shanghaicitytourdescription2011.5.doc

Shanghai City Tour DescriptionTalk with the buildings and Listen to the History of ShanghaiThe city is a history on stone and the building is the cornerstone of the city. Touching the historic mark and through the development of buildings in Shanghai, you can see a different picture from other regions and countries. The characteristic of recent building in Shanghai is a key to make research on the history of Shanghai. In Nov.1843, Shanghai formally set up the port of foreigh trade, which gave birth to the capitalistic industry and commerce in China and then the modern industry gradually came into vogue. With the change of economy of the city and structure of the society, traditional mode of residence began to change and formed the rudiment of modem mode of residence and modern buildings is the city. Inheriting the traditional mode of residence,the form of building combining western and Chinese sytle came into being, as a result, unconventional Chinese style, such as western building, lane houses and garden villa began to produce The story of Stone Gate Cite BourgogneA group of French building with carved windows, beautiful roof,memorial archof in Chinese style and the door lintel marked in French style. All of which forms the unique charm of the old buildings. It was estabilshed in 1930, merging the western style of row house, set up the standard for buildings of stone gate. People in Shanghai was born here, got marriage and brought up children The story here is just water from the flexible tap, continually running.Cit Bourgogne (Bugaolito the locals) is a unique example of theshikumenstyle lane house dwelling constructed across the city during its early-twentieth-century heyday. Located in the former French Concession, one can stroll through the narrow lanes of this block-sized complex completed in 1930 and get a bit of a sense of yesterdays Shanghai. A blend of European and Chinese architectural features, theshikumen(which translates as stone gate) neatly balanced the demands of density with those of privacy, creating tightly knit communities with shared common space that still allowed residents considerable separation.Designed to accommodate 78 families, and currently occupied by some 450 households, Cit Bourgogne provides a glimpse of a way of life that is fast disappearing as old housing stock falls before the wrecking ball to make way for high-rise developments and glitzy malls. Located on Shaanxi Nan Lu just south of Yongjia Lu, Cit Bourgogne makes for an excellent stop on a casual walking tour of the French Concession that might include nearbyFuxing Park, the cafs and small galleries onShaoxing Luand hipTaikang Lu, as well as classic colonial-era villas alongFuxing Lu,Ruijin LuandShimen Yi Lu, including historic sites likeSun Yatsens Residence,Zhou Enlais Residenceand the site of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Taikang Road, Tianzifang1) Taikang Road is located between Ruijin 2nd Road and Sinan Road and close to Huaihai Road. In the Taikang Art Corridor you will find many galleries and art companies. The famous “Luwan City Industry Building Artists Workshop” is reconstructed from one line of old 4-storey plant buildings. Here you can find a dozen companies and workshops from China, France, Singapore, US, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Yugoslavia that look much like a small world to taste the art breath2) Tianzifang at 210 on Tailkang Road has the Shikumen residential buildings of red brick and tile typical of Shanghai style. It used to be the seat of some old factory buildings and has turned into an artistic street as some artists moved in such as Chen Yifei, Er Dongqiang and Huang Yongyu ,. Here there are not only those design rooms and studios for artists , but also some artifact shops and galleries with individuality.Shanghais trendiest fashionistas, hippies, hipsters and artists are flocking to narrow pedestrian Lane 210, Taikang Lu and surrounding lanes in this, one of Shanghais youngest art districts, to browse the boutiques and loungeabout inthe many stylish,hole-in-the wall cafes.A decade ago, Taikangs art scene began with a single four-story, former candy factory being renovated into an artists factory and art quarter. Today, Lane 210 is a bustle of locally owned art shops, interior design stores, jewelry and clothing boutiques, bag shops, cozy cafes and restaurantsall tucked into a tiny bohemian oasis. Though Xintindi and Moganshan Lu must be mentioned for sake of comparison, theres reallynowhere else like Taikang Lu in the city.You might occasionally have to duck some hanging laundryand stumble into the back door of someones house while in search of a toilet, but thats what makes Taikang Lu so funits immediate, organic connection to the surrounding neighborhood, not a sterile development drawn up by planners and corporate architects.The Antique Market on Dongtai RoadThe antique market has been reputed as “the glaze factory in Shanghai”, since hundreds of antique stores,display various kinds of curios and artistic works such as porcelain, copper wares, tin wares, jade, the four treasures of the study, callingraphy and paintings,Noted for its uniqueness,specialty and rarity,the market has become a must-visit place for both local and foreigh collectors and the tourists may also find their favorite stuff here.The BundThe Bund is a symbol of Shanghai. The buildings are harmonious in color and style, thus gaining the name of “Gallery of World Architecture”. There are the Gothic pointed roofs, ancient Greek vaults, Baroque columns and Spanish balconies. When night falls and the lights are on, all the buildings are lit with colorful lights, glistening and dazzling to the eye.For many, the Bund (Waitanto the locals) is the face of Shanghai. Even as the city transforms itself, growing upwards and outwards at a tremendous rate, the Bunds Art Deco and Neoclassical facades appear much as they did during Shanghais previous heyday as Chinas most international city, way back in the 1920s and 30s. Of course, the surroundings have changed radically since then.Theres no better place to take in the spectacularLujiazuiskyline on the east bank of theHuangpu Riverthan from the Bunds river promenade or behind a picture window in one of a growing number of luxury bars, restaurants and clubs occupying the upper floors of classic Bund buildings. At the north end of the Bund,Nanjing Dong Lucuts west, a neon-lit paradise for shoppers and gawkers, flanked by a mix of colonial-era edifices and contemporary high rises.The south end of the Bund terminates near Shanghais low-riseOld City, encircled by growing ranks of luxury residential towers. In between is rich evidence of Shanghais role as Chinas key financial and business link to the West in the early 20th century: stately bank and embassy buildings, proud international hotels and business headquarters line Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (East Zhongshan No. 1 Road).Peoples square During 1930s and 1940s, the present Peoples Square was once the gambling house and the racecourse, honored as the No.1 racecourse in Far East. You could visit the ruins of the former main building, which stands the northeast part of People Square. The former Shanghai Library once occupied the former main building of the racecourse.Peoples Square becomes the political and commercial center of the downtown.Around the square there are so many skyscrapers, among which the most famous are Shanghai City Hall, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre and Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Therefore, its the political, commercial and cultural center of Shanghai. YPeoples Square is also the vital transportation line. It connects the No.1 subway and the No.2, where you could easily transfer it and reach the destination conveniently. Peoples Square, like much of todays Shanghai, is a showcase. Nowhere is this more apparent than at theShanghai Urban Planning Museum, where optimistic projections of boundlessyet carefully managed and controlledgrowth take the form of an enormous scale model of future Shanghai and a 360-degree computer-generated city starring a manic animated flying pixie guide (you might want to sit this bit of digital theater out if you have a queasy stomach).The Museums distinctive upside-down droid architecture joins a slew of other imaginatively designed signature buildings dotting the otherwise green expanse of the square (its far more a park than a traditional square). On the southern side, theShanghai Museumhouses a quality collection of artifacts, from ancient jades to classical calligraphy and paintings in a building loosely designed on the model of a bronze-age cooking vessel.To the west, theShanghai Grand Theatreupdates the traditional upturned Chinese roof in stunning fashion, while a touch of the past remains in the building on the squares northwestern corner. Today, its home to theShanghai Art Museum, which focuses on modern and contemporary Chinese work; before 1949, when the square was a horse track, it was the site of the Shanghai Racing Club.Nestled in the pleasant green oasis of Peoples Park, on the north side of the square, another museum awaits: theShanghai Museum of Contemporary Art. Its sleek contemporary design creates a fine contrast with a lily pond flanked by paths and shady pavilions.Museums aside, the square is large enough to spend a good long afternoon exploring. On nice days, Shanghai residents sit, chat, play cards, fly kites and stroll, making for a lively public space, though the expanse of Peoples Avenue slices the square in two in a ham-fisted fashion that can give the impression that cars trump people in the urban planners schemes. Regardless, after a few hours wandering the park of a museum, you can discuss urban planning, contemporary art, Chinese park etiquette or whatever else suits your fancy over a bite of food and a drink at great indoor-outdoor restaurants likeKathleens 5andBarbarossaor, if youre on a budget, at one of the cheap food stalls lining the east and northwest edges of the square.History of shanghaiEarly EraFounded in the 10th century, the city was located in a swampy area east ofSuzhou. Until 1127, Shanghai was a small market town of 12,000 households. That year, howeverKaifengwas conquered and many refugees came to Shanghai. As a result, the city soon grew to 250,000 inhabitants.The Shanghai region became one of Chinas most prosperous in the 13th century, after becoming a cotton production and manufacturing center. The processing of cotton utilized acotton ginsimilar to that created by AmericanEli Whitney. Cotton production and textile milling were the backbone of Shanghais economy until the early 19th century. The construction of Canals, dikes and real estate development were financed with private capital beginning primarily during theSong dynasty.editMing DynastyThe autocratic government of theMing dynastyimposed tight trade restrictions in the 16th century to guard against theWokou. Because of those restrictions all foreign trade came to an end. After a hundred merchants died when Shanghai was pillaged by pirates, the Ming government evacuated the entire coastal population to the interior. In 1554 a wall was built to protect the city from future invasions.editQing DynastyDuring the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai grew radically as the citys strategic position at the mouth of theYangtze riverwas perceived (after 1842) by Western powers as an ideal location for trade with the Chinese interior and surrounding region. Increased economic activity propelled the city to an economic boom. Trade routes (in the 18th and early 19th centuries) reached as far asPolynesiaandPersiawith cotton, silk, and fertilizer as primary exports.TheQing Dynasty, having little government control, deferred regional powers to native place associations. These associations used their provincial networks to control the city. Bankers of different native place associations started cooperating with each other through the Shanghai Native Bankers Guild, which used a democratic decision-making process.At the same time, several non-trade-related organizations emerged in an attempt to assert more neutral control over the city. Among those groups were the Tong Reng Tan and the Self-Strengthening Movement.The Tong Reng Tan succeeded in establishing a measure of control over the city but was abolished in 1905 and replaced by the Shanghai municipal government. Later a native place association came into being called the Tongrengtang tongxianghui.TheSelf-Strengthening Movementwas an organized attempt to adopt Western practices, including the rule of law and business conventions, as a way to improve economic conditions throughout the country. However, incompetence, corruption, and inefficiency of some leading participants caused those efforts to fail.editWars and RebellionseditFirst Opium WarDuring theFirst Opium Warin the early-19th century, British forces temporarily held Shanghai. The war ended with the 1842Treaty of Nanjing, which opened thetreaty ports, Shanghai included, for international trade.Opiumwas the biggest import from the United Kingdom to China during this period. The industrialization of Great Britain and cotton production in the United States essentially destroyed the cotton industry of Shanghai. The backwardness of pre-1842 Shanghai only ended with an increase in trade due mostly to the Western powers. TheTreaty of the Bogue, signed in 1843, and theSino-American Treaty of Wanghia of 1844together saw foreign nations achieveextraterritorialityon Chinese soil. These two treaties officially lasted until 1943, but were functionally defunct by the late 1930s. The treaties opened the floodgate of western culture and influence into Shanghai.editTaiping RebellionTheTaiping Rebellionbroke out in 1850. By 1853 Shanghai was occupied by atriadoffshoot of the rebels called theSmall Swords Society. The fighting devastated the countryside but left foreign settlements untouched. At the same time, many Chinese arrived seeking refuge. Although Chinese were previously forbidden to live in foreign settlements, circumstances led to new regulations being drawn up making land available to the Chinese in 1854. Land prices rose substantially, and real estate development became a source of considerable income for Shanghais westerners, further increasing the westerners grip over the citys economy, and had been raised theBattle of Shanghai (1861). 1854 marked the first annual meeting of theShanghai Municipal Council, created in order to manage the foreign settlements. In 1863, the British settlement, located along the western bank of theHuangpu riverto the south ofSuzhou Creekin theHuangpu district, and the American settlements, located on the western bank of the Huangpu river and to the north of Suzhou creek, joined to form the International Settlement. The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and instead maintained its ownFrench Concession, located to the south of the International Settlement.editFirst Sino-Japanese WarTheFirst Sino-Japanese Warof 189495 was a conflict over control of theKorean Peninsulaconcluded with theTreaty of Shimonoseki, which saw Japan emerge as an additional foreign power in Shanghai. Japan built the first factories in Shanghai, which were soon followed by other foreign powers to influence the emergence of Shanghai industries.editRepublic of ChinaTheRepublic of Chinawas a result of theXinhai Revolution. During that time, Shanghai became the focal point of many activities that would eventually shape modern China.In 1936, Shanghai was one of the largest cities in the world with 3,000,000 inhabitants. Of those, only 35,000 were foreigners. However, foreigners controlled half the city. Many Russian refugees came to Shanghai. TheShanghai Russianswere regarded as an inferior race by the Shanghailanders. A lot of Russian women worked as prostitutes alongside Chinese, Korean and Japanese colleagues.1The Great World was a place where opium, prostitution and gambling came together. The Chinese elite was essentially divided into two sectors. One group was progressive and helped the nation modernize in unprecedented ways. The other was in search of power by all means necessary.The city was thus divided between the western half of the city, which was more European, and the eastern, more traditionally Chinese half of the city. New inventions like electricity and trams were quickly introduced, and westerners helped transform Shanghai into a metropolis. British and American businessmen made a great deal of money in trade and finance, and Germany used Shanghai as a base for investing in China. Shanghai accounted for half of the imports and exports of China. The western part of Shanghai was four times larger than the Chinese part in the early 20th century.European and American inhabitants of Shanghai called themselves theShanghailanders. The extensive public gardens along the waterfront of the International Settlement were reserved for the foreign communities and forbidden to Chinese natives. The foreign city was built in the British style with a large racetrack in what was then the west of the city, nowPeoples Park. A new class emerged, thecompradors, which mixed with the local landlords to form a new class, the Chinese bourgeoisie. The compradors were indispensable mediators for the western companies. Many compradors were on the leading edge of the movement to modernize China. Shanghai was then the biggest financial city in East Asia.editChinese societyChinese society was divided into native place associations or provincial guilds. These guilds defended the interests of people from certain areas. They had