"Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949" is currently on display at the West Bund Art Museum in Shanghai. This is the first special exhibition independently curated by the West Bund Art Museum, leading the audience into a 75-year history of city building. The exhibition is curated by Li Xiangning, vice president and professor of Tongji University. The Paper Art Review interviewed Li Xiangning by the river outside the West Bund Art Museum. "Shanghai's architecture and urban development since 1949 actually contain a very strong contemporary spirit. The key lies in whether we have enough confidence to summarize and present this historical experience." Li Xiangning said.
Outside the West Bund Art Museum, accompanied by the sound of boats on the Huangpu River, the Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui in the distance, the 632-meter-high Shanghai Tower, the Expo Park, and the Lupu Bridge, the West Bund Riverfront right in front of you, with people running or walking their dogs... seems to concretize this exhibition, and it is also like a condensed version of Shanghai's development process - architecture, art and urban life are intertwined and flowing here.
Exhibition chief curator Li Xiangning (first from left) gives a tour ©Alessandro Wang
"Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949" focuses on the evolution of Shanghai's architecture and urban space since the founding of New China through nine thematic sections and over 80 classic cases. The exhibition is curated by Li Xiangning and executive curator Gao Changjun, a young curator. The research team of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University is responsible for the academic research of the exhibition.
West Bund Art Museum, “Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949” exhibition view, West Bund Art Museum, Photo: Alessandro Wang
In Li Xiangning's view, the construction of Shanghai is an ongoing process. "In recent years, the construction of public spaces in Shanghai is not only reflected in the macro-spatial shaping, but also in the detailed design, material selection, and in-depth care for the daily needs of users."
As for the future, Li Xiangning proposed the establishment of the "Shanghai School". "Tongji University itself is an important part of the 'Shanghai School'. We hope to initiate and organize similar discussions around the world, so as to promote the formation of Shanghai's discourse and theoretical construction in the field of urban architecture."
Rock Bund Source, Source: David Chipperfield Architects
"Building Shanghai" is an ongoing process
The Paper: The exhibition is titled “Building Shanghai: City, Architecture and Culture since 1949.” How do you understand the multiple meanings of the word “building”?
Li Xiangning: If the title of the exhibition is simply "Cities, Architecture and Culture since 1949", it may present a static result - architecture as a man-made object is presented to the public as a final product. But the word "Building" is used here, which is both a progressive tense and a gerund.
I hope that through the word "construction", everyone will think of "who is building Shanghai". It is not one person, but a large group of people. Who built Shanghai? I think the participants include not only the decision-makers, planners, and architects of urban policies, but also the construction workers and even every citizen of Shanghai. Everyone has played a role in shaping and building the city of Shanghai.
The exhibition poster uses Lu Jie's photographs to depict Shanghai under construction.
You will also notice that nowadays, if a building is facing demolition or a new building is to be built, there will often be a lot of suggestions from citizens in the public media, such as whether a certain building should be preserved or should not be demolished. This shows that people are paying more and more attention to the city of Shanghai and the state of its buildings.
Therefore, I hope to present a large number of people who participated in the process of jointly shaping Shanghai by emphasizing the action of "construction". The exhibition is not just a cold review of existing architectural works, but to show everyone who has invested their emotions, love and energy in the process of Shanghai's urban construction.
Aerial photo of the East China Electric Power Building and its surroundings, 1994, Lu Jie
The Paper: How does architecture express a city’s history and culture?
Li Xiangning: Architecture itself is an important part of the city’s history and culture, and it is also an important carrier of history and culture.
If we say that China has created a miracle of urban construction and modernization in the past thirty or forty years, then if we want to find a material carrier that can best represent this historical process, I think the most appropriate one is Shanghai. Therefore, in the process of building the city, the city and the people living in the city are also shaping the city itself and its history and culture.
West Bund Art Museum’s special exhibition unit “Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949”, exhibition view, West Bund Art Museum, Photo: Alessandro Wang
I personally like "Shanghai Modern" written by Leo Ou-fan Lee very much. This book tells the story of Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century. He focuses more on Shanghai in literature and movies, but I think that the cultural characteristics of the city of Shanghai can also be shown through architecture.
Therefore, in addition to displaying highly professional architectural drawings and models, we also used many physical materials from the time, such as letters, historical materials, and materials selected from the video archives of Shanghai TV Station, to show how people used the building after it was built. For example, in the exhibits about the Shanghai Swimming Pool, we not only displayed the building itself, but also presented the scene of swimmers and divers training in the venue when it was first built.
Exhibition site, documents about Shanghai Stadium (Shanghai Grand Stage)
The cultural cognition and historical memory of a city are necessarily closely linked to a specific urban space or urban landscape. It can be said that when you see a building, it often evokes memories of the city and resonance with its history and culture.
Nanjing East Road, 1992, Lu Jie
Therefore, architecture is never separated from the history and culture of a city. They are always closely connected and mutually reinforcing. At the same time, architecture itself is also an indispensable and important part of culture.
Nanjing East Road Pedestrian Street Urban Design, Source: Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.
The Paper: Shanghai has held many architectural exhibitions in the past to review the city's history, including the exhibition cooperation project "Paris Architecture (1948-2020)" between the West Bund Art Museum and the Pompidou Center. The difference between this exhibition and previous ones is that it focuses on architecture and urban culture after 1949. So, how is the architecture after 1949 different from the content of previous exhibitions? In addition, have those past exhibitions also brought you some inspiration?
Li Xiangning: I think that many exhibitions in the past tended to revolve around a certain theme or focus on the work of a certain architect. For example, the “ I.M. Pei: Life as Architecture ” currently on display at the Power Station of Art (PSA) in Shanghai. The formation of this exhibition was mainly due to two opportunities.
On the one hand, I am writing a book about contemporary Chinese architecture since 1949. In this process, I deeply feel that Shanghai has a very special position in the development of the country's contemporary architectural history. Shanghai has many unique characteristics and has produced a large number of architectural works worth writing about. However, these contents are often not fully developed in the limited space of the book, so I hope to further present these important parts through this exhibition.
At the same time, I also noticed that in daily discussions, we tend to focus more on Shanghai's modern architecture. For example, most of the cases selected by the recent Shanghai "Architecture Can Be Read" are works before 1949. However, if we want to think about what cultural creations Shanghai is most proud of today, then the architecture and urban development since 1949 actually contain a very strong contemporary spirit. The key lies in whether we have enough confidence to summarize and present this historical experience.
Shanghai Mall, Source: Shanghai Mall
Secondly, it stems from the exhibition “Paris Architecture (1948-2020): Witness to Urban Progress” held by the West Bund Art Museum two years ago (2021). The exhibition is not only part of the cooperation between the West Bund Art Museum and the Pompidou Center, but also reflects the cultural exchanges between Shanghai and Paris, China and France.
West Bund Art Museum "Paris Architecture (1948-2020): Witness to Urban Progress" exhibition site
Therefore, when planning this exhibition, we hope to echo the "Paris Exhibition" at that time and present Shanghai's own urban and architectural development. Of course, compared with the "Paris Exhibition", this exhibition not only focuses on the architecture itself, but also integrates the content of people's lives, culture and urban development. It can be said that it is not only a response to the previous exhibition, but also further expands and deepens the theme and content.
Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Source: gmp Architects
The Paper: In the past, the public paid more attention to monumental buildings (such as the Sino-Soviet Friendship Building) in the 1950s, but paid relatively less attention to residential buildings (such as the Workers' New Village). After 2020, as Caoyang New Village and other places have been renovated and rebuilt, how does this exhibition tell the history of the formation and development of the Workers' New Village?
Li Xiangning: I think housing is a very important part of the architectural field. We often say that a great architect cannot be truly called great if he has not designed a residential project. This is because public buildings face abstract group needs, while housing is directly related to the real and specific life needs of each person.
In fact, if you ask a person to imagine, "What needs should be met when building an art museum", it may be difficult for him to give a specific answer, but if you ask "What is your ideal home like", almost everyone will have a clear idea. Therefore, I think residential design is an important training that architects must go through. It reflects the ability of architects to serve people and respond to specific user needs.
The entrance of Shanghai Stadium looking towards Caoxi Building, early 1980s, Lu Jie
For a long time, the field of residential design in China has not received enough attention. Residential construction led by developers often faces "abstract people" rather than "specific people". In contrast, due to the privatization of land and housing in Western countries, the needs of each owner are more personalized, and they will take the initiative to entrust architects to make customized designs. In China, most of the existing residential designs are more like industrial production and lack personality. Architects often design according to the apartment types specified by the developer (such as "two bedrooms and one living room" and "three bedrooms and one living room"), according to standard area and market research needs, and lack direct connection with specific residents.
However, I think the future trend will be more personalized. The younger generation pays more and more attention to individuality, whether it is clothing, fashion, lifestyle or living environment. For example, there are now residential designs for pet cohabitation, such as the kennel house designed by Zhang Jiajing. I believe that these personalized needs will be increasingly reflected in future residential designs.
In this exhibition, we focus on the residential model during the collectivist period, and the focus is on showing how Shanghai has solved large-scale housing problems through collectivized production since the 1950s, such as the newly built "20,000 households" in 1952 and early old public housing.
At the exhibition, the story of the construction of Caoyang Village 1 in 1951 was told.
These houses reflect a specific collective lifestyle, for example, kitchens and toilets are mostly shared. When I came to Shanghai to study in the early 1990s, I still remember that everyone discussed setting "4 square meters of housing area per capita" as an important goal. Although this standard seems very low now, it was a very difficult indicator to achieve at the time.
The exhibition tells the story of Quyang New Village, which was built in 1985.
As housing commercialization advances, people have new requirements for housing quality. Therefore, housing development since the 1950s is actually a very interesting history, which is about how people live and how they coexist.
However, many historical houses have been demolished or rebuilt, and it is difficult to truly present the vivid living scenes of the time through drawings or appearances alone. In the exhibition, we used simulation models to restore the indoor living environment and present the furniture layout and living details of the time.
West Bund Art Museum’s special exhibition unit “Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949”, exhibition view, West Bund Art Museum, Photo: Alessandro Wang
I believe that ordinary audiences will like this kind of exhibition, especially those who have lived in similar houses. Seeing these scenes will arouse their memories and emotional resonance of past life. Through such exhibitions, we not only review history, but also hope to provide some thinking and imagination space for future living patterns.
The Paper: The development and opening up of Pudong and the establishment of Lujiazui, the World Expo and the development of the "One River and One Lake", these buildings and blocks are not only spatial nodes, but also places of social memory. How do you think they participate in the daily experience of Shanghai citizens and the construction of urban identity?
Li Xiangning: Indeed, in recent years, Shanghai's urban construction has shown some distinct themes. First, Lujiazui. When people mention Shanghai now, the most iconic urban space is often Lujiazui. After that, the World Expo also had important significance for Shanghai's urban transformation. I think it was a key node in Shanghai's urban development process. The "One River and One River" development that followed focused on the recycling of industrial heritage, so these projects together marked the central issues in Shanghai's urban development process at different times. Based on this, when we were planning the exhibition, we set up sections specifically for Lujiazui, the World Expo Park, and the waterfront spaces of the One River and One River for display and discussion. These areas are adjacent to each other and echo each other.
Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Source: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Documents on the construction of the Oriental Pearl Tower at the exhibition
Documentary materials on the construction of the Jinmao Tower at the exhibition
With the continuous development of public spaces along the “one river and one lake”, the quality of Shanghai’s urban space has also leapt to a new level. At present, I feel that whether it is the Suzhou River or the cafes, restaurants and cultural facilities in the West Bund Dream Center area, the overall space quality is not inferior to that of international waterfront areas such as London and Paris, and even surpasses it in many aspects. I think this is a reflection of the cultural creativity of contemporary Shanghai, and it is also something we should be proud of.
Renovation of the 80,000-ton silo at Minsheng Wharf, Source: Su Shengliang
In addition, I personally believe that the construction of public spaces in Shanghai in recent years is not only reflected in the macro-space shaping, but also in the detailed design, material selection, and in-depth care for the daily life needs of users.
In the past, we only provided an open space for public space construction, and users needed to explore and use it by themselves; but now, we have taken into full consideration the subtle and diverse usage needs of different groups in their specific lives at the beginning of the design. For example, public toilets and shower facilities are set up at multiple nodes along the "one river and one river". These humanized facilities have greatly improved the accessibility and comfort of public spaces. I believe that the improvement of such facilities is also of great significance to urban service groups such as couriers. These detailed improvements make urban public spaces truly convenient, pleasant and vibrant living places.
At the exhibition site, on the east bank of the Huangpu River, there is Wangjiangyi, which has different functions.
It can be said that Shanghai has gradually developed from the stage of Lujiazui shaping the city image to today, with a strong spatial image, solid usage quality and meticulous care facilities. This change makes the urban space not only beautiful, but also a living space that people are happy to linger and use conveniently. For example, now there are seats and green plants in the waterfront area, and in summer, people can sit and communicate under the shade of the trees. Such detailed design better reflects the specific care of the city of Shanghai for every user.
West Bund Art Museum’s special exhibition unit “Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949”, exhibition view, West Bund Art Museum, Photo: Alessandro Wang
Establishing the "Shanghai School" to condense the architectural characteristics and theoretical commonalities of Shanghai
The Paper: Tongji University's architecture discipline has been almost completely involved in Shanghai's urban transformation over the past few decades. How do you view the evolution of "academic involvement in the city"? As a center for knowledge production and a practitioner of urban space, what does this "dual role" mean to the school?
Li Xiangning: I think that among all the major architectural schools in China, Tongji University is the one that is most closely connected to the city. In fact, Tongji University can be seen in almost all the important urban projects in Shanghai. Moreover, the lead architects of many projects are also Tongji alumni. This close connection makes Tongji University and the city of Shanghai connected by blood.
The exhibition site, documents about Tongji University campus (left)
At present, we are also promoting relevant research and exploring how to establish a "Shanghai School". Internationally, there are urban architecture schools such as the "Chicago School" and the "Los Angeles School". We hope that Tongji University can initiate and organize similar discussions on a global scale, thereby promoting the formation of Shanghai's discourse and theoretical construction in the field of urban architecture. Of course, Tongji University itself is also an important part of the "Shanghai School". We hope to further condense Shanghai's architectural characteristics and theoretical commonalities through systematic research.
Tongji people also participated extensively in the preparation of this exhibition. From the collection of work materials to the construction of exhibition content, it was combined with teaching work. Specifically, I used this exhibition as a graduate course project. Within one semester, each exhibition section was divided into different groups, and the students came up with curatorial plans. Although the final exhibition was not fully realized according to the students' plan, in this process, they actually participated in the construction of historical narratives, which was a very important experience for the students' growth.
Wenyuan Building, Tongji University, Source: Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.
From an earlier perspective, many important figures in Tongji University were deeply involved in the practice and research of Shanghai's urban space. For example, Chen Congzhou and Feng Jizhong both taught at Tongji University. Although the Helou Pavilion designed by Feng Jizhong is located in Songjiang, it has always received great attention in the academic community and the public. This exhibition also specially presents a large model of the Helou Pavilion, which is the holy place for our Tongji University to construct modern traditions.
Exhibition site, Helouxuan model
The Paper: As a curator and architectural educator, how do you view the tension between urban "protection" and "redevelopment"?
Li Xiangning: Teachers and alumni of Tongji University have been continuously participating in the construction of Shanghai's urban history. For example, Feng Jizhong designed the Square Pagoda Garden; in recent years, Liu Yichun designed the Long Museum (West Bund), Zhang Ming designed the Green Hill, and many buildings in the riverside areas on both sides of the strait have been renovated and remodeled. It can be said that Tongji and the city of Shanghai have a mutually beneficial relationship. This close connection has not only promoted the development of Tongji's architectural discipline, but also made important contributions to Shanghai's urban construction.
Regarding the issue of protection and redevelopment, the current urban renewal is frequently promoted. On the one hand, it involves the demolition of a large number of old buildings, which has aroused widespread public concern about the issue of protection. Especially in the old town in the city center, the contradiction between protection and development is particularly prominent. In recent years, Shanghai has been under considerable pressure in the process of urban construction, and the demolition of many old houses has triggered social discussions. But I think this issue needs to be viewed dialectically.
On the one hand, citizens have shown a marked increase in their concern for urban heritage, and have become more conscious and proactive. For example, when the Yan'an Road elevated highway, the "Shanghai First Bay", was demolished, there was a lot of discussion. This concern not only reflects citizens' pride in the city's memory, but also reflects their sense of responsibility as city owners, and their willingness to contribute to the protection of the city's history. I think this is a very welcome change.
On the other hand, I do not agree with pushing heritage protection to an absolute level. It is not a reasonable approach to "museumize" the entire urban space and make it solid and unchanged. A city is like an organism, it needs to keep growing. Even if a certain stage reaches a better state, it does not mean that it should be "frozen" and frozen. In the process of urban growth, there will inevitably be good changes and unsatisfactory parts, but this is the natural process of life.
The Bund No. 9 Steamship Merchants General Administration Building Protection and Regeneration Project, Source: Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.
Therefore, I believe that the tension between urban protection and redevelopment must be viewed from a development perspective. In every renovation project, we should strive to find excellent designers and more reasonable solutions to achieve a balance between protection and development. We cannot mechanically and absolutely pursue 100% protection, nor can we arbitrarily destroy the historical context, nor can we artificially create "fake antiques" to create a so-called "ancient" atmosphere on the surface. The history of the city needs to continue in real and natural changes.
Exhibition site, update of Bund Source.
In fact, many contemporary landmarks were controversial when they were first built. For example, when the Eiffel Tower in Paris was first built, it was strongly opposed by many people in the cultural community; the Oriental Pearl Tower was not accepted by everyone in the early days of its construction. However, after decades, these buildings have now become an indispensable heritage of the city and a part of the city's identity. Therefore, the understanding and acceptance of urban changes is itself a long-term process of habit and cognitive change.
West Bund Art Museum’s special exhibition unit “Building Shanghai: Architecture, City and Culture since 1949”, exhibition view, West Bund Art Museum, Photo: Alessandro Wang
The Paper: Many of Shanghai's new buildings and plans are brought by famous foreign firms. How do you evaluate the expression of contemporary local architects in the context of globalization? In the rapidly changing Shanghai, what is the next task for Tongji's architecture discipline?
Li Xiangning: I think Shanghai, like Paris, is a city with a strong cosmopolitan spirit. One of my original intentions in planning this exhibition is to let everyone feel that Shanghai is a city that has grown up through the constant collision and exchange of diverse cultures and different wills. This kind of diverse symbiosis is the greatness of Shanghai.
I never thought that only Chinese architects could design buildings in Shanghai. In fact, when foreign architectural firms entered China, they brought many advanced and open concepts, activated the relatively rigid construction market under the influence of the Soviet Union, and injected new vitality into the Chinese architectural community. However, after years of development, Chinese architects have also grown rapidly in this process and have acquired strong strength. Architects like Wang Shu and Liu Jiakun can already compete with international masters on the world's top stage, and we also have sufficient cultural confidence. Therefore, we cannot simply judge the quality of a building by its "local" or "foreign" identity. The key lies in whether we can select the best design plan through competition on the same stage. This is crucial.
Alibaba Shanghai headquarters. Source: Foster + Partners
As for the future tasks of Tongji's architecture discipline, I think the first thing is to predict and explore the future development direction of Shanghai. For example, the urban characteristics that Shanghai has always emphasized, such as openness, refined governance, and the construction of a 15-minute living circle, have a certain leading role in the country and even the world. In addition, the construction of ecological civilization is also an important direction, including the ecological restoration of "one river and one river" and the protection of biodiversity. For example, the return of birds and fish to urban waters reflects the continuous improvement of the urban ecological environment. At the same time, combined with the current development trend of intelligence and digitalization, Shanghai is also actively promoting the construction of quantum cities, such as the Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Base on Fuxing Island and other projects, exploring the use of digital technology to create a people's city demonstration site. Tongji University is also deeply involved in these new technological explorations and urban development trends.
Building C, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Source: Zhizheng Architecture Studio
In addition to participation in practice, I believe that we also need to advance in theory and discourse systems. As I mentioned earlier about the concept of the "Shanghai School", we need to summarize and refine the experience of Shanghai's urban development, not only to provide guidance for our own future development, but also to transform these achievements into a set of theoretical systems that can be disseminated externally. This is not only a need for Shanghai to continue to build a modern city, but also an important part of China's independent knowledge system construction.
Note: The exhibition will last until August 3
- stPetdnVoH05/07/2025
- vynJEIHu05/06/2025
- kPIkrXsbzo05/06/2025
- VuOrRhauSZ05/06/2025