Shanghai life in the early years - 1840s and 1850s
"Compared with the life in the factories of Canton where the merchants were confined in a small circumscribed area, the residents of Shanghai enjoyed considerable freedom, but they were not allowed to penetrate into the country around the Settlement so far that they could not return to Shanghai the same day. As the shooting was excellent, and the villagers friendly, these expeditions into the country were most enjoyable....
It is sometimes said that wherever an Englishman goes he takes with him his Church and his Race Course. This was true in regard to Shanghai, and we find the early residents making provision both for religious worship and for their favourite sport.
In the beginning, as we can well understand, means of recreation were somewhat limited. Indeed an old resident has described wheel-barrow races up and down The Bund as an after dinner amusement on summer evenings. In a short time, however,
many clubs and societies came into existence. Amateur theatricals began as early as 1850, the theatre in which they were performed being a transformed godown or warehouse. Later, in 1866, the Amateur Dramatic Club was formed, and steps were taken for the erection of a permanent theatre. The first building of the Lyceum Theatre was a wooden one and was destroyed by fire in March, 1871. The one still in use was planned and built in 1874." - F.L. Hawks Potts