The story goes that Eric Moller, a Swede, was a self -made man who rose from poverty through his skill at the dog and horse races for which Shanghai was famous. He succeeded in becoming a "Taipan", a leading shanghai businessman, and decided  to build a house worthy of this status. One story is that while he was mulling over possible building designs, his daughter had a dream in which she saw a house like a fairytale castle. Upon awakening she sketched her wonderful dream house for her father. It was ultimately built-the fanciful house above.

Another story regarding the house-which seems to attract this sort of thing-is that a fortune teller told Moller that if he ever finished the house, some terrible misfortune would occur. For some years Moller delayed completing the last bit, but finally did so-in 1949, the year of the communist takeover in China.

These stories, and many others connected with the house, make for interesting reading. In the summer of 1992, however, the author met Mr.Moller's daughter, who stated that her father was already wealthy when he came to Shanghai and that not a word of any of  these stories is true-which seems rather a pity.

The house now serves as the headquarters of the Communist Youth League. Even its usage as an office building has not diminished the beauty of the wood-paneled interior, as these pictures reveal.