Start with different kinds of commission
Shanghai's published account of a Hudec exhibition names the Wukang Building, Park Hotel and Grand Theatre among his best-known projects. In English, the last is also commonly called Grand Cinema; its Chinese name is 大光明电影院. They give you an apartment building, a hotel and a place of entertainment to compare.
That difference in use matters before you reach a style label. Ask what a resident, hotel guest or cinema audience needed from the entrance and the street. The same architect could be answering very different questions.
At Wukang, read the corner
The Wukang Building draws attention to the way a building occupies a junction. From a safe public viewpoint, follow the outline of the site and then look at how the facade turns. Notice the relationship between a memorable silhouette and the repeated parts of an apartment building.
Keep the building's presence separate from access. Its residential character matters. Photograph without blocking crossings, traffic or entrances, and do not treat a private lobby as an extension of the pavement.
At Park Hotel, follow the upward movement
Look from the lower facade toward the upper outline. Which lines carry your eye upward, and where does the mass seem to step back? A sketch of the overall shape can make those decisions easier to see than a close photograph of a single ornament.
Then imagine the difference between recognizing a tower from a distance and arriving at its door. A hotel has to operate at both scales. Compare the image it presents to the city with the threshold a guest actually uses.
At Grand Cinema, think about the audience
For a cinema, arrival is part of a collective event. Look at how an entrance announces itself and how the building meets the pavement. What helps you identify it as a public destination, compared with the quieter repetition of apartments? These are questions to test against what is visible, rather than a claim about original interiors you cannot inspect.
The Wukang area and the People’s Square landmarks are separate parts of the city. The Wukang–Anfu architecture walk focuses on the former French Concession. If you would also like to see Park Hotel or Grand Cinema, ask Edward about a longer or different itinerary.