Shanghai looks to protecting its past
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-02 13:54

Up to 400 historic buildings have been listed for conservation as officials try to temper the city's steel-and-concrete progress.

The Bund, a picturesque and glittering symbol of Shanghai along the banks of the Huangpu River, is lined with 52 architecturally diverse buildings and now earmarked for conservation. [AP]

Shanghai, the poster child of China's economic success and rapid industrialisation, is turning to the preservation of its past and intensifying efforts to protect its historic buildings.

The Bund, a picturesque and glittering symbol of Shanghai along the banks of the Huangpu River, is lined with 52 architecturally diverse buildings and now earmarked for conservation.
The city authorities have identified almost 400 structures, mostly built before 1949, as key preservation targets in a bid to prevent excessive renovations or demolition.

Most of the structures, including Art Deco and French-inspired gems and the famous waterfront Bund, were built during the 20th century by European and US traders who came to cash in on a lucrative trade in opium, tea and spice.

'We are drawing up regulations to protect these buildings, which should be completed next year,' government spokesman Jiao Yang told reporters on Wednesday.

Not only have the buildings been worn down by the ravages of time and rising population density, their sites have also been impinged upon by gleaming high-rises springing up across the city with alarming speed.

The old usually lost out, with vast swathes razed to make way for steel-and-glass replacements.

Scores of residents have had to be relocated by the government - often to remote parts of the city with undeveloped infrastructure.

'They've been suitably compensated and now enjoy better living conditions with more space,' Ms Jiao said.

Yet many around China complain of inadequate compensation when asked to vacate their homes.

In Shanghai, the transfer of land to a developer recently triggered demonstrations by evicted families who had lived there for decades, many in traditional brick homes known as shikumen.

And in Beijing, entire blocks of old alleyway, or hutong, communities have been replaced by office towers or apartment blocks, sparking similar protests.

The official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday that China was cracking down on officials involved in human-rights abuses when requisitioning buildings for development.

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