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Paying tribute to local pioneer and old 鈥楲atin Quarter鈥
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THE St Ignatius Cathedral was filled with people on the morning of November 24, 1933 in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the death of Xu Guangqi, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) premier whom Xujiahui is named after.
The ceremonies kicked off with a requiem mass in the cathedral attended by leading members of the Catholic Church and the French community, as well as some 300 of Xu’s descendants.
According to a report by the China Press, the most elaborate part of the day’s proceedings took place at 3pm when Monseiqueur Haouisee and Father Huang left the church in beautifully decorated sedan chairs for Xu’s tomb, followed by a long train of priests and devotees. There another memorial service was held.
“Mayor Wu Te-chen sent Dr Pan H. Lo as his personal representative to deliver a speech eulogizing the late statesman who started the introduction of western science in China ... The day’s program was concluded by a tea reception in honor of those present at the Siccawei Observatory,” the report says.
Another contemporary English-language newspaper, the North China Herald, also reported on the ceremony.
“His remains were given the highest honours in Peking and in 1642 his body was brought to Shanghai in solemn procession to lie at Zikawei. Today a world famous observatory, a convent, an orphanage — in short, a scientific and charitable centre-mark his last resting place,” the report says.
Today the cathedral, the observatory, the convent and the orphanage are all open to the public.
“Xujiahui was like the Latin Quarter in Paris, crisscrossed by universities, hospitals, an observatory and churches. The value of Xujiahui is as a UNESCO cultural relic, and it’s a pity that we have demolished many historical buildings ... for commercial construction,” says Fudan University professor Li Tiangang.
“However, now we can still try to preserve the surviving ‘Latin Quarter’ as much as possible. I suggest organically uniting Xujiahui’s historical buildings — such as the former Notre Dame Convent and the No. 4 Middle School — around a centerpiece, which is the tomb of Xu Guangqi. Xujiahui has got too many gigantic commercial buildings, so we need to develop the cultural, travel and leisure functions of this cultural district,” Li adds.
Many people pass through a corridor leading to the Metro Line 1 Xujiahui Station every day, but few stop to admire an ongoing exhibition entitled “Zikawei and the origin of Shanghai-style culture.”
Stretching through the long, busy corridor, the exhibition traces the origin of Xujiahui with Xu Guangqi, showcasesa galaxy of historical buildings in this column, and ends with a profile of 10 foreign and Chinese figures who worked together to contribute to the “Xujiahui Era,” which perhaps was the first time that the spirit for science and innovation was fully practiced in Shanghai.
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