Shanghai Daily news

The Cultural Square on Yongjia Road, once a racetrack in the 1920s and a center for cultural activities in 1950s, now is the Jingwen Flower Market. It was turned into a theater in the 1950s, and the building still has its original windows and stairs.

The Cultural Square at No. 36 Yongjia Road is a quiet spot today compared to its bustling, exciting past. This corner used to be a greyhound racetrack in the 1920s and a top venue for cultural activities after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
One of the buildings on this square is very simple and at first glance, doesn't compete with other architecture in the city, but its rich history sets it apart.
It was built during the 1950s as a backstage for a vast theater. It served as a VIP salon with dozens of make-up rooms for actors.
``A French merchant and the boss of Shanghai's Green Gang Du Yuesheng bought the area and created the racetrack in 1928,'' says Liu Gang, a researcher on historical conservation of architecture from Tongji University. ``They built tracks, bleachers and a five-story mansion which housed the box office, a Western restaurant, cafe, dancing hall and mini-cinema.''
The mansion itself was an expensive entertainment center. Tickets for the Christmas ball in 1937 cost as much as 100 grams of gold.
``This simply designed building is actually typical of modern architecture, which was quite avant-garde at that time,'' says Liu. ``This kind of old architecture is really precious in Asia.''
Du and his partner gave the racetrack an elegant name -- Yi Yuan (or Leisurely Garden). But the Shanghainese renamed it to reflect the pronunciation of the English name ``Canidrome'' (greyhound racetrack), to ``Kan Ni Qiong'' (meaning ``see you poor'').
It was, of course, an appropriate name. Every dog race attracted thousands of gamblers and most of them lost their money. The canidrome published misleading information, dogs were injected with stimulants and the electric rabbit was often tampered with. The canidrome was also involved in smuggling dogs.
According to records written by Yu Jinxun who was employed at the track in the 1950s, Shanghai's first Mayor, Chen Yi, decided to turn the canidrome into a cultural paradise for citizens in 1952. The government then built a grand theater on the north bleacher which houses 15,000 people.
But a fire during renovations destroyed the theater in 1969. Fourteen people died fighting the blaze.
The government rebuilt the theater with no columns, 12,137 seats and no cooling or heating system.
``The theater is shabby by today's standards,'' says Chen Zhengde, who has worked for the theater company since 1979. ``There are only long wooden stools. In summer we have to install ice blocks and blowing machines. In winter only the stage has a heater for actors while the audience has to wear thick clothes to watch the performance.''
The government has held more than 1,500 dramas, concerts and dances in this theater with total audience numbers exceeding 10 million.
``After 1985 more and more activities and performances switched to Shanghai Stadium,'' says Luo Yongnong, who also works for the company. ``The theater eventually turned into Shanghai's largest flower market, the Jingwen Flower Market.''