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Delight of discovery
By David Maguire |
November 22, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DID you know that Pudong can trace its history back to the year 535 when it was called Chuansha? Or that local Chinese people once called Nanjing Road "Ma Lu," meaning a horse road, because most people using it rode on horses?
If you reckon you've lived in Shanghai long enough to know a lot about its history and how it developed into today's thriving metropolis, a new book is worth checking out.
"100 Landmarks of Shanghai" is sure to tell you something new about the city no matter how much of a local expert you might have become.
Edited by Shi Lei and written by Lu Zheng and Di Wenjie, it's a quick flick bedside table read that sketches an updated outline of the modern city in the context of its rich history.
Highlighting 100 locales worth visiting ? it is clearly published in time for the anticipated waves of Expo visitors next year ? it directs readers to four main themes of focus: the ultra-modern Expo site, the culturally rich urban areas, some creative art precincts and the city's splendid universities.
Emphasizing Shanghai is associated with endless legends and myths, its assessment of the old city, the lilongs and the "very French Huaihai Road" is firmly rooted in centuries of heritage.
Yet despite the broad sweep of the prose over well-known and iconic landmarks, the real delight is the small delicacies of obscure facts it unearths.
For instance, the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel was designed by John Portman and Associates in the shape of the Chinese character "Shan"(...?), meaning the mountain.
Also, the city's first escalator was built into the No. 1 Department Store which opened for business in 1936 and it remains intact in the central lobby.
Fuzhou Road started taking shape as a mecca for reading in 1846 when a batch of state-owned and foreign-funded bookstores opened and it is recognized as the genesis of modern Chinese publishing.
A valuable contribution is the book's perspective over nine sites of the old Shanghai city, called Nanshi, encircled by Zhonghua and Renmin roads, with Fuxing and Henan roads meeting in the center of the circle.
Established in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in 1291, the township was fortified with walls in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and although the fortifications are long gone, vestiges of the past remain in the chamber pots, spittoons and washing hanging from bamboo poles in residential areas.
The book highlights old city landmarks such as Yuyuan Garden, the only remaining garden of the precinct, one of the city's popular tourist attractions.
The reverence for learning in Chinese culture is paid due respect in the section devoted to universities where we learn Fudan University, founded in 1905, gets its name from an ancient Chinese scripture meaning continuous self-improvement and that classes at Tongji University, founded by Germans in 1907, were taught in the Teutonic language up to 1950.
In highlighting creative zones springing up in Tianzi Fang, 1933 Old Mifun, and M50, the authors tell how they are breathing new life into old factories and warehouses on 20 million square meters of space vacated by manufacturers moving to low-cost regions.
The book has color photos, maps and transport options and is a valuable, easily referenced snapshot view putting the past into a modern perspective for both visitors and residents.
If you reckon you've lived in Shanghai long enough to know a lot about its history and how it developed into today's thriving metropolis, a new book is worth checking out.
"100 Landmarks of Shanghai" is sure to tell you something new about the city no matter how much of a local expert you might have become.
Edited by Shi Lei and written by Lu Zheng and Di Wenjie, it's a quick flick bedside table read that sketches an updated outline of the modern city in the context of its rich history.
Highlighting 100 locales worth visiting ? it is clearly published in time for the anticipated waves of Expo visitors next year ? it directs readers to four main themes of focus: the ultra-modern Expo site, the culturally rich urban areas, some creative art precincts and the city's splendid universities.
Emphasizing Shanghai is associated with endless legends and myths, its assessment of the old city, the lilongs and the "very French Huaihai Road" is firmly rooted in centuries of heritage.
Yet despite the broad sweep of the prose over well-known and iconic landmarks, the real delight is the small delicacies of obscure facts it unearths.
For instance, the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel was designed by John Portman and Associates in the shape of the Chinese character "Shan"(...?), meaning the mountain.
Also, the city's first escalator was built into the No. 1 Department Store which opened for business in 1936 and it remains intact in the central lobby.
Fuzhou Road started taking shape as a mecca for reading in 1846 when a batch of state-owned and foreign-funded bookstores opened and it is recognized as the genesis of modern Chinese publishing.
A valuable contribution is the book's perspective over nine sites of the old Shanghai city, called Nanshi, encircled by Zhonghua and Renmin roads, with Fuxing and Henan roads meeting in the center of the circle.
Established in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in 1291, the township was fortified with walls in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and although the fortifications are long gone, vestiges of the past remain in the chamber pots, spittoons and washing hanging from bamboo poles in residential areas.
The book highlights old city landmarks such as Yuyuan Garden, the only remaining garden of the precinct, one of the city's popular tourist attractions.
The reverence for learning in Chinese culture is paid due respect in the section devoted to universities where we learn Fudan University, founded in 1905, gets its name from an ancient Chinese scripture meaning continuous self-improvement and that classes at Tongji University, founded by Germans in 1907, were taught in the Teutonic language up to 1950.
In highlighting creative zones springing up in Tianzi Fang, 1933 Old Mifun, and M50, the authors tell how they are breathing new life into old factories and warehouses on 20 million square meters of space vacated by manufacturers moving to low-cost regions.
The book has color photos, maps and transport options and is a valuable, easily referenced snapshot view putting the past into a modern perspective for both visitors and residents.
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