Restoration brings the heart back into ageless community of friends
Print Edition
The Jiangyin Community near People’s Square was once home to a typical street market dating back to early last century.
The 200 meters of Jiangyin Road across the community was initially called Mandalay Road, named after a British official at the nearby Shanghai Race Club. It became the city’s first and most popular flower and bird market in 1960s, a delightful memory to many locals. The market was relocated in 2001.
A wide variety of local architectural styles, such as shikumen, old and new lane-style neighborhoods, garden villas and old apartment buildings accumulated in the downtown community, accommodating about 2,500 households in cramped quarters with shared kitchens and toilets.
The community is being renovated and the remains of its former glory protected. Part of the renovation is already complete, and the whole project is scheduled to be finished by the end of March.
Most of the structures were built around a century ago, their original appearance masked with concrete and paint after previous rounds of careless renovation.
The coverings are being washed and chipped away to expose the original bricks and decorations. Some typical slogans in red ink, common in 1950s, have reappeared such as “Answer the national call and offer practical services to people.”
“Tears came to my eyes when I saw again the stone tablet of Tongyuli neighborhood where I was born. The tablet has been missing for decades,” said the 70-year-old Cao De, who has lived most of her life in the neighborhood.
Cao and Chen Jiewei, 71, have been intimate friends since they were born. They can still recall the happy childhood when they purchased sports gear sold by the foreign clerks at the nearby race club, enjoyed Christmas candies from a former small church and organized cricket fights under the Tongyuli stone-gate.
In its heyday, the market received over 100,000 visitors a day, Cao recalled. However, the living environment gradually worsened as the number of tenants increased and the buildings aged, especially after the market closed.
Shuntian Village where Chen lives is festooned with messy electric wires. The garden villa neighborhood was built in 1936 by the ex-wife of famous poet Xu Zhimo, Zhang Youyi, a senior official of a local bank, to accommodate bank clerks.
The overhead cables are now moving underground, while the gardens and public space are being restored to their original look, according to Yang Shenhua, director of Shuntian neighborhood committee.
The concrete walls of public gardens are being decorated with colorful pebbles. Seats, pergolas and laundry racks have been installed in the limited public space. Inside the buildings, shared kitchens and toilets have been redecorated and fire prevention equipment has been installed.
An old water pumping station and guardhouse at the entrance have been converted into a comprehensive service station. Several former shops near the entrance have been shut down and have become an exhibition hall with a rooftop garden.
A cobbler’s stall will be retained. The stall opened by the current cobble’s grandfather has been operating at the entrance of the neighborhoods for over half a century.
The subdistrict has also converted a villa into a public sitting room, where neighbors like Cao and Chen can meet and chat or even throw a banquet for friends and family.
Cao said the Jiangyin Community has a unique tradition that former residents come back to meet old neighbors on the ninth day every month. The shared sitting room has now become the best place for the gathering.
Residents are widely involved in the revamps. They can decide the kinds of flowers and trees are to be planted in public gardens, but are required to take charge of future maintenance.
Children have been invited to create paintings on the walls of public spaces with the help of artists. A 200-meter narrow zigzag path has been adorned with paintings and pot plants. The road previously occupied by unlicensed vendors has become a Wanghong or Internet sensation, said Mao Qianfang, who often takes a shortcut along the road.
At the end of the road near Huangpi Road S., a colorful picture of two trees and five birds has been painted on the post office, recalling its history as one of the city’s most popular street markets.
The subdistrict plans to develop the community into an “outdoor history museum” and to work in tandem with Shanghai History Museum on the opposite side of the road.
A photo exhibition of local history will be held near the post office around March.
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