Heritage protection, from scholars to drinkers
Print Edition
The southeastern side of the Minhang Culture Park is being prepared for construction work on the new Haoshang Shuyuan academy, due to open in two years.
Shuyuan, literally meaning “study academy.” It comes from the ancient Chinese sites where young scholars gathered to learn from wise old men.
The project is being financed by the Shanghai Shenli Cultural Industry Investment Co. It will involve renovating houses more than 100 years old to serve as venues for lectures, a library and cultural exchanges.
“Before the park was built, this place was originally home to a village called Haoshang, which belonged to Qibao Town,” said Zhang Zhizhong, director of the company. “There is a lot of history there and we don’t want to lose that heritage.”
In 2009, four years before the cultural park opened to the public, Shenli conducted research into the village history. The company managed to protect a residence built between 1850 and 1861, and half of another one structure from the early 1900s that was scheduled for demolition. All the old tiles and bricks have been preserved.
“After that, we got to thinking about how to make good use of the two buildings,” said Zhang. “We realized that just restoring them wouldn’t be enough.”
He said a sense of “inheritance” and “creativity” is necessary for the old buildings to contribute something to the modern age. He said after the restoration, the buildings will provide enough space for people to actually “feel” a sense of history.
Chang Qing, an architect with Tongji University, is helping turn those concepts into reality.
The basic style of the old houses will be retained. They are called jiaoquan houses, which means “circle houses” in Chinese. The main residence has a yard in the center, and the other houses, including the front gate, are all linked. Such structures were commonly seen in old towns and villages in suburban Shanghai.
“The village disappeared because of the new park, but its remains will bear testament to the past,” said Zhang.
The academy will have 900 square meters of underground space to create more room without diminishing the original structure of the residence.
Construction is expected to start early next year, said Zhang.
In terms of managing the academy, Shenli again turned to the past for guidance. Researchers have been studying the history of Haoshang Village for the past two years. The academy, once opened to the public, is expected to serve as a platform for studying village life in Qibao Town.
It’s a rich history.
The name of the village itself is full of stories. Before 1980s, it was called Gaolang. The character gao means a pot-shaped vessel for distilling liquor. Gaolang Village literally means “gao and waves” in Chinese, and, indeed, there were many workshops making waves in the liquor industry in the village.
Historians at several universities in Shanghai helped with the research. Some historians believe that Haoshang may have been the origin of the popular liquor called Qibao Daqu.
It’s still sold on Qibao Old Street, and the traditional distillation process is used though the gao vessel has been relegated to history.
“The name of the village actually explains a lot about Qibao, including its Taoist heritage,” said Zhang. “Liquor is an important part of the Taoist culture after all.”
Zhang said Shenli is going to seek cultural heritage designations for Qibao Daqu and the local tradition of eating winter mutton with the liquor.
“Both the liquor and the dining practice are still popular on the streets of the town today,” said Zhang. “That helps in passing traditions down to later generations.”
Zhang said he has visited a lot of culture parks in China. Too many of them are carbon copies, often without much historical significance, he said, adding that he wants to ensure that is not the case at the new academy.
“Every place has something unique, something entirely different from other places, and that is what we want to highlight and preserve,” he said.
The distillery industry in Qibao Town has had an unbroken history for centuries. It was first documented in 1912 in the magazine Chinese Enterprise.
In 1958, the government established a distillery in Qibao, and the original methods of hand production were mechanized.
Older generations of Shanghai people are all familiar with Qibao Daqu or the equally popular brand Panda Daqu. In eras when information wasn’t so freely exchanged, many people didn’t even know about other well-known Chinese liquor brands such as Moutai and Wuliangye.
Now a traditional distillery is open on Qibao Old Street. Visitors can watch the whole process of the traditional technique and taste the most authentic Qibao Daqu.
In winters, visitors are advised to try boiled mutton with the liquor because the two have such a complementary warming effect on the body.
(Lu Feiran)
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