Xiaolu Xu studies architectural preservation in Shanghai
My student Xiaolu Xu, a native of Shanghai, writes:
Historic architectural preservation is a major concern worldwide. Every city has its own distinguished history and character, its uniqueness as a place. Protecting a city's built environment is extremely critical in keeping the city's spirit. Neighborhoods, architecture, and landmarks provide a material nexus that effectively conveys historical narrative and sustains a city's spirit.
Shanghai, a city of more than 700 years of history since it was built in the Yuan Dynasty, is regarded as the key to know the modern and the contemporary China. It was the place that Chinese feudal society was first demolished and the foundations of capitalism was first laid; it was the place that Chinese Communist Party was born; it was also the cradle for modern Chinese culture, commerce and industry. In the 1930s, Shanghai, the "Paris of the East," was the 5th largest city in the world, and the biggest cosmopolis in China. The rich and diverse historical and cultural backgrounds made Shanghai the center of modern Chinese architecture, with an idiosyncratic character molded by the various nations and cultures.
The cross-cultural historic architectural heritage of Shanghai, however, has always been facing tremendous preservation challenges—especially the western-influenced architectural features that symbolize Shanghai's cosmopolitan colonial past, the Shikumen houses that reflect most of the local community culture, and the traditional Chinese architecture that were mostly built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Between the 1950s and 1990s, there was a neglect of architectural preservation. The Cultural Revolution once opposed all western influence as well as traditional heritage. China's reform and opening up in the past 20 years has created a colossal construction boom in the city. Since the mid-1990s, a rapid real estate development has torn down much of the old community housing in the center of the city. As the paragon of China's modernity, Shanghai's original built environment has suffered seriously from the momentous urban transformation.
In collaborating with Prof. Peter Cannavò, my summer research is on the challenge of architectural preservation amid Shanghai's rapid modernization, with a focus on addressing the importance of preserving historic architecture, landmarks, and neighborhoods from large-scale urban transformation and investigating the current solutions and difficulties. I hope the case study of Shanghai, the dragonhead of China's modernization as well as one of the fastest-changing places in the world, will raise people's awareness of this problem and be valuable to emerging cities that are facing problems similar to Shanghai's.
Picture courtesy of Yu Zhi Wen.
I really thought this investigation of preservation was interesting as I found it to be very different from my own experience in Egypt. Architectural preservation is important in Egypt in terms of tourism, but historic architectural preservation is something that I believe to be quite different. I have visited many different pyramids in Egypt, and every time (in Arabic of course) the tour guide will describe pharaohs and Ancient Egyptians as “those” or “that” people. In terms of culture and especially religion, the Ancient Egyptians that we read about in our elementary textbooks are extremely different form Egyptians living in the area today. To me, it seems that most of these famous monuments and artifacts are being preserved mainly because of their touristic importance and revenue. I think it’s important to realize that following colonialism and now globalization, preservation tends to take place when it is most financially beneficial to the country in need. The preservation of something that renders revenue many times takes precedent over things that are culturally and historically important. Sometimes they go together, but other times they may not. For example in the case of rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina, many students mentioned Mardi Gras. But how many college students actually know the significance of this holiday outside of getting wasted? Once again I am forced to ask the following question: whose identity and “fun” is really being preserved and why?
