence from British rule. The gurdwara served as one of its important nodes in East Asia. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### History The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1907 and the gurdwara opened to the congregation in 1908, funded through contributions raised by Shanghai's Sikh community on land allotted by the Shanghai Municipal Council. Shanghai's Sikhs came primarily from Punjab as recruits of the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP), beginning in 1885. By 1920, the SMP employed approximately 513 Sikh officers. Their distinctive red turbans made them a recognizable presence in the city. Some also worked as merchants, customs officials, and in other civilian capacities. Between 1913 and 1917, the Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara served as a hub for the Ghadr movement, a revolutionary organisation that sought Indian independence from British colonial rule. The movement found support among Sikh soldiers and workers of the diaspora, and the gurdwara provided a space for the circulation of its ideas in Shanghai. Yes. Before 1908, the Sikh community worshipped at a gurdwara on Boone Road (now Tonggu Road). A second gurdwara was later established in 1916 on Gordon Road (now Jiangning Road), reportedly established under British influence to provide an alternative to the politically active Dongbaoxing Road congregation. ### General No. The gurdwara ceased to function as a Sikh place of worship after the last Sikhs left Shanghai in 1973. The building now serves as a private residence for Chinese families and has been officially designated as a protected immovable cultural relic by the Shanghai municipal government. ### Cultural Significance Yes. The Nobel laureate and Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore visited the gurdwara on 24 April 1924 during a lecture tour of China and was photographed outside the entrance with members of the Sikh community. This photograph is preserved in the Historical Photographs of China archive. ### Preservation The former Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara is recognized by the Shanghai municipal government as a registered immovable cultural relic, affording it a degree of legal heritage protection. The building survives at 326 Dong Bao Xing Lu in the Hongkou District. Suggest an Edit Upload Photos ![Marker](https://unpkg.com/leaflet@1.9.4/dist/images/marker-icon.png) Dongbaoxing Road Gurdwara Leaflet Get Directions → ### Contribute Help improve this page. Suggest edits, add photos, or share information about this Gurdwara. Suggest an Edit