Zhang Jun/Shanghai Daily news
A 3-kilometer stretch along the southern bank of Suzhou Creek in Huangpu
District will be lined with newly decorated shikumen alleys, warehouse
galleries, museums and teahouses by 2010, according to a preliminary plan put
together by the district government.
The city government will provide most of
the funds to support the conservation of old houses with only commercial outlets
- such as restaurants, galleries and stages - open to private investors.
Most
residents of lane houses, or shikumen, in the area will not be forced to leave
their homes, but extensive renovation will be conducted to shift the functions
of various old constructions, mostly warehouses.
"We will not follow the
Xintiandi development pattern," Chen Youhua, a senior engineer with the Shanghai
Urban Planning Design Institute which created the plan, said yesterday.
"Our
plan aims to restore the original living atmosphere of the region including
original dwellings and old-Shanghai-styled street scenes."
He said such
scenes include trolley cars, candlelight coffee bars and teahouses, laohuzao -
an old-fashioned shop where people bought hot water - and antique shops.
Some
warehouses will be turned into art salons and theaters.
He said the amount of
investment will not be known until the plan is finalized.
The 3.2-kilometer
south bank of Suzhou Creek, which extends from Waibaidu Bridge near the Bund to
Chengdu Road N., includes hundreds of shikumen houses, extensive residential
lanes and eight key warehouses.
A major historic shikumen site is Zunde Lane
on 136 Xiamen Road which was constructed in the early 20th century and still
accommodates 958 families.
According to the preliminary plan, the 3-kilometer
area will be divided into three functional sections: a residential area from
Xizang Road M. to Chengdu Road N.; a service and trade area from Xizang Road M.
to Henan Road M.; and a tourist area near the Bund.
However, some
architecture experts worried that the beautiful riverbank scenes will be
affected by the existing residential high-rises along the
bank.