Fan Huichun

Fan Huichun , given name Jinchun, courtesy name Huichun, known by his courtesy name, was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist in late Qing and early Republican Shanghai. Known as the “Ivory King” and “Diamond King,” he also made significant contributions to the entertainment industry. He emigrated to British Hong Kong in his later years, where he passed away.

Life

Born in the 4th year of the Guangxu Emperor (1878) in Shanghai, with some sources citing 1879. His ancestral home was Yin County, Zhejiang. He was a distant descendant of Fan Qin, Minister of War during the Ming Dynasty. His grandfather Fan Zifeng lived in Baisha Town, Zhenhai County, Zhejiang during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns. During the Taiping Rebellion, his father Fan Runquan fled north to Shanghai by boat, settling there permanently.

As a youth in late Qing Shanghai, Fan worked as an apprentice at the Tong Mao Chang ivory shop on New North Gate Street. He later founded Dacheng Ivory Shop in Guifang Hall of Yu Garden in Shanghai’s Chenghuang Temple, becoming the top ivory retailer in the city. After the Xinhai Revolution, the Chenghuang Temple was redeveloped, and he passed the ivory business to his brother.

He founded the Shanghai Industrial Promotion Center, a zoo, and a circus, entering the tourism and entertainment industries. In 1918, he established the "Small World" amusement park, which became a landmark in Shanghai. He soon expanded into department stores and opened a trading company for domestic and foreign goods on Lucky Street in the French Concession. He also founded the Shengyang Film Company and Samsung Silver Company.

Fan also entered the real estate sector, building villas and hotels. He constructed Western-style houses and gardens on Notre Dame Road (now Ruijin 1st Road) and later “Hongqiao Villas” on Faris Road (now Yili Road), which were converted into “Vatican Palace Hotel” and later “Thousand World” amusement park. He also built the “Fan Family Garden.” He founded Jiading Bank and served as general manager.

In January 1924, he briefly served as Shanghai’s administrative head but resigned due to the political instability caused by warlord conflicts. In 1945, he moved to Taiwan and then to Hong Kong in 1949. He died in Hong Kong in 1972 at the age of 95.

Sports

Fan established the Far East Public Sports Ground in Shanghai, the largest of its kind in Asia at the time. He invested over one million yuan to acquire 856 mu of land in Shanghai's Yinxiang Township. The venue officially opened on 31 January 1926, marking the first such facility in China’s history. Horse racing events, called "Pao Ma Chang" (racetrack) by locals, were held weekly, with major races in May and November—dubbed “Champagne Grand Prix”—China’s first modern annual racing event modeled on Britain’s Royal Ascot.

Charity

During Chinese famines, Fan launched the “Yi Ji Charity Society” to distribute food aid. He also organized charity operas featuring renowned performers such as Zhou Xinfang. He donated heavily to establish the Shanghai Epidemic Hospital and supported charities such as Pushan Villa and Tongren Fuyuantang. He set up the "Fan Scholarship" at institutions like Aurora University to assist poor students. In 1912, he co-founded Zhiming Primary School near Dengyun Bridge on Zhaojia Road, Shanghai, serving underprivileged children and acting as a board member.

Family

• Wife: Tang Yunru, daughter of industrialist Tang Jinzhai.
• Son: Fan Jirong, American physicist, former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a leading bronze ware collector. He donated many artifacts to Chinese museums.
• Related families: Allied by marriage with the family of Hong Kong banker J. M. Hu (Hu Huichun), son of financial magnate Hu Bijian.

Related Works

• Surviving manuscript: Family Record of Mr. Fan Huichun of Zhenhai