The Consulate General of the United States in Shanghai is one of the five American diplomatic and consular posts in the People's Republic of China.

[1] First established in 1844 following the signing of the Treaty of Wanghia, the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai had a presence until the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Revolution and it closed in 1950.

The history of the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai dates from the earliest days of diplomatic relations between the United States and China.

The American community contributed to the economy and life of the city, founding businesses, hospitals, schools, and educational exchanges.

In 1911 a lease was signed for the Consulate General to move to six buildings in the Clifton Estate at 13-19 Whangpoo Road to accommodate a quickly growing staff and range of responsibilities.

The US Consul General, Thomas Sammons contacted Mr Ezra who agreed to sell the premises to the US Government for the same price he had paid for them.

In 1930, the U.S. Consulate General moved south of Suzhou Creek, leaving the old American Settlement for the first time in nearly 30 years.

[12] On December 8, 1941, the United States Consulate was occupied by the Japanese military at the beginning of the Pacific War.

[16] On September 5, 1945, less than a month after Japan's surrender, the U.S. Consulate General resumed operations in the old Glen Line Building at 28 The Bund.

[17] With the signing of the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, the United States established normal diplomatic relations with China and on April 28, 1980 (almost exactly 30 years after it closed) the United States Consulate General in Shanghai reopened at its present location at 1469 Central Huaihai Road (at the corner of Urumqi Road).

During World War II, a Japanese businessman and his family, and later the Swiss Consul General, took up residence in the house.

In 1946, Rong Hongyuan (Yung Hungyuen), scion of a wealthy textile family, bought the property, but fled Shanghai soon after.

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the house was used by the All-China Women's Federation, was a center for "political education" during The Cultural Revolution, and finally served as a government guesthouse prior to the U.S. Consulate taking the lease.

The present Consulate property sits on three acres, and includes several outbuildings, an orange grove, a Chinese rock garden, and a carp pond.