138 Words from the Global Times that Basically Sum Up Everything That’s Wrong With Heritage in Shanghai (without meaning too obviously)

Posted: September 28th, 2016 | No Comments »

On the 26th September 2016 the following 138 word article appeared in the English language edition of the Chinese Global Times newspaper. One assumes the editors intended the story to be positive. However, the story, below in full, essentially tells you just about everything that’s wrong with heritage in Shanghai, and why no building (of any era, style, architect or usage) is safe in the city.

To talk of protection lists being updated only in 2040 is absurd – that is 24 years away. Even the most keen defender of Shanghai’s corrupt Communist Party bosses and their mega-dodgy property developer pals has to admit that the level of destruction and irreplaceable heritage ruination in the last 24 years, i.e. since 1992, in the city is a catastrophe (and that’s without considering the horrendous relocations, beatings, intimidation etc of local people). What on earth can the next 24 years bring? The simple answer is obviously that perhaps, a quarter of a century from now, nothing will be left of any note (and I include the Bund in that).

It should also be mentioned that of course Shanghai has not preserved 3,000 historical villas – a number approximate to that may stand but very few, only a handful, have not had their interiors ripped out completely (either by conversion to multiple occupancy dwellings in the post-1949 period or later in various ways from wine bar-isation to bad restorations/modernisations. They are facades for the most part.

I am sure I do not need to point out the ridiculousness of calculating cultural capital and heritage in base numbers terms – so many theatres, museums and art galleries, as if they were traffic lights. Nonsense like that leads to the idiocy of giant table tennis museums and state art galleries devoted to socialist realist art! Who else even counts how many “grand concert halls” they have – worthless, if you censor the music and performances within of course.

Shanghai continues to bulldoze heritage, the Party sanctions it, their property developer friends profit from it…2040 is way too late!!

Shanghai protects more historical buildings

Source:Global Times Published: 2016/9/26 18:08:39

Shanghai will establish a system to regularly include outstanding historical buildings into its protection list by 2040, according to Zheng Shiling, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In her recent seminar, Zheng pointed out that the protection list is not updated timely enough and many historical architecture tends to disappear before being noticed by the authority.

But Zheng pointed out that Shanghai has preserved 3,000 historical villas. “Though Shanghai is known for its skyscrapers and modern buildings, it also possesses many cultural heritage sites.”

Shanghai lags behind other developed metropolises like London, New York, Tokyo and Paris in terms of cultural facilities.

“London has 43 universities, 303 national museums, 241 theaters, 10 grand concert halls and 875 artistic galleries, while Shanghai has only 124 museums, 115 theaters and grand concert halls and 208 art galleries,” Zheng added.

 

 

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