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January 15, 2017

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A fusion of traditional and contemporary

IT’S now become a familiar, if sometimes sad, story about redevelopment of Old Shanghai.

Residential back lanes and alleyways with traditional Shanghai architecture, called shikumen, have fallen prey to progress, with bars, restaurants, glitzy high-rise apartments and upmarket retailers replacing traditional courtyards and stone gates.

Some people aren’t very happy with the idea of razing old structures and replacing them with mock shikumen architecture, especially when former residential areas are turned into commercial zones.

Let’s take a lot at two examples of how this hybrid model is used to fuse new and at least the semblance of old.

Zhang Yuan

For some 150 years ago, the area around Nanjing Road W. was a highlight of Shanghai history. Some of that past remains in Zhang Yuan.

Built on farmland in 1878 by a British businessman, Zhang Yuan had the earliest entertainment park in the city and turned on Shanghai’s first electric light bulbs.

In 1882, Chinese businessman Zhang Shuhe, also known as Chang Su Ho, bought the park and renamed it Weichun Garden, or Chang Su Ho Garden, as it is now commonly called. Zhang restored and expanded the garden.

When Zhang Yuan opened to the public in 1885, it was a sort of old-style theme park, where people could enjoy entertainment such as magic shows. It also had Western and Chinese-style restaurants and teahouses. By 1894, it included the Western-style Arcadia Hall, then the highest structure in Shanghai.

In 1905, the garden was the setting for what is believed to be the first-ever Western-style wedding in China. People at that time called it a “progressive wedding” because it cast aside the yoke of rigid traditions dating back thousands of years.

In the early 20th century, the garden began to lose some of its allure as new leisure venues opened in the city. By 1919, activities were suspended and the garden was sold to banker Wang Kemin, who dismantled all the original buildings and turned the area into a residential complex.

Today, in an area where luxury meets the mundane, Zhang Yuan 99 and Zhang Yuan 77 are the modern face.

The 99 area is filled with bars, seafood restaurants and coffee shops. It’s a popular venue for young people who have money to burn. The 77 building is in the process of being redeveloped. According to Dejie Cultural Communication Co, which is overseeing the project, the first floor of the building will be a restaurant, and the upper floor will house offices for startup companies. The yard will become a fashion show venue, while the underground space will be turned into a bar. The site is expected to open to the public in July.

“The building was erected by a comprador of Citibank in the 1930s, and his brother owned another house in the complex,” said Liu Pei, an official with the company.

“The residence is an outstanding example of how Western-style architecture can be fused with the Chinese style.”

The home of the brother remains a residential building like other shikumen houses in the complex.

Outside of the 99 and 77 complexes, Zhang Yuan retains some of the atmosphere of its past. The residential area is bustling and noisy. Many of the residents are elderly, spending their daytimes sitting outside in the lane, chatting with neighbors. At some corners of the lane, vendors array vegetables on a leather cloth on the ground.Noontimes are especially busy, with small, outdoor food stalls operating in a lane near the entrance on Weihai Road. While white-collar workers enjoy their lunches at the trendy eateries in Zhang Yuan 99, common laborers gather at the stalls to buy meals priced at about 10 yuan (US$1.44). They talk about scowling bosses, bad weather, nagging wives and naughty children.

Danshui Road

Near Xintiandi, Danshui Road is another hybrid area of old and new. One half is packed with newly built apartment complexes, while the other retains shikumen houses along both sides of the street.

Built in 1902, the street was originally Hengshan Road, then renamed to Rue Chapsal four years later, reflecting its location in the old French Concession.

The deep and quiet lanes along the road hold some violent history. In 1916, revolutionary Chen Qimei, a close ally of Sun Yat-san, was assassinated in a residence there. In 1930, journalist Gu Zhizhong was shot at the crossroads of Danshui and Jinling roads.

The road was also home to several left-wing writers and artists before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. In 1928, writer Ding Ling (1904-86) moved to 196 Danshui Road with her husband Hu Yepin (1903-31).

They later founded a left-wing publishing house in a neighboring residence.

Ai Qing (1910-96) resided on Fengyu Lane after he returned from France in 1932. He was later arrested at his home on charges of subverting the Kuomingtang government.

Today the lanes are often packed with visitors. The street is lined with small shops selling hardware, clothing, snacks and groceries. Cured chicken, duck, sausages and congers hang side-by-side with residents’ laundry. In recent years, bars and tiny restaurants have begun to spring up there.




 

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