Shanghai Daily News

The Left Bank has long been known as a hotbed for artists. Now, Shanghai has its own version of the famed Parisian landmark along Suzhou Creek.

In many parts along the 54-kilometer waterway, which includes 13 kilometers snaking through the city's downtown core, old warehouses are fast being transformed into trendy work spaces for media, fashion and architectural firms, among others, in addition to art galleries and workshops.

This week, District Special ventures down to "the Creek" to take a closer look at the what's happening in the areas between the high-rises located in Zhabei District.

Warehouses along Suzhou Creek

Along the parts of Suzhou Creek that run through the city is a stretch of renovated warehouses which have started to emerge as a natural and cool alternative to expensive, modern downtown office spaces.

Most of the previously-deserted warehouses and workshops along the creek date back to the 1930s when the waterway nurtured a major economic and industrial base in Shanghai.

Perhaps the most famous building is the Suzhou Creek Art Center. Currently, it is being transformed into a showroom for French artists and is scheduled for competition by year end.

Compared to office buildings downtown, the advantages of Suzhou Creek include its relatively cheaper rents and a range of unique warehouses that provide a distinct company image and working environment.

With the exterior of the warehouses purposely left relatively untouched, the interiors are being completely renovated. At the same time, the concept of loft housing design has spawned a trendy community of offices, galleries, restaurants, boutiques and cafes created out of the old spaces.

This industrial chic is what many creative people desire in their work and living space.

Sihang Warehouse

With a long history that includes a brief period as a the Japanese military's headquarters during World War II, this renovated factory now houses studios, workshops and galleries.

This decades-old warehouse on Guangfu Road, sitting alongside Suzhou Creek, is now home to creative companies and studios which take advantage of its ample space and historical atmosphere.

Erected in 1931, the 34,000-square-meter structure was originally built as warehouse for four banks - the Salt Industry Commercial Bank, the China and South SEA Bank, the Kincheng Banking Corporation and Continental Bank - by famous architect L.E. Hudec. The German also designed other landmarks around the city, most notably the Grand Theater.

Now, 74 years later, this gritty, yet purposely shabby-looking building, is at the forefront when these industrial-age warehouses are awakening as a witness to the city's past and present.

Sihang New Creative Warehouse

In 2001, this 12,000-square-meter former warehouse, a part of the Sihang complex, was designated with the new name of "New Creative Warehouse."

For most of the tenants here, the cultural and historical value of the 74-year-old building far exceeds its rental price - on average about 25,000 yuan (US$3,125) for 300 square meters per month.

Loft-style space has been popular in Europe and North America for decades and in recent years, it is catching on in Shanghai. For the 40 or so tenants working on the fifth and sixth floors of the warehouse, their lofty aspirations are apparent everywhere.

The interior design of Open China, an Italian-based furniture design company, is very much focused on the modern loft lifestyle. Its space retains many of the building's original characteristics in huge factory-style metal windows, tall ceilings, few walls, flexible spaces, exposed structure and mechanical systems and in general, wide open space. The dilapidated gray floor is another key feature of the space.

In Luxe Communication Company's studio, thick plaster and white brick walls have been left exposed. There are few or little interior doors and walls. The cast-iron columns and factory-size windows present a mixture between old and new. The cables hanging above the ceiling have been wrapped in green to provide a sharp contrast with the white walls and gray floor.

Address: 1 Guangfu Road

Wang Qi Artistic Studio

Tucked away in a silent corner of the Sihang New Creative Warehouse's sixth floor, this 106-square-meter room has been renovated to look like a tropical island with all-wooden floors, wooden furniture and flowers everywhere. The paintings by Wang Qi, a female artist from Qingdao, Shandong Province, feature loud colors and deep meanings. Currently, the studio is displaying oil paintings from her travels in Tibet.

Address: 1 Guangfu Road, Room 608

Tel: 6381-1232