Magical Hungarian past IN SHANGHAI

by Boglárka Barta

BY THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, SHANGHAI HAD GROWN INTO A GLOBAL CITY OF OVER A MILLION PEOPLE, WITH ITS PORT ACCOUNTING FOR NEARLY HALF OF CHINA’S FOREIGN TRADE. TWO HUNGARIAN ARCHITECTS, LÁSZLÓ HUDEC AND KÁROLY GONDA, HAD AN UNPARALLELED ROLE TO PLAY IN SHANGHAI’S RAPID TRANSFORMATION INTO THE “PARIS OF THE EAST”.

Born in Besztercebánya, László Ede Hugyecz, or as he is known in Shanghai and international literature, L. E. Hudec, was a well-known “star architect” of his time, who came to China from Russia as a prisoner of war. He arrived in Shanghai on 26 October 1918 with the help of the Danish mission. Hudec, who studied at the University of Budapest, was eventually hired by the American architect R. A. Curry, first as an architectural draftsman, then, after a few months, as office manager and later as associate architect. As Shanghai developed, their architectural firm soon became one of the most sought-after, and Hudec established a secure existence as a well-known and respected architect.

Hudec’s prestige is well illustrated by his appointment as Honorary Hungarian Consul in Shanghai in 1940. Despite increasing German pressure, he maintained his independence and, as president of the Hungarian (Aid) Association, helped the Hungarians, even at the risk of his own safety. He and his family were forced to flee the Chinese Communist takeover in January 1948. He left Shanghai and settled first in Europe and then in the United States. He died there in 1958, but was laid to rest in his homeland, Banská Bystrica (Besztercebánya).

László Hudec was the only foreigner to be selected as one of Shanghai’s 99 classic symbols. He designed more than a hundred buildings in the city, of which more than 30 have now been awarded the title of “significant listed building”. He worked in a wide variety of architectural styles, building classicist, eclectic, expressionist, art deco and modernist buildings, all of which have a unique harmony of art and functionality.

The author is a cultural journalist

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