Why this historic Shanghai neighbourhood’s restoration is called ‘fake’
Why this historic Shanghai neighbourhood’s restoration is called ‘fake’
Jianye Lane is one of the city’s most beloved Shikumen areas
A historic quarter of Shanghai is set to reopen as a complex of luxury serviced apartments and hotels in March, government officials announced. But are the buildings themselves still historic?
Preservationists and history scholars have called into question the authenticity of redeveloping Jianye Lane, home to the largest cluster of Shikumen-style or stone-gated houses in the city.
A major portion of the Shikumen neighborhood is a reconstruction of the original structures, critics contended. Part of the former French Concession in Shanghai, the original 1930s buildings were apparently demolished and razed.
“It is a pity that the real cultural heritage has been replaced by the fake relics,” said Wang Weiqiang, an architecture and urban planning professor with Tongji University.
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Led by Shanghai Hengfu Investment & Development Co, the redevelopment will house 55 hotels and 40 serviced apartments under the Capella brand upon completion, in addition to 4,000 square metres of commercial facilities.
“The demolishing authorization should be questioned because the protected buildings mustn’t be torn down,” said Wang.
Reconstructing buildings in the Shikumen neighbourhood was necessary because of irredeemable structural problems, according to Zhu Jinsong, general manager of Shanghai Hengfu Investment & Development Co. Many of the Shikumen houses had rotten window frames and damaged brickwork that were past salvaging.
Around 3,000 residents and establishments were moved from 260 antique homes around Jianye Lane for the redevelopment.
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Source: Property Report