SHANGHAI | Projects & Construction [Archive] - Page 8

hkskyline

August 18th, 2011, 08:41 AM

Most public buildings violating cool-air law
Shanghai Daily
Aug 16, 2011

SOME 63 percent of downtown buildings are being kept too cool in summer, violating an energy-saving law, a city government survey shows.

Government officials say the energy could otherwise be used to ease the power supply gap for households and other first-priority users such as hospitals and schools.

To ease the growing shortfall, which is most acute during the summer, the local government has ruled that commercial, office and other public buildings must keep their air temperature at or above 26 degrees Celsius. The estimated peak power load this summer has grown by 7 percent from a year earlier, continuing a growth trend.

The rule, enacted years ago, is now getting the attention of the city's energy-saving supervision center.

In a survey started on July 1 and completed yesterday, the monitoring watchdog paid undercover visits to 219 public buildings, such as hotels, office buildings and shopping malls, in nine downtown districts.

Officials discovered that 63 percent of the property managers were running their air conditioning lower than 26 degrees, with an average measurement of 25.5 degrees.

The watchdog said hotels performed the worst with less than 30 percent meeting the standard. Officials said some upscale hotels preferred to keep their lobbies and other public spaces cool enough to please the residents but said the practice is not worth it.

Watchdog officials said yesterday that they were now installing remote-control monitoring devices to catch future violators and would start handing out penalties. The amount of fines has not yet been specified.

Places such as hotels and high-end shopping malls will bear the focus of the upgraded monitoring attention, the watchdog said.

Not all agree with the rule.

Some property managers said that because of the structure of their buildings, they had to keep the air conditioning lower than 26 degrees to ensure all sections are cool enough.

onthebund

August 19th, 2011, 11:34 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/6afbd1a9jw1dkapi2u1wdj.jpg

onthebund

August 19th, 2011, 11:50 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Construction Site of Fisherman's Wharf in East Bund Area,Yangpu District

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/8/5/1.jpg

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/8/5/2.jpg

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/8/5/3.jpg

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/8/5/4.jpg

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/8/5/10.jpg

http://www.nitagroup.com/zh/projects.php?t=sight&id=146&nav=3
http://www.nitagroup.com/userfiles/04(5).jpg
http://www.nitagroup.com/userfiles/05(4).jpg

onthebund

August 19th, 2011, 12:24 PM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Site Planning and Urban Design of the North and South Districts in Hongqiao CBD Core

http://www.shhqcbd.gov.cn/UploadPath/editor/ae446458-5d28-44a5-a449-c7e3b73f8a9f.jpg?id=323

Ewan117

August 21st, 2011, 01:59 AM

^^ Whats up with these types of designs. Why are they all munted looking boxes with green tops. Its become sort of a trend all around the world and it looks absolutely hideous. Why can't China build something better?

hkskyline

August 21st, 2011, 04:49 PM

Old buildings under threat from termites
Shanghai Daily
Aug 20, 2011

TERMITES are becoming a major threat to many of Shanghai's historic buildings, experts said yesterday.

Buildings built around the 1920s had become the main targets of the insect pests, because most of them were incorporated pine wood, an ideal food for the invaders, said an engineer and termite expert surnamed Zhou from the Xufang Greenery Co.

According to Zhou, who has been battling the insects for more than 30 years, about 60 percent of the city's historic buildings has termite problems and the situation is getting worse.

Owners of old buildings called the company every day, he said, especially during the recent hot weather and the plum rain season when the wood-eating insects would take to the air.

Door frames and walls in the former residence of Ba Jin (1904-2005), one of China's greatest writers, had been eaten through, he said. The brick-built British-style country house on Wukang Road dates from the 1920s.

Other seriously-affected buildings include the Xuhui Art Museum, a European-style villa, the former Shanghai headquarters of the Kuomintang Party on Nanchang Road and the Deke Erh Art Center on Taikang Road.

Some historic residential communities, including the 77-year-old Jing'an Villa, also have termite problems. Residents there say the insects are often seen flying around the street lamps every night during the summer.

Termites have been a deep-rooted problem in the city for many years, said Fang Yuqing, deputy secretary of a working committee of the Shanghai Property Management Association.

A major reason was the lack of professional exterminators, Fang said. Some companies only killed the insects in houses and ignored public areas where the nests were usually hidden, so the termites would soon return, he said.

Zhou said many of today's termite companies failed to reach a professional standard. "They would simply spray pesticide and take out some dead bodies of the insects to show to the customers."

Zhou said the job required special skills to be able to trace the source of the infestation, but few people could do that now.

Zhao is nearing retirement age but has no apprentices. Few people are willing to take on the job.

Fang said many residents would try to deal with the problem themselves, cutting away wood that had been affected and throwing it away.

But this only helped spread the problem, Fang said.

It usually cost 300 yuan (US$46.98) to remove a nest, or about 3,000 yuan per square meter to eliminate the problem.

Fang said the city government should launch a city-wide termite elimination campaign once a year that would more effectively control the problem.

In June, swarms of termites were reported in the city's Jing'an, Hongkou and Xuhui districts. Experts said the termites were on the move in a bid to establish new colonies.

onthebund

August 22nd, 2011, 06:04 PM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Shanghai Nature Museum

http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8jw1dg04x5k8ilj.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8jw1dg04xcn6opj.jpg

http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8jw1dg04xklfsyj.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8jw1dg04xpx7jqj.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8jw1dg04xvmhibj.jpg

This one is already under construction.
Photo by zip
http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110227/19/56251554201102271923312045138261421_000.jpg

hkskyline

August 23rd, 2011, 03:03 PM

Shanghai Daily
Shanghai denies making a bid to host 2028 Olympics
2011-8-23

Shanghai Sports Bureau denied online rumors that the city is bidding to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Rumors were rife on the Internet that Shanghai had earmarked several land plots to build sports venues for the Olympic Games. The venues were scattered in Baoshan and Pudong districts, Shanghai East Radio reported today.

A Sports Bureau official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it is impossible for the city to bid for the 2028 Olympics. Baoshan and Pudong district governments also said they had never heard of such thing.

onthebund

August 25th, 2011, 12:57 PM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Future development of The Riverside Area of Yangpu District

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_110417/1104172155bc9194eaccfa584d.jpg

hkskyline

August 25th, 2011, 02:48 PM

High-end fashion planned for cheap road
Shanghai Daily (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=480775&type=Metro)
Aug 25, 2011

Qipu Road, a well-known market for cheap clothes, will be transformed into a creative, high-end fashion center with entertainment venues, parks and offices, plus an upgraded shopping mall for clothes, officials said yesterday.

The 1-kilometer-long road spanning Zhabei and Hongkou districts will also have wedding photo studios and hotels, while shop windows will display garments of famous domestic brands, said Sun Yu, an official with the Bureau of Planning and Land Resources.

The change to higher-tier brands comports with Zhabei government plans to turn the region into a financial center, said a planning official surnamed Wang with the Zhabei commerce commission.

A new e-commerce platform will also be established for the new market where consumers and wholesalers can buy and trade clothes online, Wang told Shanghai Daily.

The Qipu Road Garment Market - also known as "Cheap Road Market" among foreigners - includes 10 malls mostly doing wholesale business. The malls attract tens of thousands of customers on an average day, with daily numbers reaching 200,000 during holidays.

The district government hinted in May that the popular market might become "high end," despite an online survey showing that more than 70 percent of local people opposed the plan because they said "citizens just need a place like that to sell cheap products."

"The low-end face of the market had to be lifted for the urban plan to turn a 3.2-squre-kilometer area near the market into an international business district," said another official with the commission surnamed Gu.

The area along the city's Suzhou Creek is planned as an urban center for Shanghai's financial sector and international companies by 2015, the planning bureau said on its website. The bureau will publicize the plan until September 21 and received public opinions.

The creek waterfront will become an eco-friendly corridor for sightseeing and relaxation, with five parks and several yachting marinas, Sun said.

Sightseeing cruises will travel along the waterway by 2015, she added.

Old buildings, including many traditional shikumen (stone-gated) houses of Shanghai, will be renovated and be used mostly as art and cultural centers. Residents now living in the buildings will be moved out soon, Sun said.

The decades-old Sihang Warehouse on Guangfu Road alongside the creek will house a new museum and be restored, and it will also be home to creative companies and studios, Sun said.

onthebund

August 27th, 2011, 02:05 PM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=480826

Matchless museums

By Chen Yufei | 2011-8-26

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-08/2011-08-26/20110826_480826_01.jpg

Yachts dock at Changfeng Yacht Exhibition Hall, formerly the Shanghai Test Paper and Reagent Factory, along the Suzhou Creek with a 70-meter-high smokestack at the backdrop. The remaining old factories and offices along the creek are being renovated and restored to house museums and exhibition sites.

onthebund

August 27th, 2011, 02:14 PM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=480244

2 workers killed as scaffolding collapses

By Wen Yin | 2011-8-19

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-08/2011-08-19/20110819_480244_01.jpg

Workers look at the collapsed scaffolding at the construction site of Metro Line 16 yesterday in Pudong.

hkskyline

August 27th, 2011, 03:43 PM

How did the scaffolding collapse - poor worksmanship or wind?

onthebund

August 28th, 2011, 06:40 AM

How did the scaffolding collapse - poor worksmanship or wind?

Initial investigations showed the collapse was related to a loose base on the scaffolding. Storms and heavy rain were cited as possible reasons.

onthebund

August 28th, 2011, 06:50 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=480694&type=Metro

Watchdog to tackle site safety loopholes
By Dong Zhen | 2011-8-24 |

CITY construction officials yesterday vowed to clamp down on safety loopholes, after two workers died when scaffolding collapsed last week.

Four workers were also injured in the accident last Thursday on a construction site for a new stretch of Metro Line 11.

Shentong Group, the city's Metro operator, said initial investigations showed the collapse was related to a loose base on the scaffolding.

The government is still investigating.

Shanghai's construction watchdog said the number of construction accidents increased substantially in the early part of this month, compared to July.

Storms and heavy rain were cited as possible reasons.

But the higher accident rate shows "there are alarming loopholes and much room for improvement in terms of construction site safety" in Shanghai, construction officials said yesterday evening.

They did not release the exact number of construction accidents so far this month.

Fearing more storms, the construction commission yesterday ordered all construction site operators to check and reinforce scaffolding.

When wind speeds reach a certain level, all construction operations must be suspended, officials said.

Watchdogs will increase spot checks, officials said.

The authority said the number of construction site accidents and fatalities in the first six months this year dropped by 23 and 25 percent respectively from a year earlier, without giving figures.

After Thursday's collapse, some construction workers said they suspected days of rains had softened the scaffolding ground base.

onthebund

August 28th, 2011, 06:57 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481049&type=Metro

Dubious honor for Nanjing Rd.
By Lu Feiran | 2011-8-28

SHANGHAI'S Nanjing Road E. and Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars were listed among the "world's 12 worst tourist traps" by cnngo.com, a travel guide website under the US-based television news network CNN.

Nanjing Road E. was No. 4 on the list. The website said the road, which bills itself as the "best shopping street in China," is in reality far from that.

The road, whose history can be traced back 150 years, was once known as the "Number One Commercial Street in China." Most guidebooks recommend tourists check it out for its history.

"Apart from a handful of old shops, any sense of history is largely gone," said the website. It added: "Locals are a rare sight. Ubiquitous brands that can be found on any major shopping street in Shanghai, however, are all too common."

As expected, the list provoked a rapid response by Chinese readers online.

"Foreigners are not be able to appreciate the beauty of Nanjing Road E.," said a Shanghai woman on weibo.com. "Nanjing Road E. after sunset is like a shut-up amusement park, which is both romantic and tranquil."

Meanwhile, the Avenue of Stars, ranked No. 2. The website said it was built in 2004 and was designed with Chinese mainland tourists in mind.

Mainland tourists here are led by flag-toting tour guides as they stumble toward the promenade's highlight, a statue of Bruce Lee in kung fu pose.

"A lack of comfortable resting areas and focus on souvenir photo booths makes the whole experience about as satisfying as a sneeze that doesn't quite come out," according to the website.

The worst tourist trap in the world, according to the website, is Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

New York City's Times Square was No. 3 while Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience in London, United Kingdom was No. 5. The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy was No. 8.

The heavily advertised attractions were described as "bland misrepresentations" or "expensive time eaters," and that they often leave a bad taste in your mouth, kind of like "burnt coffee."

onthebund

August 29th, 2011, 09:48 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481159&type=Metro

More trains, longer hours for Metro Line 2
By Zha Minjie | 2011-8-29

SHANGHAI Metro operator will increase the capacity of Metro Line 2, the city's busiest subway, by prolonging operation hours and shortening interval along the line starting from September 1.

The interval span along the whole line, connecting two city airports, will be cut by about 30 seconds to 3 minutes and 30 seconds during rush hours - from the present 4 minutes.

The new service hour of Line 2's eastern stretch, from Guanglan Road station to the Pudong International Airport station, will start at 6am and run through 10pm every day, compared with the current 6:30am to 9pm.

Intervals along the section will also be cut during rush hours with more trains put into use, the operator said today.

Besides, three extra Line 2 services will also be added after 10pm between Guanglan Road and Yuandong Avenue station till 10:24pm to smooth the ride for residents living in suburban Chuansha area in the Pudong New Area, the metro operator said.

While along Line 2's Hongqiao International Airport-bound east section, more services will be added with interval shortened too.

The line handles more than 1.3 million passengers a day.

lianli

August 29th, 2011, 10:20 AM

^^ Finally! Line 2 definetely needs more trains.

djm160190

August 29th, 2011, 12:29 PM

Great news!! Line 2 is so busy! They could do with adding some more to Line 1 and 8 though...

onthebund

August 31st, 2011, 08:56 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481368&type=

Sex-ed book for early grades

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-8-31

THE first sex education textbook for pupils in grades one and two will be introduced to local classrooms this semester.

Compared with the Beijing sex education textbook that has sparked controversy, the Shanghai version is more implicit as it has replaced illustrations depicting intercourse with cartoon pictures of tadpoles.

However, many parents still worried that it's too early to teach sex information to children under the age of 10 and complained that the book is too revealing.

In one chapter called "Where do I come from?" it introduces names of private parts and explains fertilization with colorful illustrations.

"Kindergarten children have a vague idea about gender difference," said Xu Dianfang, an official with the Shanghai Education Commission. "Local primary schools are required to launch gender education among grade one and grade two students."

But the commission didn't specify any one textbook or detail the content that should be taught. Many schools design their own sex education curriculum and class materials.

The textbook is based on the sex education materials of the Primary School Affiliated to the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.

Xu Jin, deputy principal of the school, said they found many parents fail to provide correct answers to students' questions of "Where do I come from?" So the school started sex education six years ago.

The book has been published by the Shanghai Education Publishing House, and 18 primary schools have chosen to adopt the textbook in a pilot program. The textbook is also available at bookstores.

However, some parents think the book is too revealing and fear that it could lead to the early onset of puberty.

"Grade one and two pupils are too young to learn this," said Gong Sidong, mother of a girl in grade three.

"I think they just need to learn about where the private parts are and they cannot touch others' private parts or let others touch," she said.

Zhou Haiwang, a researcher at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, hailed the sex education textbooks.

"More kids experience early puberty now," Zhou said. "Children also have easier access to sex information now."

He said the Shanghai version is appropriate because it explains the basic theory without going into details, while the Beijing version is too revealing.

"If schools teach the grade one students all the stuff, what are they going to teach the grade four and grade five students?" he asked.

He advised schools to implement progressive education on sex.

onthebund

August 31st, 2011, 09:52 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=480953&type=Feature

The best of Broadway in Shanghai

By Zhang Qian | 2011-8-27

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-08/2011-08-27/20110827_480953_01.jpg
Broadway stars including (from left) Kevin Kern, Brad Little, Eden Espinosa and Ria Jones will take leading roles in "Ultimate Broadway," the opening show of Shanghai Culture Square.

SHANGHAI Culture Square is set to open with a bang as a collection of Broadway's greatest hits will be performed in "Ultimate Broadway," writes Zhang Qian.

Shanghai Culture Square will open with "Ultimate Broadway," a musical that features hit songs from a collection of successful shows that have featured on Broadway over the years.

Running from September 23 to October 9, the show is co-produced by Shanghai Grand Theater and GWB Entertainment Company.

Project director Fei Yuanhong says trying to figure out how to open the new venue was not easy.

"We have had discussions for a long time about a proper musical work to open Shanghai Culture Square," Fei says. "Eventually, we decided that presenting an amalgamation of great songs from different musicals would be the perfect start."

Popular arias like those from "A Chorus Line," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Cats," "South Pacific," "Gypsy," "Wicked," "Les Miserables," "Chicago" and "Mamma Mia!" will all be a part of "Ultimate Broadway."

The musical will feature stars such as Brad Little, Eden Espinosa, Kevin Kern and Ria Jones in leading roles.

The musical's dancers are composed of professionals from London's West End and Chinese students selected from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Theater Academy.

An orchestra of 43 musicians will play live while quick-changing lighting, projections and stage props will provide backdrops for each scene. According to Fei, the venue's water stage will also be used.

After five years of construction, Shanghai Culture Square is finally ready to open and officials hope it can become an Asian Broadway.

The underground theater can seat 2,010 guests and features state-of-the-art audio facilities under each seat.

Torben Brookman, producer of "Ultimate Broadway," first visited Shanghai in 2001, when musicals were still largely unfamiliar to most Chinese. He witnessed the quick development of musicals here in the past 10 years as spectators responded enthusiastically to shows like "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "High School Musical."

"I have seen Chinese crews improve their skills in the past few years," Brookman says.

With "Ultimate Broadway" serving as a greatest hits type show, he hopes spectators will enjoy the "musical collage."

Brad Little, star of "The Phantom of the Opera," says he is excited to return to Shanghai. He was here for "Phantom" at Shanghai Grand Theater six years ago.

"That was the start of my Asian career," he says. "I performed in Hong Kong and Taiwan in the following years, but the first stop, Shanghai, is always special for me."

Little is looking forward to performing at Shanghai Culture Square as well as working with other great Broadway stars.

"I have cooperated with Eden Espinosa; all I can say about her is, wow," Little says. "She is just great."

Little also says he admires the other stars, though he has not worked with them. And he says it will be interesting to share the stage with Chinese artists.

Little will sing "Music of the Night" from "Phantom" along with his other popular songs like "This is the Moment" from "Jekyll & Hyde" as well as numbers from "Beauty and the Beast."

Little's performance in the South Korean musical "Tears in Heaven" has amazed many Asian spectators, and he says he would be honored to take roles in future Chinese musicals.

Ticket prices for "Ultimate Broadway" range from 80 yuan (US$12.50) to 1,280 yuan, with an average price of about 280 yuan.

Zhang Jie, general manager of Shanghai Culture Square, says the wide price range is designed to give more people the chance to see the musical.

Date: September 23- October 9, 2:30pm, 7:15pm, 7:30pm

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Address: 36 Yongjia Rd

Tickets: 80-1,280 yuan

Tel: 6217-2426, 6217-3055

onthebund

September 1st, 2011, 09:34 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481401&type=Metro

First-ever experimental theatre fest to open in city

By Nie Xin | 2011-8-31

CHINA'S first-ever experimental theater festival will have its opening event in Shanghai on September 3.

Sixteen cutting-edge Chinese experimental theaters will stage 33 performances up to September 21 during the China Experimental Theater Festival, officially organized China Ministry of Culture.

The dramas selected from 45 candidates cover adaptions of Western classics, original creations by metropolitan youths, and reflections of modern social realities.

Some of the big names include "Copenhagen" by English playwright Michael Frayn; "12th Night" based on Shakespeare's work; "First Touch" adapted from a famous Taiwanese novel, while original dramas are "Bring Strange Woman Back Home;" "If, I'm Not Who I Am;" "Marry an Honest Man;" and "I Am Sea-gull."

Shanghai Modern Theatre will present the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Goodnight Mum."

"The experimental theater movement is getting more and more popular in China, especially among young audiences; at the same time it has a big space to make progress," says Liu Wenguo, the art director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV and the art director of Shanghai International Art Festival.

To attract more young people to the theater, ticket prices will be capped at 80 yuan (US$13). Students can enjoy productions at half price.

"We hope stepping into the theater to enjoy experimental theaters can become a lifestyle for people here," says Han Sheng, the director of Shanghai Theater Academy.

China's top drama groups will all be in Shanghai during the festival, including the National Theater of China, Beijing People's Art Theater, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, Central Academy of China, and Shanghai Theater Academy. Groups from Wuhan and Liaoning will also present there works at the festival.

The experimental theater started in China in the 1920s. Initially from Shanghai and Beijing, it is now also popular in Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Liaoning.

During the Festival some forums will be held on relevant themes like how to develop experimental theater in China, the management, the social value and the creation of plays. Well-known directors, playwrights, and actors will all participate.

The four main venues are the Drama Salon and Studio D6 at Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, the New Space at Shanghai Theater Academy, and the Drama Theater at Shanghai Grand Theater.

onthebund

September 1st, 2011, 09:37 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481402&type=Metro

Old World Expo site to become creative industry hub

By Yang Jian | 2011-8-31

WORK has started to transform the Puxi part of the World Expo 2010 site into a creative industry investment hub due to open next year, the area operator said today.

The Expo Development Group said it envisioned the creation of an open block for cultural exchange, exhibition, creative industry and entertainment in the former Urban Best Practices Area, a Shanghai Expo creation along the Huangpu River.

All the buildings in the area, mostly renovated old factories, will remain. More than 80 exhibitors from cities around the world were showcased inside these buildings during the expo that ran from May to October last year.

In addition the eco-friendly design of the area will be maintained as a model for good urban development, a press official of the group said.

The buildings in the north will be rented to design companies as offices, while the south will be home to art exhibitions, fashion shows and retail, the group said.

The group today signed a contract with a French company to operate France's Rhone-Alpes Pavilion, marking the start of the area's post-Expo development.

The 2,500-square-meter Rhone-Alpes Pavilion featured Vegetation Purification Technology during the Expo, meaning the pavilion was able to purify the air inside.

onthebund

September 1st, 2011, 09:47 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=481476

Eve of destruction

By Wen Lei | 2011-9-1

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-09/2011-09-01/20110901_481476_01.jpg
A man walks past a graffiti wall on the Bund yesterday. This graffiti was created by an Italian artist in April. Two of Shanghai's most famous graffiti walls, including this 300-meter-long display on the Bund, are scheduled to be demolished this year. The other is a 600-meter-long artwork on Moganshan Road.

onthebund

September 2nd, 2011, 11:49 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

By Mori

Construction site of Shangjia Building in Hongqiao Area

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/9/1/DSC_0542.JPG

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/9/1/DSC_05411314877073978.JPG

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/9/1/DSC_0559.JPG

http://pic.qnpic.com:83/r.jsp?fn=//fanjoin/share/2011/9/1/DSC_0561.JPG

onthebund

September 4th, 2011, 07:10 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by 天池

Latest shots of construction sites in North Bund Area

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918000387e53b4915bc27.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110829180792c74dd3eba67b66.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108291801a3cb28959969b0cc.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110829180101c853705c097b2a.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108291802bd4481279e45ce47.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918020642b505478f6e64.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918036724e8801e6c2896.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110829180426c4fafc8b34fb10.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108291807839feffaa4e57eb3.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918059e824196a6f5e8cb.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918062b7c78aaa269d58b.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108291810514bebaace6fe92e.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082918127b8426e39422620b.jpg

onthebund

September 4th, 2011, 08:45 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

New projects in Changning District

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110903151952d9500874431124.jpg

onthebund

September 4th, 2011, 08:53 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110826175021b65498d9911222.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082617505ac6bb3905cba2c2.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108261748a88717ae030f8417.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082617483e305dad9dcf01bc.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108261749e747b183c52bf1b7-1.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11082617495d1d18e6e57015c4.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1108261749611fe35234d1ebb3.jpg

onthebund

September 4th, 2011, 09:19 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Future plan for the riverside area of Yangpu District

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1104172155bc9194eaccfa584d.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110417215251f35420739e7080.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110417215462d008337069e9fa.jpg

onthebund

September 4th, 2011, 01:56 PM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by Kaiser

A new project in Minhang District

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/5983761805_d99f55bb3d_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/5984323054_a5651ffcac_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/5984322706_c2be9bb4f8_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5983760615_fe338b43d4_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6003/5983759839_bd71d5e270_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5984321256_abcd7b22db_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/5983762251_8c8e5705e9_b.jpg

onthebund

September 5th, 2011, 05:22 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by ZIP

Future North Bund

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_013.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_012.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_011.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_010.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_009.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_008.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_006.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_004.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_025.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_023.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_022.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_021.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_020.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_019.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_018.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_017.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_016.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_015.jpg

http://img181.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20110620/20/56251554201106202041284199342933191_014.jpg

lianli

September 5th, 2011, 05:28 AM

^^
Looks nice.
I passed by the site yesterday. There was pretty much going on.

onthebund

September 5th, 2011, 06:37 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by iwlbetter

DANING CENTRAL SQUARE

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032151803ed6179dcabc2c.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11090321544138e68fc01fc7b5.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032158c144d158f2e1a5d5.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11090321559f333debda611cdb.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032157f9a5756c3d83e4f3.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032157f9a5756c3d83e4f3-1.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032157f9a5756c3d83e4f3-2.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110903220419550803c65229bd.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110903220684d245bd22ab044a.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110903220419550803c65229bd-1.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032208ccb25e1656aea7fd.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109032208e7aa561580713ec3.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/11090322065e8a52f846a7305b.jpg

onthebund

September 5th, 2011, 08:02 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by ZIP

Future plan for Huangpu District

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/110716114832c742a93c9d8b93.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/r.jpg

Divineator

September 5th, 2011, 07:31 PM

All these renders are amazingly breathtaking.

Is gaoloumi a reliable source by the way? I wouldn't want these fantastic projects to get cancelled... Especially the new North Bund! Oh my god... Can't wait to see it coming. It seems the pre-construction has already started, so does anyone know when it's expected to be finished?

lianli

September 5th, 2011, 08:18 PM

^^
Gaoloumi is as reliable as any forum.

Like I said before, the North Bund project is real. There is pretty much construction going on and the renders are all over the plot's surrounding walls.

Those Huangpu towers are probably part of a long-term plan, so we shouldn't expect too much at the moment.

Divineator

September 5th, 2011, 08:33 PM

Yeah, I don't doubt the river project, since it's been official for a while that Shanghai will expand greatly on its yacht culture.
Concerning upcoming supertalls in Puxi though, I don't know for sure... I'd love to see it though.

lianli

September 5th, 2011, 09:12 PM

^^
I think the most likely supertall construction in Puxi is the Xintiandi supertall, since the project's second phase (supertall is in third phase) is already U/C.

Divineator

September 5th, 2011, 10:35 PM

Oh yeah, can't wait to see the Xintiandi one rising.

Atmosphere

September 6th, 2011, 12:00 AM

Oh my, Good to finally see so many updates of one of the biggest cities in the world.

Munwon

September 6th, 2011, 02:12 AM

More More!!!

onthebund

September 6th, 2011, 03:56 PM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by 天池

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/6161932020110906200712043.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109062018e2f93a297c276d49.jpg

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/rainofheart/1109062020d0ff3905e2038dc9.jpg

Divineator

September 6th, 2011, 09:32 PM

^^Nice shots. Is that taken at the White Magnolia Plaza?

hkskyline

September 7th, 2011, 08:20 AM

Inter Ikea Boosts China Spending With $626 Million Shanghai Shopping Mall
Bloomberg Excerpt (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-06/inter-ikea-may-spend-626-million-on-shanghai-mall-to-meet-china-demand.html)
Sep 7, 2011

Inter Ikea Centre Group, the developer of the world’s largest home-furnishings retailer, is boosting the size of three malls it’s building in China and plans a fourth in Shanghai on “huge demand” for shop leases.

Ikea Group’s mall developer plans to spend as much as 4 billion yuan ($626 million) on the Shanghai shopping center, which may open as early as 2016, managing director John Tegner said in an interview yesterday.

The investment in the Shanghai mall adds to the 10 billion yuan Inter Ikea said in 2009 would be invested over five years in China, where retail sales have grown an average of 17 percent in the seven months through July. Adidas AG, Swatch Group AG’s local partner Hengdeli Holdings Ltd. (3389) and Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd. are among those that have said they’re adding stores in the world’s most-populous nation.

“China is the single most important market in the world,” Tegner, 56, said in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi, where he attended a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a 140,000 square-meter (1.5 million square-foot) mall scheduled to open in 2013. “A lot of retailers want to come to our sites, and we decided to make them a little bigger.”

***

Ikea, the world’s biggest home-furnishings retailer, last year said it planned to more than double the number of stores in China to 18 by 2015, as more people move to cities.

About 170 million Chinese moved to cities in the last 10 years, the biggest urbanization in history, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. China aims to increase the proportion of those living in cities from 47.5 percent to 51.5 percent by 2015, it said in its latest five-year plan.
China Real Estate

Inter Ikea is considering four to five sites in Shanghai for its fourth mall in China, Tegner said.

The mall developer’s push comes as foreign retailers buy properties, abandoning a decade-long strategy of leasing. Rents in China soared after a 4 trillion yuan stimulus package in 2008 helped revive economic growth.

Investment in Chinese real estate rose 33.6 percent to 3.2 trillion yuan in the first seven months from a year earlier, data from China’s statistics bureau show. Home sales volume rose 12.9 percent in the first seven months from a year earlier to 465.6 million square meters.

***

Inter Ikea, 49 percent owned by Ikea Group with the rest held by Inter Ikea Group, has 35 properties in 14 countries, Tegner said. At least 15 more are being built, according to the company’s website.

***

oliver999

September 7th, 2011, 08:43 AM

i am so excited.

lianli

September 7th, 2011, 08:58 AM

^^
about the new ikea store? :lol:

onthebund

September 7th, 2011, 09:02 AM

^^Nice shots. Is that taken at the White Magnolia Plaza?

Its taken at the North Bund.:)

onthebund

September 7th, 2011, 09:21 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=481977

Park's colorful display is homegrown

2011-9-7

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-09/2011-09-07/20110907_481977_01.jpg
People take pictures at the Riverside Forest Park in Shanghai's Pudong New Area yesterday as a two-month wild flower show was launched at the park. Seeds of wild flowers were planted in the park instead of being cultivated elsewhere and moved into the park especially for the show. This is the first time in a city park that all the flowers on show have been grown in this way, officials said. About 80 percent of the flowers, totaling more than 100 types, have been introduced from Europe.

onthebund

September 7th, 2011, 09:39 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=481891&type=Metro

Planners lower height on planned Bund complex

By Yang Jian | 2011-9-6

SHANGHAI'S urban planning authorities yesterday lowered the height of a modern high-rise complex planned on the historic Bund to make it more harmonious with the rest of the Bund's architecture.

The heights of three side buildings of the planned Bund International Financial Service Center complex were reduced to less than 80 meters - 15 meters lower than the previous design, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Land Resources said on its website yesterday. It is soliciting public opinion.

The side buildings will be used for offices, businesses and hotels. However, the plan has not been changed for the main part of the complex, two 180-meter-tall twin towers. The bureau said they will be farther away from the historic Bund scenic area and therefore received approval.

The green-capped Fairmont Peace Hotel is now the tallest among Bund buildings at 77 meters.

The bureau publicized an initial plan for the complex in July and changed the plan amid public opinions that the buildings would ruin the historic Bund scenery.

"The developer fully supports the new plan and welcomes further public opinions," Wang Fujie, deputy chairman of the board of directors of the Shanghai Zendai Property, told Shanghai Television Station yesterday.

Construction will begin at the end of the year on the complex which will be a comprehensive venue for business, finance, offices and cultural uses, Wang said.

Divineator

September 7th, 2011, 11:14 AM

^^Do they mean SOHO?

lianli

September 7th, 2011, 11:16 AM

^^
Yes.

Divineator

September 7th, 2011, 11:19 AM

Well that is great, I've always liked the design of SOHO, even though I think the original height was a bit too high to suit the Bund.

Munwon

September 7th, 2011, 12:08 PM

It says twin towers though. Are you sure the article relates to SOHO?

Divineator

September 7th, 2011, 12:59 PM

We're pretty sure, perhaps you should read the article again. SOHO that will start construction soon is going to be 80 meters tall and located close to the river. The proposed twin towers are expected to rise 180 meters each and located a few blocks away from the river.

Munwon

September 7th, 2011, 01:40 PM

Ah... so 2 seperate projects. Thank you for clearing things up.

lianli

September 7th, 2011, 05:01 PM

^^
Here are the future twin towers next to SOHO:

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/71e7b7a1jw1dhqu3mx2gaj.jpg

Divineator

September 7th, 2011, 09:33 PM

^^Well... where's SOHO in this pic? Haha.

lianli

September 8th, 2011, 03:24 AM

^^
Yeah, it's not in the pic. It will be on the plot next to the smaller buildings (right side of the pic).

onthebund

September 8th, 2011, 07:29 AM

from http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=482082&type=Metro

Former top art academy to be protected

By Yang Jian | 2011-9-8

SHANGHAI'S cultural relics authority yesterday promised to protect the former site of what was once the best art academy in China but which has deteriorated into shabby homes over the last 60 years.

The three buildings of the former Shanghai Art Academy in Huangpu District will not be demolished as previously planned, because the compound was the first private arts school in China and most Chinese modern artists studied there, said Li Kongsan, an official with the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Commission.

The decision was made after Liu Chan, daughter of China's modern art education trail-blazer Liu Haisu (1896-1994) who founded the academy in 1912, called on the public to save the legacy of her father.

In the mid-1950s, Liu Haisu moved the academy to Nanjing in neighboring Jiangsu Province, and the old site became residential buildings for teachers of another nearby school.

"I am heartbroken, and I think my father would be more, to see his most important legacy being a mess and even might vanish," she told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

The European-style main building of the academy is now hidden behind stores and rows of hanging laundry.

The former studios where ground-breaking nude models were used in painting classes in 1914 for the first time in China are now home to beds and tables, while the piano rooms on the ground floor became kitchens.

More than 40 families are living in the three-story building that has undergone several renovations. Liu said a lot of valuable designs had been damaged.

The colored glass roof, which allowed lots of light into the studios, was destroyed and replaced with concrete, while a set of concrete steps shaped like open arms, which graced the front entrance, are damaged, she said.

The residents are also struggling to live in the buildings.

The home of 88-year-old Ge Fuxi, the oldest resident in the building who has lived there for 58 years, has no toilet or bathtub. He has to walk five minutes to go to a public toilet that was built on the former basketball court.

The residents have refused to pay the electricity fees for several years as a protest and to urge the government to move them out from the shabby environment.

"The commission wants to move them out soon so as to renovate the buildings and turn it into an art museum, but cannot afford the huge moving cost," said Zhang Fuqiang, another official for the commission.

hkskyline

September 12th, 2011, 05:14 PM

lianli

September 12th, 2011, 05:46 PM

108 Plaza

http://www.hkcholdings.com/img/sichuanrd002.jpg

twin towers
29 floors, 145m

Sichuan Road
Right across the Bund, facing the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel, with panoramic views of Pudong, the Bund and Nanjing Road.

http://www.hkcholdings.com/html/bus_dev.php#a1

Divineator

September 12th, 2011, 09:32 PM

Most city families to get broadband by 2015
Shanghai Daily (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2011/09/07/Most%2Bcity%2Bfamilies%2Bto%2Bget%2Bbroadband%2Bby%2B2015/)
2011-9-7

The local government officials today said Shanghai would become one of the cities in China to provide the most convenient and fast Internet services by end of 2015.

Officials said a major effort is underway to construct and expand the fiber-optical broadband network in order to reach this goal.

Given the current construction and revamp speed of Internet facilities, up to 3.24 million households in town can enjoy using the new fiber-optical broadband services at home.

And by end of 2012, the number of new broadband Internet facilitated homes will be boosted to 5.5 million, covering nearly all local families, officials said.
In other words: The city is getting more and more expensive to live in. During my last visit this summer the taxi fares were up at 18 kuai to start with during nights. When I first came in 2009 it was just 12 kuai. I'm doubtful when they say "nearly all local families". Of course they mean those locals who can afford it, or those who live as expats in gated communities where the company pays for everything.

lianli

September 13th, 2011, 03:48 AM

^^
Here in Germany the broadband got much faster over the years, but the prices didn't changed significantly.

Divineator

September 13th, 2011, 07:47 AM

It's not really my point though. What I mean is that the massive improvements in infra-structure and intended uprising costs will force many local families to move out of Shanghai, to cities like Hangzhou. At some point though, Hangzhou will also be where Shanghai is now.

lianli

September 13th, 2011, 10:36 AM

^^
Is Hangzhou so much cheaper?
I always thought that Hangzhou was the favourite place for rich Shanghainese people to escape the big city life.

hkskyline

September 13th, 2011, 05:48 PM

Well, it's inevitable that if Shanghai wants to keep growing and ascending the global leagues, that prices will also rise along with the increased wealth and standard of living.

Tom_Green

September 15th, 2011, 10:46 AM

I hope that gated communities are not the future for Shanghai. But i am afraid they are

onthebund

September 15th, 2011, 04:56 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Business/2011/09/15/Time%2Bright%2Bto%2Blaunch%2Binternational%2Bboard%2Bcity%2Bofficial/

Time right to launch international board: city official

By Lydia Chen | 2011-9-15

THE global situation is now perfect for Shanghai to launch its much-anticipated international board while the city will also encourage more foreign firms to sell yuan-denominated bonds, the city government said today.

The international board, previously expected to be launched sometime this year, will be a good financing platform for foreign firms that are struggling to find capital amid financial difficulties especially in eurozone countries, Fang Xinghai, head of Shanghai's financial services office, told a press conference this afternoon.

"These foreign firms can use the money they raise from the international board in either their home country business or the Chinese mainland market," Fang said. "Either way, this opens a very good door for them," he added.

For China, as the world's second largest economy, the launch of the foreign board will also help the country establish a new role in the global financial market, Fang noted.

Shanghai has been seeking to attract multinational companies to the international board, a key step along the road of building itself into a global financial center on par with London and New York by 2020.

Firms such as HSBC, Coca-Cola, General Electric Co, Unilever Plc and Volkswagen AG have all expressed interest in the new board.

China's possible purchase of foreign government bonds amid a debt crisis in Europe isn't a "good choice" right now, according to the head of Shanghai's financial services office.

"It's not a good time to buy government debt at the moment because those countries are very likely to continue their loose monetary policies," Fang said.

"Loose monetary polices could lead to a depreciating currency and rising inflation," Fang added.

onthebund

September 23rd, 2011, 11:29 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=483332&type=Business

Apple's biggest Asian store opens in city

By Ding Yining | 2011-9-23

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-09/2011-09-23/20110923_483332_01.jpg
Cui Lizhen, the first guest of the brand new Apple store in Shanghai's Nanjing Road E., was lifted up to celebrate by the Apple employees today. Apple launched its largest retail store in Asia and the third one in Shanghai today. Cui started to queue from 10pm yesterday, and arrived Shanghai from Jilin Province on Wednesday.

APPLE Inc today launched its largest retail store in Asia on Nanjing Road East and the third one in Shanghai, taking the total number of retail stores to five on the Chinese mainland.

More than 300 employees greeted customers with a special-designed T-shirt at the launch of the store at 9am today.

"I started to queue for the opening at 10pm on Thursday and I wanted to be the first to see what's new in the shop," said Cui Lizhen, who was the first one to enter the brand new store.

Cui, who runs a start-up firm of his own, said he saw the alert on Apple's official website and arrived in Shanghai from the northeastern Jilin Province on Wednesday.

Apple, the maker of iPhone and iPad, previously said it planned to open 25 stores in China and Hong Kong by February 2012.

onthebund

September 23rd, 2011, 11:43 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=482780

Overpass under way

Source: Shanghai Daily | 2011-9-17

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-09/2011-09-17/20110917_482780_01.jpg
An artist's impression of the revamped southern riverfront area in Pudong's Lujiazui zone.

VISITORS to Pudong's Lujiazui financial zone will have easy access to the waterfront area after construction began yesterday on an overpass connecting the Super Brand Mall to the riverside boulevard. The work is part of a 100 million yuan (US$15.7 million) project to revamp the southern riverfront area which is due to be concluded by October next year.

onthebund

September 28th, 2011, 04:45 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=483713

Above the traffic

By Liu Xingzhe | 2011-9-28

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-09/2011-09-28/20110928_483713_01.jpg
Cars drive beneath an overpass at the Lujiazui financial zone yesterday. The first phase of the two-story passage, named Century Overpass, opens to pedestrians today. The passage is about 280 meters long and 8 meters wide. Construction of a corridor is scheduled to start late this year to complete the pedestrian links joining the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and other landmark buildings in Lujiazui.

Joel que

September 29th, 2011, 10:37 AM

if city council wanted to shanghai to become more glamorous, first put all the power transmission line and telephone underground.
particular area around the bund or riverside.

onthebund

September 29th, 2011, 02:22 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=483845&type=Metro

Cinemas boycott film starring anti-gay couple

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-9-29

LOCAL theaters began to boycott the public release of a film that stars a famous acting couple who angered many with remarks of discrimination against homosexuals, New Express Daily reported yesterday.

Lu Liping and her husband Sun Haiying's new film "Love Never Dies" won't be released in some theaters due to pressure from the gay rights groups.

The film's distributor, known as "Dianyingyishu" on Weibo microblogging site, revealed that some theaters banned the film under pressure.

The film's director, A'Nian, confirmed the boycott on his microblog and asked the public to treat it rationally.

"The film has the right to be screened just as you (gay couples) have the right to love each other," he said.

Some theater managers admitted that they had received an order to boycott the film, the newspaper said.

Shanghai cinemas have not received a notice to ban the film and the film's local premiere is set on October 14, according to the Shanghai United Circuit.

Earlier, a group of people gathered outside the building of a press conference for the film's release in Beijing to protest against the couple and called on others to boycott their film.

Lu Liping who starred in many films and TV dramas retweeted a Weibo microblog from a priest who condemned homosexuality as a sin and called on her fans to denounce homosexuals. Lu soon found herself engulfed in criticism from many netizens and celebrities.

Her husband Sun Haiying, also a renowned film actor, refused to comment on his wife's stance, but said everyone has the right to express personal opinions. Sun labeled homosexuality as a crime in 2007 and was under attack on the Internet.

hkskyline

October 11th, 2011, 11:50 AM

Relics of Ming era bridge are unearthed
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=484456&type=Metro
2011-10-11

THE city's cultural relics authority yesterday stopped a construction project after some relics of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) stone bridge that was identified as one of the former "Eight Sceneries of Shanghai" were unearthed at the site.

The Moonlight on the Scholar's Bridge in the current Huangpu District was one of the eight sceneries of Shanghai in history. The relics are believed to be part of the former Scholar's Bridge, said Xue Liyong, a local historian.

The bridge was named after a scholar surnamed Lu who built the bridge during the Ming Dynasty.

Today's construction project involves a high-rise on the site. A worker said they dug out stones several days ago.

Authorities said they will keep digging the area in hope of unearthing more of the bridge, he said. Once they are finished, construction can resume.

Xue said most of the city's old scenic spots had disappeared and that any relics that are found could help to restore them.

onthebund

October 11th, 2011, 08:09 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=484475&type=Metro

Jews seek to save city heritage

By Yang Jian | 2011-10-11

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-11/20111011_484460_01.jpg
An exhibition at the Ohel Moshe Synagogue features design blueprints by Chinese and Israeli architects aiming to protect buildings from the historic Jewish quarter that existed in the city's Hongkou District in the 1930s.

Photo by Wang Rongjiang

Shanghai's Jewish community is seeking measures to restore some historic buildings that offered refuge to Jewish people during the World War II but are now in poor condition with hundreds of residents living inside.

The historic buildings near the Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Hongkou District have great historic value that symbolizes the friendship between Chinese and Jewish people, said Maurice Ohana, president of the Shanghai Jewish Community.

The area around the synagogue, which is now the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, was the biggest neighborhood for the 30,000 Jewish refugees in Shanghai in the 1930s.

More than 20 two-story buildings constituted the busiest neighborhood in the area known as "Little Vienna," which housed Jewish handiwork stores and clinics until the Jewish residents moved back to Europe after World War II ended in 1945.

Ohana said that more than 2,000 Jewish people now live in the city, and the neighborhood is a must-go place for Jewish tourists to Shanghai.

"I remember the buildings had many exotic patterns and decorations, while the inner structures were well-designed," said a 60-year-old resident surnamed Wang who has lived there since she was born.

But the buildings now have many illegal structures on the roofs built by the residents. Inside, they have been divided into many small apartments, while most of the former decorations have been damaged in renovations, Wang said.

Students from the Tel Aviv University of Israel have been working with Shanghai's Tongji University on restoration plans for the area. They exhibited some of their plans to local residents yesterday at the Ohel Moshe Synagogue.

As one idea, they suggested reopening the Jewish handiwork stores to revive the former "Little Vienna."

The district government has decided to renovate the buildings listed as protected, but is still working on details, said Bai Aijun, director of the district's Bureau of Planning and Land Resources.

"The plans from Chinese and Jewish students provide many valuable ideas that can be used," Bai said.

The buildings constructed in Roman-style between 1880 and 1920 have historic value in themselves, said Wang Anshi, an architectural expert and member of the city's historic building protection committee. They have arched windows and spires that are rare among local buildings. And the former residents left many Jewish decorations that are also valuable, Wang said.

He said a feasible way to protect the buildings is to move some residents out to reduce the damage, then launch an overall renovation to give a better living environment for the residents who remain.

onthebund

October 13th, 2011, 05:09 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=484634

Picasso at the Pavilion

By Gao Jianping | 2011-10-13

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-13/20111013_484634_01.jpg
Workers in white gloves move "L'etreinte" by Pablo Picasso in preparation for the China debut of a traveling exhibition of selected works by the legendary artist which opens next Tuesday in the Shanghai World Expo China Pavilion. The China Picasso Exhibition will feature 48 oil paintings, seven prints, seven sculptures and 50 photographic works from the National Picasso Museum in Paris. The exhibition will celebrate each notable period of the artist's eight-decade career including the Blue period, the Rose period and cubism. It is the first time that the works from the Paris museum have been shown in Shanghai.

hkskyline

October 17th, 2011, 04:57 AM

Dock to give cruise ships closer passage
2011-10-13
Shanghai Daily (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=484621&type=Metro)

A professional cruise ship dock in northern downtown will launch full service this weekend, providing a better time for tourists who come to Shanghai via the sea.

The dock management said yesterday the Wusong cruise ship terminal, part of a project in Baoshan District to cater to river and sea passenger traffic, will start full service after a successful trial run.

The facility is being opened to large cruise ships that otherwise cannot sail into downtown due to their heights. Because of the Yangpu Bridge across the Huangpu River, which is on the common route for passenger liners heading to a north Bund dock, some larger cruise ships had to anchor at a cargo berth at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The new cruise dock makes it possible for even the biggest passenger liners to take an alternate route that avoids the bridge but still gets them closer to downtown. Now sea travelers can expect to reach downtown sightseeing spots in less than half the time after getting off the ships.

Diamond Princess, ranking as one of the world's 15 most luxurious cruise ships, is scheduled to berth by the Wusong terminal this Saturday and become the first ship in the facility once it opens for full service.

onthebund

October 19th, 2011, 09:13 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2011/10/18/Making%2Ba%2Bsplash/

Making a splash

2011-10-18

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-18/20111018_485019_01.jpg
Tourists take pictures at the "Pit Garden" of the Wusong Wetland Park's second-phase complex that opened in the city's Baoshan District yesterday. The wetland park now covers about 110 hectares. It sits on land created since the 1960s by dumping steel along the Yangtze River.

onthebund

October 19th, 2011, 09:18 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485110

Airliner emergency drill

2011-10-19

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-19/20111019_485110_01.jpg
Rescuers evacuate passengers and give first aid to the "injured" yesterday at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport during a drill to test emergency preparedness. The drill simulated a fire triggered by an onboard equipment malfunction when an airplane taxied along the runway. Ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles gathered at the edge of the airfield and rushed to the rescue when the "fire" broke out.

onthebund

October 19th, 2011, 09:28 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=484925

Hats off to folk dancers

By Wang Rongjiang | 2011-10-17

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-17/20111017_484925_01.jpg
Costa Rican dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the Baoshan International Folk Arts Festival at a wetland park in Baoshan District last night. The festival runs through Saturday. The series of events is part of the monthlong Shanghai International Arts Festival that starts tomorrow.

onthebund

October 23rd, 2011, 10:33 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485328

The business of running

By Wang Rongjiang | 2011-10-21

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-21/20111021_485328_01.jpg
A total of 3,888 corporate employees from 158 companies took part yesterday evening in the inaugural JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in downtown Shanghai. The 5.6-kilometer team road race is the first expansion of the worldwide event since 2004. First across the winning line for the men was Barclay Grundler from Tagus, while Angeline Ding from PwC took the top spot among women competitors.

onthebund

October 23rd, 2011, 10:45 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485430

Thinking of studying abroad

By Wang Rongjiang | 2011-10-23

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-23/20111023_485430_01.jpg
A German university official explains enrollment policies to a potential applicant at 2011 China Education Expo at East Asia Exhibition Hall yesterday in Shanghai. The two-day fair, which wraps up today, has attracted more than 300 universities from around the world. The schools are keen to attract Chinese students.

el palmesano

October 23rd, 2011, 11:39 PM

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:09 PM

have you renders??

no, I don't.

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:15 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485539&type=Metro

Another Shanghai official detained for corruption

By Zhao Wen | 2011-10-24

SHEN Xiangde, deputy director of the Shanghai Educational Examination Authority, has been held in criminal detention for his official corruption, local prosecutors said today.

Judicial investigation is now under way to uncover the crime of Shen, 42, who has been the associate professor with the Shanghai Educational Examination Authority since January 2006.

Shen has also held the job of associate professor of Shanghai University's College of International Business and Management since March 2009. His academic focus is on e-commerce and logistics management.

Last month, Chen Meng, deputy mayor of Putuo District, was arrested for accepting big bribes. Initial investigation showed that Chen took advantage of his position to help developers win construction contracts while he was deputy mayor of Songjiang District from 2003 to early this year.

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:21 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485515&type=Metro

Island link to Jiangsu opens by year end

By Zha Minjie | 2011-10-24

A KEY highway linking the city and neighboring Jiangsu Province is expected to open to traffic on the Shanghai section by the end of the year, builders said yesterday.

The Chongming-Qidong Highway will cut the trip from downtown to Jiangsu by two hours - from three and a half hours to around 90 minutes.

The 52-kilometer highway, part of the Yangtze River Delta region highway network, will connect Shanghai's Chongming Island, in the mouth of the Yangtze River, and Qidong, a boom city north of the river in Jiangsu.

Shanghai's section stretches 30 kilometers. It merges into the Yangtze Tunnel-Bridge Project on Chongming Island and stretches north to the Nantong-Qidong Expressway, which extends to Nantong City in Jiangsu.

It will make Shanghai's Pudong International Airport and Yangshan Deep-Water Port more accessible to Jiangsu.

The link will also mean that seafood and agricultural produce can be transported much faster to Shanghai.

Builders said the six-lane Shanghai section is designed for motorists to travel at 100 kilometers per hour. Work started in late 2008.

To protect wildlife on Chongming Island, the highway makes detours to bypass areas used as stopovers by migrating birds. This has added 10 kilometers to the highway.

Eco-friendly construction methods have also been used in the project. In one initiative, silt dredged from the Yangtze River has been used to build the foundations of the highway.

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:23 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485542&type=Metro

Local scientists develop fiberglass for space lab

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-10-24

A special kind of fiberglass developed by Donghua University scientists in Shanghai has been used to "knit" the "wings" of Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, university officials said today.

The space lab module China launched on September 29 has fiberglass panels embedded with solar cells. They are lighter than the aluminum alloy panels used on spaceship Shenzhou 1 to Shenzhou 7.

Moreover, fiberglass is resistant to corrosion and oxidation when flying in the low Earth orbit, the scientists said.

However, this kind of fiberglass is too fragile to fabricate. The school scientists teamed up the Nanjing Fiberglass R&D Institute to develop the special fiberglass for the spacecraft.

Shanghai Donghua University is now working on new materials for satellite antenna to cut the country's dependence on foreign technology.

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:27 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485527

Dairy blaze affects traffic

By Zhao Yun | 2011-10-24

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-24/20111024_485527_01.jpg
A firefighter prepares to clear up debris after a blaze gutted a dairy warehouse in Jiading District yesterday afternoon. Traffic on the nearby A5 Expressway was suspended for 40 minutes as smoke from the fire affected visibility.

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:30 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485529

Arabian adventure

By Xinhua | 2011-10-24

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-24/20111024_485529_01.jpg
Visitors tour the Saudi Arabia Pavilion yesterday. The facility, also known as Moon Boat, was one of the iconic attractions at the 2010 World Expo. It reopened to group parties on September 28. Starting from Friday, individuals are permitted to visit the pavilion, with standard tickets priced at 60 yuan (US$9.40).

onthebund

October 24th, 2011, 03:32 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485533

Jobs' biography draws long queue

2011-10-24

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-24/20111024_485533_01.jpg
A woman sticks notes on a message board in the Shanghai Book Mall to mark the release of a Steve Jobs biography today. Along with other Chinese bookstores, the Shanghai Book City began selling the book at 10:05am today, attracting a long queue of people desperate to read the story of the Apple founder who recently passed away. The book, priced at 68 yuan (US$10.68), written by Walter Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time magazine and current chief executive of the Aspen Institute, is currently the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon's customer purchase list.

onthebund

October 25th, 2011, 04:56 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485610&type=Metro

Jobs bio a huge hit on release

By Yao Minji | 2011-10-25

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-25/20111025_485610_01.jpg
People wait for hours at Shanghai Book City on Fuzhou Road to buy the official biography of Steve Jobs yesterday, the book's global debut. By early afternoon, all 1,000 Chinese copies and 800 English versions were sold out. Some 30 bookstores in 21 cities in China started selling the book less than three weeks after the high-tech icon died. The Chinese version, unabridged from the original "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson, is 560 pages long and priced at 68 yuan (US$10.67).

Photo by Wang Rongjiang

onthebund

October 25th, 2011, 05:06 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485623&type=Metro

'Haunted houses' built for Halloween

By Zhang Zhanpeng | 2011-10-25

SCARY pumpkins, ghosts and haunted houses are popping up across the city as amusement parks and shopping malls are getting ready for the upcoming Halloween festival.

At Happy Valley, an amusement park in suburban Sheshan area, 100,000 decorated pumpkins have been placed around the park where tourists can pose for pictures, including five "pumpkin kings" weighing between 250 and 300 kilograms.

Tourists and their family members can enjoy a "Pumpkins War" and even win a big pumpkin to take back home as a gift if they are lucky enough.

Besides, haunted houses themed as computer games "Anomaly Space" and "Plants vs. Zombies" have been set up inside the park.

The event will run through November 13.

Meanwhile, a similar haunted house has been erected in front of a shopping mall on downtown Zizang Road N.

Halloween night is on October 31.

onthebund

October 25th, 2011, 05:13 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485636&type=

New tunnel offers shortcut to Hongqiao terminals

By Dong Zhen | 2011-10-25

MOTORISTS can take a shortcut to the Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station terminals after a new tunnel opens in a few days, the Shanghai Construction Commission said today.

The Yinbin No. 3 Road Tunnel is set to open to traffic before the end of this month. It connects the two terminals with the Outer Ring Road, elevated Yan'an Road, and the ground-level Xianxia Road, the officials said.

The tunnel is expected to divert traffic from the congested roads in the area and cut the driving distance by nearly half for vehicles coming and leaving the terminals.

lianli

October 26th, 2011, 03:55 PM

New project near South Railway Station

http://www.sunyat.com/uploads/allimg/110218/1-11021R33223.jpg
http://www.sunyat.com/uploads/allimg/110218/1-11021R33226.jpg
http://www.sunyat.com/uploads/allimg/110218/1-11021R33228.jpg

height unknown, but doesn't look like 200+

kix111

October 27th, 2011, 09:43 AM

height doesnt actually matter imo, just as long they can redevelop the area that is a good thing.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 10:43 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486086&type=Business

Mayor vows to improve Shanghai's market mechanism

By Zhang Fengming | 2011-10-30

Shanghai strives to grow its market mechanism with global influence through innovations and will open to the world's business as an efficient and transparent city, Mayor Han Zheng said today.

"The Shanghai government will step on to improve the market system and endeavor to offer a first-class environment to serve the market," Han told the 23rd International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai meeting in the Expo Center this morning.

Shanghai will push forward the international board at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, bank on the internationalization of the local currency, and actively seek new factor markets to be established in the city, he said in a keynote speech.

Shanghai is already home to the country's major stocks market, China's sole exchange for bonds, currency, gold and financial derivatives.

The city aims to build up the Shanghai Stock Exchange as one of the world's top three bourses measured by market value and turnover by 2015. Currently, the bourse is the world's third largest in turnover and the sixth biggest in market value.

Big-name companies including HSBC, Allianze and Unilever have all expressed interests to sell shares at the long-anticipated international board.

The total financial market transaction value is expected to top 1,000 trillion yuan (US$156 trillion) by 2015, up from 2010's 380 trillion yuan, the mayor said.

In building up a business-friendly environment, the city doesn't stop at improving its urban infrastructure, going transparent in government administration and guiding a fair and regulated market, he said.

Shanghai aims to become one of the places whose administration is "most efficient, most transparent with lowest administrative charges" in China, Han said.

The city has invested more than 1.5 trillion yuan in the past two decades to improve its urban infrastructure that is also key to build up an efficient, open and easy-to-access market infrastructure, he said.

Shanghai will fully leverage the market's role in making better use of resources and the city respect the role of market in ruling and supervision of the market. Government will act as a serious regulator to wipe out unfair competition and those hurt interests of consumers, the mayor said.

The city will keep a firm hand in ensuring food safety and punishing those who dare to cross the line as the city aims to be "one of the cities that boast safest foods in China," as a showcase for a regulated market, he said.

Shanghai is stepping forward to a market economy and shedding its previous planned economy growth model in accordance with its prosperous markets.

So far, 74 Fortune 500 companies have set up their regional headquarters in the city, while 21 overseas banks have based their China subsidiary in Shanghai.

Accumulated foreign direct investment has totaled more than US$100 billion by the end of 2010.

Today, more than 500 Chinese and overseas delegates including members of IBLAC, consul generals, senior government officials, heads of state-owned companies and top private firms took part in the 23rd IBLAC forum at the Expo Center.

The IBLAC forum was initiated in 1989 by Zhu Rongji, then Shanghai's mayor who later became China's Premier.

Zhu envisioned it as a platform for the world's top business leaders to provide strategic advice on Shanghai's development and the challenges ahead.

The council has grown into an international think tank for Shanghai's mayor.

It started with 12 members from seven countries, and has grown to 50 members from 16 countries. They come from various industries including finance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and retail.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:29 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485905&type=Metro

Metro, roads boost Disneyland

By Dong Zhen | 2011-10-28

Tourists to the Shanghai Disneyland and its related resort in Pudong will get a dedicated Metro link and road access when it opens in 2015, Shanghai government officials said yesterday.

To facilitate the Disneyland project, the first on the Chinese mainland, a Metro link is to be constructed plus supporting highways.

Qin Yun, chief engineer with Shanghai Construction Commission, said: "We are revamping and constructing nine roads to build direct access to the core areas of Disneyland and the leisure resort. An elevated road for vehicles will be set up for tourists."

Some roads, such as Shenjiang Road, will be improved to boost their traffic capacity, according to Yin Hong, the city government's deputy secretary-general.

The initial cost to build the park is about 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion).

An additional 4.5 billion yuan will finance other aspects of the resort, including hotels and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.

The city government regards the project as vital in its bid to make Shanghai a world-class tourist destination. The first phase of the project is expected to attract 7.3 million visitors annually.

The park is about 21 kilometers from People's Square and 12km from Pudong International Airport.

Besides the Disney Metro link, Shanghai will start construction next year of other new subway projects, including the third phase of Metro Line 8, the third phase of Line 9, the second phase of Line 5, and Line 17, Yin said.

The subway projects are only part of the city's efforts to improve and expand public services and traffic infrastructure over the next four years, the government said.

Investment from 2011 to 2015 will be increased, officials said yesterday, without specifying the size of the planned investment.

Qin with the construction commission said: "The government will raise the budget to ensure quality in new infrastructure facilities and also to invest more in future projects."

From 2005 to last year, the city spent about 800 billion yuan constructing and renovating infrastructure, such as road, water and Metro projects.

Meanwhile, the city will shift its focus on new infrastructure work in the next four years from downtown to more outlying districts as the government boosts four new towns in the suburbs, according to Yin.

The towns include Nanqiao New Town in Fengxian District, Qingpu New Town, Jiading New Town and Songjiang New Town, according to Yin.

It is planned that Nanqiao will cover 10 square kilometers and it is projected to become an economic and residential center of Fengxian.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:39 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486015&type=

Coal bunkers fuel art center project

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-10-29

OLD coal bunkers on the southern dock in Lujiazui area are to be transformed into a modern art center in a 2-billion-yuan (US$314 million) development, government officials said yesterday.

Construction on the center - comprising art galleries, art studios and a public sculpture park - will get under way before the end of this year. Work is expected to last a year.

Officials said the project will provide more cultural activities for workers in the city's financial district.

Further details will be announced during the Lujiazui Financial Cultural Festival which starts today.

Meanwhile, Lujiazui administrators disclosed that they are in negotiations with the Eslite Bookstore, one of the largest bookstore chains in Taiwan, about launching an outlet in the zone.

However, high land prices and limited space are major obstacles, as the business would include not only a bookstore but restaurants and other commercial facilities.

Many city bookstores have closed in recent years under the impact of rising rents, online rivals and e-reading.

This morning, more than 3,000 white collars are expected to take part in a run to mark the beginning of the Lujiazui Financial Cultural Festival.

Other opening activities include a pop concert and street performances along the waterfront.

The two-month festival will include lectures on China's currency policy, a golf competition and a bridge competition in the business zone.

Last month, construction of an overpass connecting the Super Brand Mall to the riverside boulevard in the area began to give visitors an easy access to the waterfront area.

The work is part of a 100-million-yuan project to revamp the southern riverfront area, which is due to be concluded by next October.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:43 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486016&type=Metro

Top Expo eatery reopens

By Yang Jian | 2011-10-29

A MICHELIN three-star restaurant that attracted daily queues of diners during the World Expo 2010 reopens next week.

When the Expo was on, visitors would wait for a hour for a table at Le Restaurant Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse on the fourth floor of the France's Rhone-Alps Pavilion.

One of the most popular foreign restaurants among Expo visitors, the 200-square-meter includes an open kitchen that allows visitors to watch the French chefs at work.

The Rhone-Alps Pavilion itself will reopen early next year with new exhibits on the Puxi site, after the French region yesterday signed a contract with local operators of the Expo pavilions.

Its reopening will help mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of a friendly relationship between Shanghai and the Rhone-Alps region, Jean-Jack Queyranne, the regional president, told Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng yesterday.

The four-story Rhone-Alpes Pavilion covers 3,000 square meters in the former Urban Best Practices Area.

Its restaurant will reopen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at noon, Thursday nights and Fridays from next week, said Sun Jinglei, a press official for the French pavilion.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:49 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=486045

Cultural festival begins

By Zhang Dong | 2011-10-30

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-30/20111030_486045_01.jpg
White-collar workers participating in a fun run at Shanghai's Lujiazui financial zone wave to onlookers yesterday as the Pudong New Area's central business district kicked off its 5th cultural festival.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:51 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=486022

Chilly times ahead

2011-10-29

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-29/20111029_486022_01.jpg
A helicopter lands on China's icebreaker Xuelong - Chinese for "Snow Dragon" - at a port inside the China Polar Research Center in the Pudong New Area. The ship sets off today on the country's 28th Antarctic research expedition, focusing on monitoring environmental changes at the pole.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 05:59 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=485915

Corn catches the eye

2011-10-28

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-28/20111028_485915_01.jpg
A visitor looks at the sculpture "Corn" at an exposition at ShanghaiMart yesterday. The exhibition, part of this year's Shanghai International Creative Industry Week, will end on Tuesday. The show areas cover about 18,800 square meters.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 06:01 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485917&type=Metro

Road section collapses into 5-meter long hole

By Zha Minjie | 2011-10-28

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-10/2011-10-28/20111028_485917_01.jpg
A man checks out a piece of collapsed road at Hengfeng Road and Chang'an Road, close to the Shanghai Railway Station, yesterday. The pit, 5 meters long and 2 meters wide, is as deep as 2 meters. The cave-in happened about noon.

onthebund

October 30th, 2011, 06:03 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=485943&type=Metro

Collapsed road fixed, traffic resumes

By Wang Qingchu | 2011-10-28

TRAFFIC has resumed this morning on a section of road that had collapsed in downtown Shanghai yesterday.

An underground wastewater pipe beneath the intersection of Hengfeng Road and Chang'an Road caused the road collapse after it burst and washed away sand and soil from under the road surface, initial investigations found.

The water pipe was replaced and the excavated area filled up with soil last night.

The collapse was spotted yesterday afternoon. The hole, about 10 square meters long and located in the middle of the intersection, was about 2 meters deep.

Police said no vehicle was passing by when the collapse happened.

onthebund

October 31st, 2011, 09:30 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486126&type=Business

Shanghai is well placed to harness new landscape

By Wang Yanlin | 2011-10-31

ASIA is likely to replace the European Union as the world's largest trading bloc in two or three years, and there is no better place than Shanghai to be in, former Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez said yesterday.

"Regionalization will be a trend in the short term in this very difficult and turbulent time," Gutierrez said at the annual meeting of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council. "Asia is going to become the world's most important trading bloc in a few years' time, which presents Shanghai with an enormous opportunity."

Gutierrez said from a sheer commercial point of view, the greatest creation in the EU is its free trade of goods and services within the region, which has given the bloc a huge bargaining power and made it competitive.

Asia is now embarking on a similar road of regionalization, he said, noting that ASEAN plus three, or 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as China, Japan and South Korea, is a bold vision.

"If ASEAN plus three can continue to enhance its cooperation and ultimately construct an East Asia Free Trade Area, then this bodes very well for the future prosperity and stability within the region," Gutierrez, now a vice chairman of Citigroup Inc, said.

"I believe that it will enable Shanghai to play a key role and to enhance its position as a key hub within this trading bloc," he said.

To realize this vision, Gutierrez suggested China accelerate the reform to make the yuan regionally convertible, at least.

onthebund

October 31st, 2011, 09:43 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486173&type=Business

No shortage of ideas at city's business forum

By Wang Yanlin | 2011-10-31

FROM developing an e-government to giving more support to small businesses with high growth potential, top leaders of global companies offered a bundle of advice yesterday for the Shanghai mayor to study in the next twelve months.

Other ideas ranged from speeding up construction of an international board to strengthening connection with other cities to guaranteeing food safety.

Yesterday, members of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council gathered in the World Expo Center in Shanghai and shared their insights with Mayor Han Zheng under a theme "bolstering the market system."

"Shanghai is going to play a key role when Asia sets on the path to become the world's biggest trading bloc," said Carlos Gutierrez, former secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. "It is an enormous opportunity for Shanghai."

Laurent Beaudoin, chairman of Bombardier Inc, said Shanghai is well-positioned against peers like Hong Kong and Singapore, thanks to the central government's ambitious plan to transform Shanghai into a global financial, shipping, trade and economic hub by 2020.

To sharpen Shanghai's competitiveness, Beaudoin suggested the city government beef up efforts to improve the language skills among residents, lower corporate taxes, keep the talent pipeline full, reduce hurdles for mobility and provide executive training that can integrate management techniques from both the West and the East.

Severin Schwan, chief executive officer of Roche Group, expressed appreciation for Shanghai's establishment of a modern public health-care system, and expected closer partnership with the government to make specialized but costly medicine affordable in the city.

Topics at the meeting covered a wide array, including food safety.

"Bolstering a market system - promoting cross-border operation by multinationals in a modern, open, competitive and well-regulated market system - can help address systematic problems with food security and food safety," said Paul J. Fribourg, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Co.

There were also complaints at the one-day meeting.

Michael Diekmann, chairman of the board of management of Allianz SE, urged more opening-up for foreign insurers.

"Limited access to the insurance markets in Shanghai and other Chinese provinces remains the biggest single reason why creating a regional hub in Shanghai is currently not very attractive," Diekmann said.

The suggestions are expected to guide Shanghai's development until the next meeting of IBLAC a year from now.

The IBLAC was initiated in 1989 by Zhu Rongji, then Shanghai mayor who later became Chinese premier. He envisioned it as a platform for the world's top business leaders to provide strategic advice on the city's development.

onthebund

October 31st, 2011, 10:03 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486172&type=Business

As city's growth slows, mayor points to quality

By Zhang Fengming | 2011-10-31

SHANGHAI'S gross domestic product expanded 8.3 percent during the first three quarters of 2011, a slowdown as the city focused on quality rather than quantity of economic growth, Mayor Han Zheng said yesterday.

The city's growth was 8.4 percent in the second quarter, and 8.5 percent in the first three months. A separate third-quarter figure was not given. The city's economy expanded 9.9 percent in 2010.

"We are keen to improve economic structure and build an economy with higher efficiency," Han told a press conference of the 23rd International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai meeting in the World Expo Center.

"Shanghai has to make breakthroughs in pushing forward economic restructuring in pursuit of a sustainable growth," he said. "The economic data of the first three quarters already showed positive signs for Shanghai with a new growth model."

The tertiary industry showed solid growth in the first nine months to lead the city's performance, as high-end services like financing, shipping and international trade expanded aggressively.

Manufacturing also improved, with electronics, auto, and pharmaceuticals taking a leading role.

"We think the pace, structure, and quality of the economy in the first three quarters are all showing a healthy and stable growth," Han said. "We think it's on the right approach of growth."

The housing market is also cooling down amid a strict implementation of the central government's curbs on the market. Han pledged a continued firm hand to follow the central government's tight policy on housing.

In 2005, the real estate sector accounted for more than 15 percent of the city's economy. In the first three quarters of this year, the contribution has been cut almost in half - to less than 8 percent.

The housing market has been stagnant in the recent quarter.

"We are optimistic about Shanghai's growth in 2012," Han said.

The city will finalize its targets for 2012 in December.

Meanwhile, the city is also working with the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation in drafting implementation guidelines on the coming trial of a value-added tax reform in the city in 2012. The guidelines will be posted soon, Han said.

"The new VAT reform aims to cut the tax burden to the services industry," he said.

The State Council said last week that China will start to lower corporate taxes in selected service industries next year under a trial scheme in Shanghai as the government acts to support companies saddled by rising costs and slowing growth.

Transportation and some service companies in Shanghai will have their business tax replaced by a value-added tax, a majority of which is deductible, starting January 1. The idea is to eventually expand the program to the whole nation. China will also introduce two lower-rate VAT categories - 11 percent and 6 percent - in addition to the existing VAT brackets of 17 percent and 13 percent.

Unlike the business tax, which is charged on a company's revenue regardless of its costs, a firm can deduct such as expenses as fuel and equipment under the new VAT. A large number of service enterprises now operating on high costs do not enjoy the benefits of VAT.

At the IBLAC meeting yesterday, Han said Shanghai is striving to grow its market mechanism through innovations and will open to the world's business as an efficient and transparent city.

"The Shanghai government will improve the market system and endeavor to offer a first-class environment to serve the market," Han said.

Shanghai is already home to the country's major stock market and is the site of China's sole exchange for bonds, currency, gold and financial derivatives.

The city aims to build up the Shanghai Stock Exchange as one of the world's top three bourses measured by market value and volume by 2015. Currently, the bourse is the world's third largest in volume and the sixth biggest in market value.

onthebund

November 1st, 2011, 06:42 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=486253

A haunting experience

By Zhang Suoqing | 2011-11-1

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-11/2011-11-01/20111101_486253_01.jpg
A young woman meets a ghoulish-looking character in a haunted house in downtown Shanghai on Halloween yesterday. Western festivals have gained popularity with young Chinese in large cities.

onthebund

November 1st, 2011, 12:15 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486293&type=Metro

Shanghai tops the country in financial crimes

By Zhao Wen | 2011-11-1

SHANGHAI had the largest share of financial crimes reported nationwide from 2006 to 2010, according to a report released by the National Financial Crime Commission today.

The report said the number of financial crimes handled by local prosecutors accounted for more than 10 percent of the national total. The city was followed by Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces with a share of 9.24 percent and 8.48 percent respectively.

During the past five years, the number of financial crimes surged from 4,000 to 12,000 nationwide. More than 50,000 offenders involved in 30,000 cases were convicted, the report said.

China's Criminal Law specifies 37 kinds of financial crimes, including credit card fraud, bribery and corruption. Credit card fraud represented 38.8 percent of all the cases in the five years.

Shanghai also topped all other provinces and municipalities in the number of financial fraud cases with a share of nearly 14 percent. Zhejiang and Guangdong took the second and third places.

The National Financial Crime Commission was set up today in Shanghai to strengthen the fight against financial crimes, identify regulatory loopholes and provide professional advice to prosecutors when dealing with financial crimes.

onthebund

November 2nd, 2011, 08:11 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Sports/2011/11/02/Dragon%2Bteeoff/

Dragon tee-off

By Dong Jun | 2011-11-2

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-11/2011-11-02/20111102_486368_01.jpg
From left: World No. 2 Lee Westwood of England, Adam Scott of Australia, Keegan Bradley of the United States, defending champion Francesco Molinari of Italy - holding a huge golf ball and tee - and world No. 3 Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland, perform a traditional Chinese dragon dance during a photo call yesterday to promote the US$7 million WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. The four-day, 72-hole tournament kicks off at the Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club tomorrow. World No. 1 Luke Donald of England has withdrawn from the tournament as his wife, Diane, is expecting their second child.

Munwon

November 2nd, 2011, 08:20 AM

can we get some projects please?

lianli

November 2nd, 2011, 05:32 PM

new renders for the two 180m highrises on South Bund (next to the SOHO project)

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111102/1111022059e842b6cee1db9cb4.jpg
http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111102/1111022059790f5aafb04b2b74.jpg
http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111102/1111022059c60bda6ab52ab653.jpg
pics from galoumi by bnb

That's the plot:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/5971918449_69f34b66e7_b.jpg

Munwon

November 3rd, 2011, 02:23 AM

very cool!

VECTROTALENZIS

November 3rd, 2011, 11:49 AM

^^

Is it approved? Is it going to start construction?

onthebund

November 5th, 2011, 01:03 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486588&type=Metro

'For work they risk their lives'

By Zha Minjie and Xu Chi | 2011-11-4

OBLIVIOUS to the heavy rain, a man in a leather jacket stood just beyond the police cordon, gazing intently. Before him lay the bodies of two window cleaners who fell to their deaths yesterday in Changning District.

Occasionally, he spoke quietly to onlookers who were speculating about what had happened.

"For their work they risked their lives," sighed the man, surnamed Zhao, who should know as he has worked in the same dangerous trade.

Zhao, a passer-by, said he had been a high-rise window cleaner for six years but quit. "There are two things you need for that job; one is a license and the other is guts."

More than 1,000 window cleaners - a trade known as a SpiderMan - work on high-rises across the city, risking their lives on a daily basis, separated from death only by their securing ropes.

And increasingly, they are threatened by a lack of supervision on equipment checks and poor safety awareness, warned a local exterior wall cleaning industry committee.

An official, surnamed Wu, said many cleaning service companies don't check equipment regularly, meaning a SpiderMan may have to rely on aged or damaged ropes and tools.

For though the industry committee requires companies to check equipment, the absence of a supervising facility means regulations are often ignored, said Wu.

"The life of a cleaner depends on the rope that holds him," said Wu, "But there are no laws forcing companies to ensure equipment is safe."

Moreover, some workers do not even hold operation licenses, which need to be renewed annually after exams.

Zhao said the job is usually taken by migrant workers who shift jobs frequently, some working for several companies at one time.

"To save money, some companies only get one or two licenses but hire many workers," he explained.

To make matters worse, fierce competition among small cleaning companies is driving them to cut costs as much as possible, impacting on equipment checks and training, said Wu.

And when accidents happen, some cleaners are not covered by insurance, as their employers haven't bought any, he added.

Zhao, from Jiangsu Province, said in his time as a window cleaner he saw several injuries among colleagues who fell but were saved by safety locks.

And despite the dangers they face, high-rise window cleaners are poorly rewarded.

"Often, I didn't know where my next meal was coming from," said Zhao, who said workers receive about 150 yuan to 200 yuan for a day's work. "However, sometimes we waited for one month between jobs."

Zhao said many men from his hometown come to Shanghai to work in the trade.

Taking a final look at the bodies, covered by white sheets, Zhao walked away from the crowd as the rain got heavier. "Too bad for them," he said as he left.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 01:29 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486872&type=Metro

City school spending need do better

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-11-8

SHANGHAI is spending less on schooling than many other cities and areas in the Asia-Pacific region, according to new research.

The competitiveness report issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University yesterday, placed Western Australia top for investment in the elementary and secondary education.

Singapore came second, with Hong Kong sixth in the table of 33 leading cities and areas.

Shanghai was placed 22nd in the survey.

Hong Kong and Singapore spend 20 percent of their budgets on education, but Shanghai is still working to commit 15 percent of spending in this area.

Shanghai was ranked 18th for its overall performance in the study that also considered factors such as research and development, and communications.

For investment into R&D, the city was also placed 18th.

Overseas firms are still generous on R&D investment, despite economic concerns, said Luo Shougui, a major researcher.

The city was ranked 20th for its information and communications technology infrastructure.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 01:39 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486998&type=Metro

Beggars a growing nuisance on Shanghai streets

By Dong Zhen | 2011-11-9

SOME foreign travelers have complained about their frequent encounters with street beggars in the evening on some upscale streets in downtown Xuhui District.

And some local residents and cabbies also say they find panhandlers a headache especially after dark.

A taxi passenger surnamed Lin said he almost lost his BlackBerry to a beggar last night when he got off at the Donghu Hotel. A woman beggar in her 20s followed him to the hotel door and picked up the phone that slipped from his pocket and ran off.

But the cabbie saw the whole thing and shouted at Lin, who was able to catch the woman and retrieve his mobile phone.

Some locals are urging Xuhui District authorities to address the problem of street beggars and maintain order in public places.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 01:56 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486791&type=Metro

Fakes bulldozed in anti-piracy campaign

By Ni Yinbin | 2011-11-7

SHANGHAI police yesterday bulldozed tons of fake goods on the Bund, highlighting the results of their annual campaign against piracy.

Tens of thousands of pirated books, DVDs, software, fake Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags and Rolex watches were destroyed at 10am.

Similar events took place in the Pudong New Area and Jinshan District, where goods were burned, police said.

In total, more than 100,000 fake products, worth around 120 million yuan (US$19 million), were destroyed.

Police said although they conduct such campaigns every year, the crackdown on counterfeit goods in China still has a long way to go.

"Many people buy these products fully aware that they're fake, and in doing so they help the crime grow," said Wang Jian, an officer with the Economic Crime Investigation Department of the police.

In a recent case, four people were detained for selling pirated disks when the police raided their base in Pudong.

Officers said they found 140,000 pirated disks at the Chengshan Road home of a suspect on October 18.

Shanghai police said since October last year they have smashed more than 270 gangs and detained more than 1,600 suspects in around 800 cases, with goods worth more than 1.2 billion yuan seized.

This is part of a nationwide campaign codenamed Liang Jian - which translates as "show the sword."

The public destruction of counterfeit products was carried out in 182 Chinese cities yesterday, said the Ministry of Public Security. Across the country in the past year, more than 6,700 piracy gangs have been smashed, officials said.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 02:19 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486981&type=Metro

Cancer chemical found in fog vapor

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-11-9

FOG vapor in downtown Shanghai contains cancer-causing chemicals, researchers said yesterday.

Fudan University scientists compared vapor from the city with that from well-known scenic area Mount Huangshan in Anhui Province.

The Shanghai fog vapor was yellow-tinged and contained contamination, while the vapor collected from Huangshan was pure and clear.

Researchers found carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at levels ranging 0.03 micrograms to 6.67 micrograms per liter of fog vapor in Shanghai.

This is higher than in some domestic and overseas areas, researchers said.

Burning fossil fuel is the main cause of PAHs in urban Shanghai, said Chen Jianmin, professor of Fudan University's Depart of Environmental Science and Engineering.

The findings are published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring.

Meanwhile, the city is considering relocating the Gaoqiao factory zone in Pudong, following a series of explosions, fires and leaks.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 07:39 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486962&type=Metro

Death sentence for graft boss

By Zhao Wen | 2011-11-9

THE former boss of the Shanghai Pharmacy Group was sentenced to death yesterday with two years' probation for graft that netted him more than 50 million yuan (US$7.9 million).

Wu Jianwen, 42, was found guilty at the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court of taking bribes of more than 11.87 million yuan, embezzling public funds in excess of 38.55 million yuan and concealing an overseas deposit of HK$1.1 million.

The court heard that more than 14.85 million yuan of the cash had not been recovered.

Prosecutors said Wu began working for Shanghai New Asia Pharmaceutical Corp, affiliated to the Shanghai Pharmacy Group, on graduating from Fudan University in 1991.

He became vice general manager six years later - when just 28.

In 2001, Wu accepted his first bribe of 200,000 yuan from a builder, surnamed Guo, the court heard.

"I was very nervous and couldn't sleep for days," Wu told the court.

However, he took bribes on at least 35 subsequent occasions, totaling 11.87 million yuan.

For much of this time, Wu was earning more than 30,000 yuan a month.

However, unsatisfied with his bribes, Wu also took the advantage of his position and power to ask for benefits from companies that gave him cash, prosecutors said.

He also embezzled 5 million yuan of public funds during the process of stock rights transfer, according to prosecutors.

However, in 2006 Wu was defrauded by a businessman, surnamed Lu, after he had embezzled more than 30 million yuan from public money to give to Lu, prosecutors said.

In 2009, the city's Party disciplinary inspection department began investigating Wu's activities.

Wu was arrested in August 2010 and his ex-wife, surnamed Liu, is alleged to have assisted him in taking bribes, the court heard.

Wu is the latest in a line of state-owned company officials convicted for taking bribes.

In February 2010, Fan Xian, a powerful figure in the domestic chemical industry, was sentenced to life imprisonment for illegally acquiring assets and taking bribes totaling 17 million yuan.

He was known in local business circles for his ability to turn unprofitable companies into money makers.

onthebund

November 9th, 2011, 07:42 PM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=486949&type=Metro

7.0 quake felt by few in city

By Saladin Xu | 2011-11-9

SOME residents living or working in high-rises in Shanghai said they felt their buildings shaking during lunchtime yesterday when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the East China Sea.

The quake hit at 10:59am at a depth of 220 kilometers, and its epicenter was initially determined to be at 27.2 degrees north latitude and 125.9 degrees east longitude, said the China Earthquake Networks Center. No tsunami warning was issued.

Shanghai Seismological Bureau officials said the earthquake's epicenter was about 630 kilometers from Shanghai, 270 kilometers from Diaoyu Island, 480 kilometers from Taipei and 520 kilometers from Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province.

A resident surnamed Hu working on the 12th floor of a building in Minhang District said he felt the building shaking for about 30 seconds and that many workers on the same floor ran downstairs amid fear of the earthquake.

Another resident, Daisy Du, working on the second floor of a building on downtown Huaihai Road W. also told Shanghai Daily that she felt the ground shaking a little for about 60 seconds during lunchtime.

"At first I thought someone was drilling hard under the building and then I heard news saying an earthquake struck the East China Sea," said Du.

Zhang Jiayue, an official with the Shanghai Seismological Bureau, said that the earthquake had no effect on the city.

"Only a very few local residents said they had felt building shaking," said Zhang.

Some residents in high-rises in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces said on the microblog Weibo.com that they felt buildings shaking when the earthquake occurred. Seismological bureaus of the eastern provinces also said the quake would not bring much impact to residents there.

Pansori

November 9th, 2011, 08:09 PM

Onthebund, are you sure it's necessary to post all Shanghaidaily articles here? Those willing can just go to Shanghaidaly.com and read everything they want.

lianli

November 9th, 2011, 09:43 PM

Please post only articles which are related to construction projects in Shanghai.

You could open a Shanghai News thread in the China subforum.

onthebund

November 11th, 2011, 11:13 AM

Onthebund, are you sure it's necessary to post all Shanghaidaily articles here? Those willing can just go to Shanghaidaly.com and read everything they want.

I suggest you ignore those articles if you don't wanna read them!

onthebund

November 11th, 2011, 11:16 AM

Please post only articles which are related to construction projects in Shanghai.

Ok.

onthebund

November 11th, 2011, 11:29 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by zip

A new project in Hongkou District
瑞虹新城—虹口新天地/ Hongkou Xintiandi

http://ww2.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvk5kprroj.jpg

http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvk7cyme8j.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvk97zqvij.jpg

http://ww2.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvk9owj7nj.jpg

http://ww2.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvkbh3saxj.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/69592df8gw1dmvkcuus32j.jpg

onthebund

November 11th, 2011, 11:44 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

http://www.vastdesign.cc/pic/waitan1.jpg

http://www.vastdesign.cc/pic/waitan2.jpg

djm160190

November 11th, 2011, 12:08 PM

I love the idea of another Xintiandi style development! So much better than impersonal shopping malls. I wonder if the Hongkou one will use the old Shikumen as a base for the buildings though - they all look modern in the pictures...

lianli

November 11th, 2011, 12:21 PM

@onthebund
Nice updates.
I really hope they didn't change the design of those twin towers on South Bund. I prefer the boxy design (my post on top of this page) over the round design (your post).

el palmesano

November 11th, 2011, 11:03 PM

Hongkou Xintiandi seems great!!

Minsk

November 17th, 2011, 06:55 PM

New office park planned for Shanghai's Jiangwan Town

The New Jiangwan Technical Park is a about 400,000 sq m campus technical business park development that is organised around a series of large courtyards and a central community garden.

Key objectives of the master plan are to create a good sense of scale, neighbourhood and community, a great environment for people to work in and a flexible design that meets the client's future market expectations featuring for example innovative 3,000 sq m to 6,000 sq m office headquarters.

The building facades are designed to be cost effective, flexible and have a strong architectural character. The depth of the facades and the orientation of windows take solar radiation into consideration to help reduce operating costs and create a better working environment within the buildings.

The overall image of the Technical Park is meant to be clean, modern and sophisticated to attract future tenants and create a strong working environment. It will be an important addition to the New Jiangwan District of Shanghai

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18067_1_NewJiangwanOfficePark_01_1000.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18067_2_NewJiangwanOfficePark_02_1000.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18067_3_NewJiangwanOfficePark_03_1000.jpg

lianli

November 18th, 2011, 12:17 AM

The Urban Crossing

Anchoring at the end of the proposed Hongqiao primary retail axis in Shanghai, and with a canal meandering through the northern edge of the site, the Linkong Block 10-1 Development is the destination for the public within the Linkong Business Park. The program for the development, ‘The Urban Crossing’, calls for a boutique urban mixed-use project with office, retail, gallery, conference center, and water promenade plaza. This concept by Aedas is to create a brand new landmark, which further establishes a strong civic presence through its iconic form and vibrant program mix. Portrayed as the Gateway of Hongqiao Airport Transportation Hub, the project is deemed to generate synergy from public and commercial activities.

http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1321080860-rendering10-arial-view-southeast-528x264.jpg

http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1321080806-rendering05-arial-night-view-528x297.jpg

http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1321080766-rendering01-arialview-528x297.jpg

http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/1321080850-rendering09-arial-view-west-528x264.jpg

More pics and information: http://www.archdaily.com/183993/the-urban-crossing-aedas/

Severiano

November 18th, 2011, 04:40 AM

Hongkou XTD is the kind of development we need. Close, inviting, dense, not overbearing. The only problem is that its too small. We need blocks and blocks of this kind of development mixed in with highrises. Not giant blocks with empty "public" squares and waste of space indulgent green space.

Julito-dubai

November 19th, 2011, 05:07 PM

eastwards expansion plan of Shanghai CBD

from Gaoloumi-Forum:

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/6268/lujizuieastwardsexpansi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/lujizuieastwardsexpansi.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/3020/11111922402690ad8e6e1cd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/11111922402690ad8e6e1cd.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.gaoloumi.com/viewthread.php?tid=154693

onthebund

November 20th, 2011, 07:21 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2011/11/17/Plan%2Bfor%2BShanghai%2BBroadway/

Plan for 'Shanghai Broadway'

By Yang Jian | 2011-11-17

A FORMER cement factory on the banks of the Huangpu River could become "Shanghai's Broadway," officials said yesterday.

City political advisers were told that within the next few years the 70,000-square-meter area around the factory buildings will be transformed into Shanghai's hotspot for musical performances.

Xia Yingqiu, director of the Xuhui District's Bureau of Planning and Land Resources, told political advisers that this could rival New York's famous theater area.

And Feng Guoqin, head of the city's advisory body, said it could include world-class venues.

"Shanghai lacks a riverside opera house along its 40-kilometer waterfront and we hope the Xuhui project can turn the old plant into a top-level theater like the Sydney Opera House," said Feng.

The cultural and performance base will be built at the area near Longshui Road, said officials.

Buildings for entertainment, scientific research and business will also be included, said Xia.

She said a 1.4-square-kilometer surrounding area will become a riverside core business center and include a 250-meter-tall iconic skyscraper.

The Shanghai Cement Plant was established in 1920 as one of the earliest cement plants in China.

Its three 80-meter-tall chimneys were demolished in 2010 and the high-polluting business moved to the Pudong New Area.

"Some buildings were retained and they will become centerpiece venues after renovation," Qiao Xuan, deputy director of a riverside development company of the district, has said.

Officials from other districts on the banks of the Huangpu River also revealed waterfront development plans.

Hongkou District plans to build the north Bund area into a shipping service industry center by 2015, to develop the cruise ship industry and provide training to support the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal.

Huangpu District intends to link up the 6-kilometer area in the south part of the Bund and build it up as a corridor for sightseeing and relaxation.

And Yangpu District will divide its 15-kilometer waterfront into areas for business, public scientific education and new industries.

"The core concept should be to make the riverside into an eco-friendly area and open it up to Shanghai citizens," top adviser Feng said.

onthebund

November 20th, 2011, 07:40 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=487585&type=Metro

Pavilions to reopen as unified complex

By Yang Jian | 2011-11-16

THE Italy, Luxemburg and Netherlands pavilions, plus the former site of the UK Pavilion, are to reopen as a complex for visitors and business in March, officials said yesterday.

The three pavilions will keep their original looks, while a square will be retained at the UK Pavilion, the main part of which has been dismantled.

"The compound will become a platform for cultural, business and social exchanges between China and Europe," Ding Hao, president of the Expo Development Group, told the city's top political advisors yesterday.

The 6,000-square-meter Italy Pavilion will have modern and historic exhibitions and business halls.

Exhibits will range from a replica of Michelangelo's David and relics of the ancient city of Pompeii to products from famous Italian brands, Wei Jianhua, an official with the group, told the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

A top Italian fashion academy will open a training center in the Luxemburg Pavilion opposite, Wei said.

The 5,000-square-meter Dutch Pavilion will have racing car simulators for visitors, while a parking lot for 100 vehicles will be built near the UK Pavilion square.

Also at the Expo site, 28 office buildings will be built in the former Zone B area as the headquarters of more than 10 state-owned enterprises.

And the city is to build the country's first hotel cluster, with 1,200 rooms, in front of the Expo Center. By 2015, this will include two five-star hotels and two boutique hotels.

onthebund

November 20th, 2011, 08:39 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=487376&type=Metro

China Pavilion to be art gallery to 'rival New York and Paris'

By Yang Jian | 2011-11-14

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-11/2011-11-14/20111114_487376_01.jpg

SHANGHAI is to transform the Expo 2010's China Pavilion into an art gallery to rival those in New York and Paris, the city government announced yesterday.

The new gallery in the Pudong New Area - to be called the China Art Palace - will be on a par with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, a senior official said.

This is part of a plan to make Shanghai "an international cultural metropolis," Zong Ming, deputy head of the Publicity Department of Shanghai's Party committee, told a press conference yesterday.

The China Art Palace will collect top-level art from home and abroad, primarily to showcase the origins and development of China's modern arts.

It is part of a plan by the city government to build 16 new major museums and art galleries and many smaller museums by 2015 and make Shanghai an "international cultural metropolis," said Zong.

"In the future, Shanghai residents will be able to find a museum and cultural venue within a 15-minute walk of their homes," she said.

"The number and quality of art galleries and museums is an important measure of cultural standing - cities such as New York and Paris are famed for their top-level galleries," said Teng Junjie, art director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture Radio Film and TV.

The palace, which will cover an area of 70,000 square meters, will open on a limited basis next October, Zong said.

Most facilities from the former China Pavilion can be retained, bringing considerable savings, she said.

The three levels of the former main exhibition hall of the Expo pavilion will showcase the history and development of modern art of Shanghai and China, while the former joint pavilion for Chinese provinces and municipalities will have separate exhibition rooms for famous Chinese modern artists, including top Shanghai painter Cheng Shifa, said Teng.

"The China Art Palace will be a cultural and arts venue to impress the world and drive the development of China's art," said Hong Hao, the former top Expo 2010 organizer.

The gallery will include some exhibits from the Shanghai Art Museum in Puxi, which is now too small for requirements, Teng said.

Due to space constraints, more than 30,000 artworks are not on display at the city's existing art galleries, said Teng. These cover just 6,800 square meters.

And inadequate gallery space has prevented the city attracting some international exhibitions, officials said.

Another new development, the China Contemporary Art Museum, will stand on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River to the art palace in a 100-year-old power plant featuring the "weather chimney" from the World Expo site.

The museum, which is set to cover 15,000 square meters in the former Urban Future Pavilion, will open at the same time as the art palace.

"After the establishment of the new projects, Shanghai will have three major museums - the existing Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Art Palace and the China Contemporary Art Museum - for historic, modern and contemporary artworks," Teng said.

Also at the former Expo site, the Expo Museum will be built in the former Zone D area and open to the public in 2015, Zong said.

The SAIC-GM Pavilion will become the Shanghai Children's Art Theater in 2013 and an international dance center will be built near the Hongqiao Development Zone in Changning District.

An archeological museum will open in 2013 on the Songze Ancient Culture Ruins in Qingpu District. This is the origin of the Songze Culture (3900-3200 BC), one of the city's earliest cultures.

Other planned projects include the China Modern and Contemporary News Publication Museum; the Museum of Shanghai History; the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Center and Shanghai Library (second phase).

hkskyline

November 20th, 2011, 04:27 PM

Any idea what will happen to the other permanent pavilions, especially the Saudi one?

onthebund

November 21st, 2011, 05:10 AM

Saudi pavilion already opened to individual visitors.

onthebund

November 22nd, 2011, 06:01 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=488095

Twin towers set to rise on the Bund

By Niu Yixin | 2011-11-22 |

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-11/2011-11-22/20111122_488095_01.jpg
Preparation work under way on a piece of land on the Bund that was the most expensive parcel in Shanghai when it was sold for 9.22 billion yuan (US$1.44 billion) last February. Construction of two 180-meter towers will start next month on the site after its original buyer Shanghai Zendai Property reportedly sold the parcel to Fosun Group for 9.57 billion yuan on November 2. Plans of the twin towers complex attracted accusations that they would ruin the skyline of the historic Bund and the height of three side buildings has been lowered to below 80 meters to make the project more harmonious with the rest of the Bund's architecture.

el palmesano

November 22nd, 2011, 06:43 AM

lianli

November 22nd, 2011, 07:11 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=488095

Twin towers set to rise on the Bund

Finally U/C!

Pansori

November 22nd, 2011, 11:36 PM

Finally U/C!

Which project is this?

lianli

November 23rd, 2011, 12:45 AM

Which project is this?

This one: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=85303264&postcount=1883

hkskyline

November 29th, 2011, 12:41 PM

Reservoir to bring clean water to Chongming residents
2011-11-29
Shanghai Daily

SHANGHAI began to build a reservoir today on its northern Chongming Island to improve water quality there. The Dongfengxisha Reservoir on the island's southwest bank will store water from the Yangtze River, Shanghai Water Authority says.

It is Shanghai's second largest water project after the Qingcaosha Reservoir and is scheduled for completion by January 2014. The new reservoir can supply clean tap water to the island's 700,000 or so residents.

A 12-kilometer dam will be built to form 3.74-square-kilometer reservoir, which takes no land from surrounding farms and nearby Xisha wetland, officials say.

Currently, island residents are drinking brackish water from wells and rivers.

Julito-dubai

November 29th, 2011, 03:45 PM

amazing!! more information and renders??

Just found them on gaoloumi, but I dont speak chinese (yet) so my abilities are limited....

onthebund

December 7th, 2011, 05:19 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=489432&type=Metro

Movie, cultural theme area set for downtown

By Yang Jian | 2011-12-7

THE bank of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai's downtown area will become a cultural center of the city with new cinemas, a museum about the history of Chinese movies, and headquarters for the video and film industries, the Zhabei District government announced yesterday.

The 3.19-square-kilometer tract, in an area known as Suzhou Creek Bay, will become a district with a rich cultural atmosphere, Song Qingtong, vice director of the Suzhou Creek Construction and Development Office of the district, told a press conference.

"The area will be on a par with the bank of the Seine River in Paris after the Suzhou Creek Bay area to be constructed by 2015," said experts with the Development Research Center of Shanghai government who made plans for the area.

The area will have functions of business and trade, tourism and accommodation but will be centered on the city's history and culture, with historic buildings and old factory houses retained, Song said.

As part of the plan, a Chinese Film Museum and a new IMAX cinema will be built because Shanghai is the cradle of Chinese films, according to the center.

The Shanghai International Film Festival and television festival eventually will be moved to the area.

Film studios and organizations for movie-making and performance training will be attracted to the area to make the film industry a main business there, the center said.

To support the growth of Qipu Road, a well-known market for cheap clothes scheduled to be upgraded to a fashion center, a fashion exhibition center is planned to drive clothing design, trade and brand development.

Old buildings, including many traditional shikumen (stone-gated) houses of Shanghai, will be renovated and be used mostly as art and cultural centers, said Sun Yu, an official with the Bureau of Planning and Land Resources of the district.

The buildings' 2,700 residents will be moved out as they have long wished because living conditions are poor, according to Song.

ganghui

December 7th, 2011, 10:28 AM

Oh, I read about this in ShanghaiDaily. It's gonna be awesome, really looking forward to all kinds of cultural projects going on in this city. onthebund you seem to know most things going on, do you know any news about the forthcoming Shanghai Opera to be built along the river?

onthebund

December 8th, 2011, 06:44 AM

Well, at this moment I don't know any latest news about that new project.

onthebund

December 9th, 2011, 05:07 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=489411&type=Metro

New international school planned

By Even Liang | 2011-12-7

A new international school is planned for Yangpu District amid the growing number of expat residents there, officials said yesterday.

The new school will be built in the Jiangwan area by 2015, according to the latest five-year development plan issued by the district. The new private school will adopt an international curriculum and admit mostly foreign students although it will be open to a few Chinese students.

The district currently has no international school specifically for expat children. The international departments of high schools are too small to meet the market.

Shanghai has 32 international kindergartens, schools or departments designed for foreign students. Most are in suburban areas. The downtown area is in urgent need of international schools.

Rather than erecting new international schools, the education authorities prefer to encourage expat students to attend schools with local students to learn Chinese language and culture.

More foreign students are coming along with their parents amid the city's increasing need for overseas elites. More than 23,500 foreign students were studying in Shanghai kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in 2009, the latest information available.

onthebund

December 9th, 2011, 05:25 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=489527&type=Metro

Section of old city wall to get protection

By Yang Jian | 2011-12-8

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-08/20111208_489527_01.jpg
The remains of the Ming Dynasty wall.

Photo by Guan Kaiji

SHANGHAI'S cultural relics protection authority yesterday confirmed it will protect what remains of Shanghai's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall and restore it to its original look despite a new residential building that has been under construction at the site.

A 50-meter-long section of the 458-year-old wall near Yuyuan Garden in Huangpu District has been mostly dismantled during the construction, leaving only 20 meters remaining, despite the construction firm's promise to keep it intact.

"The authority has halted the construction on the site and will try to restore the whole structure with the original bricks from the dismantled section," said Tan Yufeng, director of the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Commission.

The section of wall was built in about three months in 1553 to protect the area from Japanese pirates, according to the city's history. It was part of the original city wall, which totaled 4.5 kilometers long and was 8 meters tall.

The city's military authority in 1912 ordered the wall's destruction because it impeded transportation and commerce, but a small section, including the part to be protected now, was left standing.

The remaining 70-meter-long wall was discovered in 2008 after surrounding old residential buildings were torn down and the residents were moved out. But part of the wall was destroyed after construction began in 2009 on a new residential building.

The ancient wall is now hidden behind scaffoldings of the new building. It is supported by iron shelves as a temporary protection measure. Some cracks appear on the wall that residents living nearby said were caused by the construction.

Local residents said the construction company promised to protect the historic wall when it began construction but it still damaged part of the structure. The construction firm, Shanghai Luxiangyuan Housing Co, declined to comment yesterday.

The Huangpu culture bureau is requiring the company to make a plan to restore the 50-meter section it damaged, an official with the bureau told local media yesterday. But a detailed protection plan has yet to be produced because the wall was included in the planned area for the new construction.

onthebund

December 9th, 2011, 06:06 AM

deleted

onthebund

December 10th, 2011, 05:42 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by 天池

A New project in Hongkou District

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/1111242019524d8e2c08289ccf.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/11112420208700492b73ff961b.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/1111242020ba62cea256f2afe3.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/11112420247946a1083e46957e.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/1111242025ff9553527a5729c3.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/1111242030e3345a33018e9389.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111124/1111242031fc9d96667a8d8178.jpg

onthebund

December 10th, 2011, 05:56 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by Nord

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_017.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_016.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_015.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_014.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_013.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_012.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_011.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_009.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_008.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111126/22/60616551201111262210133490797386475_010.jpg

hkskyline

December 12th, 2011, 10:07 AM

New passages to make Lujiazui pedestrian-friendly
Shanghai Daily
2011-12-12

APART from elevated walkways, underground passages will be built to make the Lujiazui central business district pedestrian-friendly.

Construction started this morning on five underground passages to connect the Shanghai International Finance Center, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai Center and the green park near the Jin Mao Tower.

The new passages will also add 24,108 square meters of commercial space to the area for restaurants and shops. The construction is expected to be completed by 2014.

Underground passage construction is just one of the 11 Lujiazui projects kicked off this morning. Others include 2,144 square meters of recreational facilities along the north riverfront and a fashion street targeting white-collar workers.

Lujiazui officials said 90 Wi-Fi hotspots will be installed in the green park, bus stations and other public venues.

Manila-X

December 12th, 2011, 10:09 AM

Better for Lujiazui. The place is a bit hard to walk around.

hkskyline

December 12th, 2011, 10:36 AM

But the focus should be on at-grade crossings. Who wants to walk in a dark, dingy, and empty underpass at night, with plenty of blind corners around staircases?

Pansori

December 12th, 2011, 10:48 AM

But the focus should be on at-grade crossings. Who wants to walk in a dark, dingy, and empty underpass at night, with plenty of blind corners around staircases?

How could that possibly happen on those wide avenues? It's more efficient to have underground or overground crossings with less grade crossings if possible.

hkskyline

December 12th, 2011, 11:27 AM

How could that possibly happen on those wide avenues? It's more efficient to have underground or overground crossings with less grade crossings if possible.

Well, if Shibuya crossing could work then I think it's do-able to have an at-grade crossing in Lujiazui.

Crossing upstairs or downstairs is not an efficient way for pedestrians. In the end, they'll just stick to the malls and avoid the street altogether. There's very little street-level pedestrian interaction in that corner already.

jacks

December 12th, 2011, 04:33 PM

hkskyline

December 12th, 2011, 04:43 PM

There are lots of underground malls in Shanghai. I expect this underground crossing will be more like the underground mall below people's square or the one at the science museum metro stop than a bunch of empty passages.

That just means the sidewalks will be dead. Nobody would want to walk outside. Imagine an area of big skyscrapers but not a soul out there but a sea of vehicles.

lianli

December 12th, 2011, 06:44 PM

That just means the sidewalks will be dead. Nobody would want to walk outside. Imagine an area of big skyscrapers but not a soul out there but a sea of vehicles.

Maybe you should take a look at this gaoloumi thread:
http://www.gaoloumi.com/viewthread.php?tid=170908&extra=page%3D1
(renders are at the bottom of the first page)

In the future there will be more shops and restaurants on street level in Lujiazui.

Manila-X

December 13th, 2011, 08:00 AM

That just means the sidewalks will be dead. Nobody would want to walk outside. Imagine an area of big skyscrapers but not a soul out there but a sea of vehicles.

That is what you are seeing in downtowns of most American cities say Houston, Dallas or Denver.

hkskyline

December 13th, 2011, 08:17 AM

That is what you are seeing in downtowns of most American cities say Houston, Dallas or Denver.

That's exactly the type of city we should not be building. America doesn't offer that many good urban planning examples.

drunkenmunkey888

December 13th, 2011, 11:24 PM

That's exactly the type of city we should not be building. America doesn't offer that many good urban planning examples.

Japanese cities are usually the best. The US has some pretty amazingly well built cities aka NYC. Minhang, Songjiang, Baoshan should be built like Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, not Houston, Albaquerque, etc.

Pansori

December 13th, 2011, 11:39 PM

That's exactly the type of city we should not be building. America doesn't offer that many good urban planning examples.

I think one crucial mistake that proponents of such planning (narrow streets, easy to cross) do is the belief that such system is somehow by default superior to the system they think to be worse (wide avenues, no or limited level crossings). This is a very short-sighted and, I would dare to say, ignorant thinking.

True, cozy and narrow places are nice and those who're familiar with European old-town areas know what I mean. However we shall not try to apply this same logic to a 21st century business district in Shanghai.

Secondly, what's wrong with large open spaces? I think it's great. And in no way it makes the place inconvenient for pedestrians. On the contrary, it gives lots of space and improves safety. Maybe Shanghai is different (I will have a chance to see this by myself soon) but I had perhaps the most pleasant pedestrian experience in Shenzhen and Guangzhou which could only be matched by Singapore of the cities I have visited. They all have one thing in common: large open spaces and lots of greenery inbetween along wide roads and avenues which don't have too many level crossings. Wanna see what China (or anyone else for that matter) should not be building? Look at London... or American cities like LA.

China, meanwhile, is engaging into some of the strongest and most forward-looking ideology of urban planning and that's the only way to go for a country this size which has some of the world's largest urban areas. Those who engage in bashing such urban ideology (which has roots in the urban ideas once established by Le Corbusier) simply can't or don't want to look at it from a little wider angle and are locked in the self-proclaimed idea that their backyard is the only and best way of building a city no matter how much it may suck according to others... I am not an opponent of any of that but things should have their places. Narrow streets and cozy narrow pavements can be found in Xintiandi and other classic areas of Shanghai. I'm sure there are plenty of those. But proposing this for Pudong is a bit like proposing space shuttle to be powered by propeller engines instead of solid fuel jets.

The only concern I have is the lack of high-capacity rapid transit systems in Shanghai and perhaps other large cities. I.e. something like German style S-Bahn suburban rail system which compliments (or duplicates in some cases, especially in the inner parts of the city) the urban rail transit system known as U-Bahn (metro, underground, etc.).

And thirdly, Chinese planning is NOT similar to that of American cities. Yes, there are big roads and tall buildings in the central areas but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Chinese cities stick to similar urban layout throughout the entire big city while in American case all you'll get is a compact downtown area and suburbs only accessible by cars. In China's case you get a substantial development of public transport which goes along with urbanization and expansion of urban areas. In fact, American and Chinese urban ideology can hardly be more different.

hkskyline

December 14th, 2011, 04:18 AM

I think one crucial mistake that proponents of such planning (narrow streets, easy to cross) do is the belief that such system is somehow by default superior to the system they think to be worse (wide avenues, no or limited level crossings). This is a very short-sighted and, I would dare to say, ignorant thinking.

True, cozy and narrow places are nice and those who're familiar with European old-town areas know what I mean. However we shall not try to apply this same logic to a 21st century business district in Shanghai.

Secondly, what's wrong with large open spaces? I think it's great. And in no way it makes the place inconvenient for pedestrians. On the contrary, it gives lots of space and improves safety. Maybe Shanghai is different (I will have a chance to see this by myself soon) but I had perhaps the most pleasant pedestrian experience in Shenzhen and Guangzhou which could only be matched by Singapore of the cities I have visited. They all have one thing in common: large open spaces and lots of greenery inbetween along wide roads and avenues which don't have too many level crossings. Wanna see what China (or anyone else for that matter) should not be building? Look at London... or American cities like LA.

China, meanwhile, is engaging into some of the strongest and most forward-looking ideology of urban planning and that's the only way to go for a country this size which has some of the world's largest urban areas. Those who engage in bashing such urban ideology (which has roots in the urban ideas once established by Le Corbusier) simply can't or don't want to look at it from a little wider angle and are locked in the self-proclaimed idea that their backyard is the only and best way of building a city no matter how much it may suck according to others... I am not an opponent of any of that but things should have their places. Narrow streets and cozy narrow pavements can be found in Xintiandi and other classic areas of Shanghai. I'm sure there are plenty of those. But proposing this for Pudong is a bit like proposing space shuttle to be powered by propeller engines instead of solid fuel jets.

The only concern I have is the lack of high-capacity rapid transit systems in Shanghai and perhaps other large cities. I.e. something like German style S-Bahn suburban rail system which compliments (or duplicates in some cases, especially in the inner parts of the city) the urban rail transit system known as U-Bahn (metro, underground, etc.).

And thirdly, Chinese planning is NOT similar to that of American cities. Yes, there are big roads and tall buildings in the central areas but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Chinese cities stick to similar urban layout throughout the entire big city while in American case all you'll get is a compact downtown area and suburbs only accessible by cars. In China's case you get a substantial development of public transport which goes along with urbanization and expansion of urban areas. In fact, American and Chinese urban ideology can hardly be more different.
Good planning is not exclusively restricted to narrow streets that are easily crossable. That's a very myopic view of how good cities work. It's a whole integrated package. Wide avenues are not necessarily bad planning either as there are numerous good examples such as the Champs in Paris and the Diagonal in Barcelona.

The key to consider is the interaction between pedestrians, buildings, and the street. Lujiazui's buildings don't front the main wide boulevard. That's the key problem. By building underpasses and bridges to cross it, it alienates people from the street even further. Perhaps the original planners had no intention to make this a vibrant street full of activity at all, but rather a big traffic conduit for vehicles to get in and out.

Wide open spaces only work when people have a reason to be there. The cozy European square works because people's homes and businesses front to it, so there is a reason for people to linger about there. Having a big empty square that is bordered by roads only is a recipe for disaster. Office workers would not want to cross to get to that space while shoppers have no need to venture out when they can do everything inside a mall. This empty space then becomes a safety concern at night.

The key question is why is the space there, rather than how big that space is.

China's urban ideologies consist of a mix of cutting-edge technology and backwards-thinking suburbia. Lujiazui's wide boulevard and building setup is clearly the latter than the former. I've observed that big street on numerous occasions on work days and on holidays, and that place is devoid of life in the middle of a bustling city. Clearly, what they've done is not working.

And you don't need to build a narrow street to make it vibrant. There are many ways to beautify and add activity to a wide boulevard. The first step is to build buildings that front to it and the people will come.

Shanghai's metro network has been expanding rapidly over the past decade, and now boasts an incredible amount of trackage. I doubt there is a need to copy other cities' suburban rail model when they can do it with a subway line already. The likes of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich are not dense or large enough to have subway lines running everywhere, but Shanghai can do it.

I suggest you look into some of the satellite cities that are popping up around the Shanghai area. There are examples of American suburbia already, with lowrise homes in the middle of nowhere that will succumb to car culture. Not every new Chinese development is like a skyscrapered Lujiazui. Unfortunately, there's a lot more American bad planning influence out there than you think, and you need to leave Lujiazui to see it.

Pansori

December 14th, 2011, 05:14 AM

hkskyline

December 14th, 2011, 05:51 AM

^^
I can't disagree with some points you made. However I will refrain from commenting on the alienation of Lujiazui street level as I haven't seen it myself. I will be able to do that once I'll get a chance to experience it myself. My only comparison so far could be Shenzhen and newer areas of Guangzhou which, as I have mentioned, were absolutely brilliant in terms of pedestrian-friendliness and accesibility. I would be very surprised if Lujiazui is fundamentally different.

Regarding rapit rail transit. What I mean mentioning S-Bahn is not the extensiveness of the network (U-Bahn in German cities could serve the needs of the urban area perfectly well and cover the urban area in its entirety) but reach to the outer suburbs and towns, capacity and increased speed. S-Bahn is intended to connect suburbs to the core city as well as ease and speed-up travel within the city for those who need to travel longer distances with fewer stops even if that duplicates the ordinary metro lines. Think of it as a suburban railway rather than metro i.e. something that usually runs faster (120-160km/h instead of 60-80km/h).

I wonder how long it would take to travel from one end of Shanghai to the opposite one on the metro? Probably quite a while. That's why high-capacity, low station frequency and speedy rail services are essential to compliment urban rail transit. Anyway, I guess they will take the decisions at some later point. If i am not mistaken, Beijing has been preparing some kind of suburban railway network.

Shenzhen also suffers a similar problem as the wide boulevard that crosses E-W across the new Futian district is also deserted, much like Lujiazui. Again, I think the planners designed it to be a traffic conduit rather than a lively Champs-style street. Guangzhou's new central axis in Zhujiang New Town is a little different. It's not a wide boulevard, but 2 smaller streets with a big urban park in between. Lots of street-level crossings connect it to the skyscrapers on both sides although they do have a pedestrian bridge every now and then. That's the type of planning I think would work but sadly that was not how Lujiazui was planned.

It will indeed quite some time to go from one end of the subway line to the other, say Hongqiao to Pudong. But do people commute like that? I don't see commuter rail being a high priority right now since suburbanization is not as severe, despite Shanghai being quite a large city. The central government's priority is to enhance the urban subway network first, which is woefully inadequate even for a large city such as Beijing (in Shanghai it is now less of a problem). Perhaps once the satellite towns become more established, then it may be worthwhile to run an express commuter line out. But for now, the suburban folks will just have to cope with a fairly high-frequency subway service.

Pansori

December 14th, 2011, 06:27 AM

drunkenmunkey888

December 14th, 2011, 07:17 AM

@Pansori

I know what you're talking about considering narrow streets. I was surprised at how unwalkable Hong Kong's streets were and how absolutely crowded everything was. It was a lot less pleasant than I would've expected it to be. Likewise, roads that are too wide with too much greenery is also not ideal. Hong Kong and Lujiazui are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum and a city should never be planned using either as a model (I see Hong Kong as almost a big refugee camp that somehow became obscenely wealthy over the past three decades, while Lujiazui is one vast park with the occasional building punctuating the emptiness once in a while).

Midtown Manhattan seems to be a perfect balance of both. Streets wide enough so that it doesn't feel claustrophobic but not so wide that it becomes pedestrian unfriendly. You have parks here and there but only so far as they are appreciated rather than a nuisance (compare Grammercy Park vs. the useless park smack in the middle of Lujiazui). Midtown Manhattan is an absolute masterpiece of urban planning and it is a shame that Pudong wasn't modeled after that.

hkskyline

December 14th, 2011, 08:18 AM

Isn't Futian still like half empty with construction cranes sticking out all around the place? I wouldn't hurry describing it as 'deserted'. It's not a completed development and won't settle down over the next couple of years or so.

Not really. The area around the grand E-W boulevard is quite developed while construction is more on the northern stretches.

Jaime5798

December 14th, 2011, 09:35 AM

Shanghai IFC is under construction. Make sure you change that.
__________________http://www.mazatlanspa.info/jh2.jpg
http://www.mazatlanspa.info/2.jpg
http://www.mazatlanspa.info/5.jpg

ganghui

December 14th, 2011, 11:50 AM

^^
I wonder how long it would take to travel from one end of Shanghai to the opposite one on the metro? Probably quite a while. That's why high-capacity, low station frequency and speedy rail services are essential to compliment urban rail transit. Anyway, I guess they will take the decisions at some later point. If i am not mistaken, Beijing has been preparing some kind of suburban railway network.
They are already improving this. The new line 22 of the Shanghai Metro network will offer "high speed" train services that run up to 160 km/h.

Julito-dubai

December 14th, 2011, 03:13 PM

http://planning.pudong.gov.cn/Upload/UploadFile/2011/09/201109211633108672.JPG

partial plan how to use the site of the 2010 Expo....

Pansori

December 14th, 2011, 07:52 PM

Not really. The area around the grand E-W boulevard is quite developed while construction is more on the northern stretches.

But I was referring to Shennan avenue (near the Civic Center) where lots of construction is still taking place. The area south from it is indeed lively enough and feels what it should be. Certainly not something one could describe as 'deserted'.

hkskyline

December 15th, 2011, 08:52 AM

New bridge links city with northern Jiangsu
Shanghai Daily
2011-12-15

A Yangtze River bridge linking Shanghai's Chongming Island with Qidong, a boom city in Jiangsu Province has passed final examinations and will be opened to traffic soon, project officials said today.

The 53-kilometer bridge will cut the trip from downtown Shanghai to Qidong City by two hours to about 90 minutes. It takes only 35 minutes to drive from Pudong to Qidong.

The new bridge is a vital link between the Yangtze Tunnel-Bridge Project on Chongming Island and the Nantong-Qidong Highway in Jiangsu, officials said.

It will make the Pudong International Airport and Yangshan Deep-Water Port more accessible to cities in the northern part of Jiangsu. The drive from Qidong to the Pudong International Airport takes only about 45 minutes.

The new route also means that Jiangsu's seafood and agricultural products can be transported faster to Shanghai.

onthebund

December 17th, 2011, 04:56 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=490131&type=Metro

New bridge links city with northern Jiangsu

By Zha Minjie | 2011-12-15

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-15/20111215_490131_01.jpg
A Yangtze River bridge linking Shanghai's Chongming Island with Qidong, a boom city in Jiangsu Province has passed final examinations and will be opened to traffic soon.

hkskyline

December 17th, 2011, 04:22 PM

But I was referring to Shennan avenue (near the Civic Center) where lots of construction is still taking place. The area south from it is indeed lively enough and feels what it should be. Certainly not something one could describe as 'deserted'.

I think it's just that stretch along Shennan that's U/C because north of it it's quite developed already (Shenzhen Museum and that wide civic centre).

hkskyline

December 17th, 2011, 04:26 PM

Island link fears for ecosystem
Shanghai Daily
Dec 17, 2011

PEST species threaten the delicate ecosystem of Chongming Island following the opening of an expressway link to the mainland, experts are warning.

The 25.5-kilometer Changjiang Tunnel-Bridge, which opened just over two years ago, has brought more vehicles and people to the island, a haven for migrating birds.

To highlight the island's fragility, officials cited the example of goldenrod - a pretty but invasive North American plant - that has spread over the island in recent years, displacing native species.

"Although the opening of the tunnel and bridge is not the cause of this species invading, it will lead to more human activity on the island," said Zhao Yingying, an official of the Shanghai Botanic Garden.

"And after all, many invasive species are introduced by humans," she added.

Goldenrod is now said to cover almost 8 percent of the 1,041-square-kilometer island - 20 times the area it was found in a decade ago.

Zhao, a Chongming islander, said she had witnessed firsthand the spread of the goldenrod.

"There are large numbers of the plant at dams around the island and invading the reed area of the wetlands," Zhao told Shanghai Daily.

Besides goldenrod, other exotic invaders, such as smooth cordgrass and water peanut, have been found on island, Zhao added.

She also expressed concerns of an increased threat to the island with a new expressway, further connecting the island to Jiangsu Province, opening this week.

This is expected to bring large numbers of tourists and vehicle to the island.

Experts are urging the government to take steps to stop the invaders.

To this end, Gu Bin and Qiao Jie, officials on the political advisory body in Chongming, have drafted proposals to protect the ecosystem.

Concerns have also been raised that increased traffic will threaten Chongming Island's wetlands.

These provide a home to a rich diversity of life and are used as a stopover by migrating birds.

Driving down a highway alongside peaceful wetlands may be enjoyable to drivers but could spell disaster for the plants and animals there, experts warn.

But officials insist that efforts have been made throughout the road's design and construction to reduce its environmental impact.

onthebund

December 18th, 2011, 06:05 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=489910&type=Metro

Lujiazui skyscrapers to connect

By Liang Yiwen | 2011-12-13

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-13/20111213_489910_01.jpg

APART from a newly completed elevated walkway, underpasses will be built to connect the skyscrapers in the Lujiazui area to make the financial zone more pedestrian-friendly.

Construction started yesterday on five underground passages to connect the Shanghai International Finance Center, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Shanghai Center under construction and a 7,248-square-meter hall under a public green area.

The underpasses will total 116 meters, and construction is expected to be completed by 2014.

Restaurants, stores and other commercial facilities will be included in the underground space. Metro riders arriving at the Lujiazui station will be able to reach any of the five buildings via the passages by first entering the IFC exit, thus avoiding the outdoors when the weather is bad.

The passageways are part of a strategy to make Lujiazui more pedestrian and tourist-friendly and address complaints about its transport links. White-collar workers in Lujiazui's skyscrapers have long complained about long walks between buildings.

Though the buildings look close to each other, it takes pedestrians a long time to detour around street traffic. The passages form just one of the 11 Lujiazui projects kicked off yesterday.

Others include recreational facilities along the north riverfront and a street featuring clothing stores.

kix111

December 18th, 2011, 06:20 PM

I saw a huge plot in front of superbrand mall in lujiazui when i went there for a walk last week. The plot is near citi group and aurora. Anyone got any idea what its for?

hkskyline

December 19th, 2011, 08:01 AM

Work on bridge gets under way
Shanghai Daily
Dec 19, 2011

PART of the Nanpu Bridge - one of the city's major routes across the Huangpu River - will be closed today, marking the start of a month of maintenance work.

Up to two lanes of the 428-meter cable-stayed bridge will be occupied for construction at night between today and Friday, authorities said. The entire Nanpu Bridge will be closed from 2am to 3am between Friday and January 15. The Nanpu Bridge opened to the public in 1991.

http://www.pbase.com/hltam/image/124732896.jpg
Source : http://www.pbase.com/hltam/image/124732896

onthebund

December 20th, 2011, 05:05 AM

^^Thanks for the photo.

hkskyline

December 25th, 2011, 01:25 PM

Inter-city bridge link set to open
Shanghai Daily
Dec 24, 2011

A NEW bridge expressway across the Yangtze River is set to open today to improve connections between Shanghai and Qidong and other cities in neighboring Jiangsu Province, according to Jiangsu traffic authority.

The 52-kilometer Chongming-Qidong Bridge link will see the drive from Shanghai to Qidong cut to one hour - one-third of the current time. The route will also work as an express gateway to boost logistics, said government officials. Starting at Shanghai's Chongming Island, it runs across the Yangtze River and ends in Qidong.

onthebund

December 26th, 2011, 04:22 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/gallery/photo.asp?article_id=490937

Making a connection

2011-12-25

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-25/20111225_490937_01.jpg
A bus crosses a new bridge spanning the Yangtze River yesterday. The bridge opened to traffic yesterday and will reduce the travel time from Shanghai to Qidong in Jiangsu Province to one hour from three hours. The bridge stretches 52 kilometers and starts at Shanghai's Chongming Island.

onthebund

December 26th, 2011, 04:54 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by han404

New projects in Xuhui District

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_037.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_033.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_035.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_034.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_032.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_030.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_029.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_028.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_027.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_026.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_025.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_024.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_023.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_022.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_021.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_019.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_016.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_015.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_013.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_012.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_011.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_009.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_008.jpg

http://img165.poco.cn/mypoco/myphoto/20111225/17/64498111201112251721542637177289293_006.jpg

lianli

December 26th, 2011, 04:19 PM

^^
Nice pics, but Shanghai Greenland Center is quite disappointing compared to Greenland projects in other cities.

onthebund

December 30th, 2011, 06:02 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491094&type=Business

Shanghai exhibition center to be among the world's largest

By Wang Yanlin | 2011-12-27

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-27/20111227_491094_01.jpg
A colorful display (above) at a groundbreaking ceremony held to mark the start of construction for the China Expo Convention & Exhibition Complex in Shanghai yesterday. It will be one of the world's largest exhibition areas when it is completed in five years' time. With 400,000 square meters of indoor space and 100,000 square meters of outdoor areas, it will double the size of the Shanghai New International Expo Center, the city's largest exhibition facility.

SHANGHAI began construction of what will be one of the world's largest exhibition facilities yesterday.

The China Expo Convention & Exhibition Complex will have 400,000 square meters of indoor space and 100,000 square meters of outdoor areas - double the size of the Shanghai New International Expo Center, currently the city's largest exhibition facility.

Commerce Minister Chen Deming and Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng yesterday witnessed the inauguration of China Expo Co Ltd, which will manage the construction and operation of the new complex.

"It will become a very competitive exhibition entity, and help to accelerate Shanghai's pace to become a global trading center," said Wang Zhiping, president of China Expo Co Ltd.

Located in Qingpu District in the Hongqiao Business Park, the new complex is expected to be finished in five years and will then host important events such as the China International Industry Fair and the Shanghai International Automobile Exhibition.

It will also aim to promote close connections between foreign and domestic businesses.

Shanghai Vice Mayor Ai Baojun said the new complex will strengthen the city's position as a global exhibition center.

"Shanghai has established a good reputation in the exhibition industry after successfully hosting the World Expo 2010. The new facility will further bolster our strength," Ai said.

Shanghai's renting rate among exhibition sites is up to 60 percent, far above the nation's average of 25 percent and the world's 35 percent, Ai said.

Under the city's Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) for the industry, Shanghai aims to double the size of its exhibition space to 15 million square meters by 2015, and devote 80 percent of the area to hosting international fairs.

Also yesterday, Shanghai announced the establishment of the Shanghai International Technology Exchange Center and opened the China International Trading Center Platform by launching www.sh-itc.net, a portal to serve traders.

The technology exchange center in the Hongqiao Business Park aims to spur trading of technology through promoting information collection, resources integration, professional training, rule familiarization and global collaboration in technology exchanges.

Last year, China's trade in technology was worth US$40.1 billion, or 1.35 percent of total trade value, according to the Ministry of Commerce, and there is huge potential of more technology exchanges with overseas markets, the ministry said.

The trading center platform is expected to become the country's authoritative portal to promote trade.

onthebund

December 30th, 2011, 06:07 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by zip

China Expo Convention & Exhibition Complex
http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/405fa0a1jw1dofvybp0u9j.jpg

http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/large/769a1b45jw1dofsk3djnmj.jpg

http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/769a1b45jw1dofr5v7i2hj.jpg

onthebund

December 31st, 2011, 05:10 AM

^^The related article is on the previous page.

onthebund

December 31st, 2011, 05:54 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491092&type=Metro

Changing cultural landscape for city

By Sophie Wang | 2011-12-27

SHANGHAI'S cultural scene will see major changes next year after four key projects were launched yesterday.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the China Art Palace, China Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai Songze Historical Relics Museum and Guo Cui Yuan (National Treasures Center) were held in the city.

The China Art Palace, 10 times as large as the Shanghai Art Museum in People's Square, will be unveiled next year at the China Pavilion, one of the highlights of the World Expo in 2010.

The China Art Palace, which will cover an area of 70,000 square meters, is expected to be on par with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

The 2012 Shanghai Biennale is reported to be its opening event next October and the venue will be a major showcase for modern Chinese art.

The palace will retain most of the facilities from the China Pavilion.

Cultural relics

Also next year, the World Expo's Urban Future Pavilion will become the China Contemporary Art Museum, providing exhibition space for contemporary art.

The museum, which is set to cover 15,000 square meters, will open at the same time as the art palace.

Sited in suburban Qingpu District, the Shanghai Songze Historical Relics Museum will house cultural relics and historical findings from the Songze Culture Ruins, listed as one of the 100 important archeological findings of the 20th century in China.

The Songze Culture (3900-3200 BC) was one of the city's earliest cultures.

A number of ceramic, stone or bronze items were found on the site and there was also evidence showing that the Chinese people were already growing rice all those years ago.

The museum is due to open in 2013.

The 15,000-square-meter National Treasures Center in Xuhui District, meanwhile, involves relocation of the Shanghai Peking Opera House and the Duoyunxuan Art Center.

After it is completed in 2013, it will be a center for art creation, exchange and trading for art organizations.

The center will be located in the riverside area between Xujiahui and the Longhua Temple tourist area.

onthebund

December 31st, 2011, 06:09 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491399&type=Metro

Disneyland project moving to next stage

By Dong Zhen | 2011-12-30

THE core facilities of Shanghai Disneyland will be under construction next April, said the Shanghai Construction Commission at a news conference this afternoon.

Infrastructural construction of roads and pipelines for the Disneyland began in April this year and will be completed next March, said Jiang Shujie, a commission official.

The first phase of the park will cost 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) and an additional 4.5 billion yuan will be spent to build supporting facilities such as hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Shanghai regards the project part of its efforts to become a world-class tourist destination. The first phase of Shanghai Disneyland is expected to attract 7.3 million visitors a year, Jiang said.

The amusement park is 21 kilometers from central People's Square and 12 kilometers from the Pudong International Airport, connected by highways and a Metro line.

Jiang said the municipal authorities are now inviting designs for the paradise, the first on the Chinese mainland.

He also said Shanghai invested about 100 billion yuan this year in key infrastructure projects and the budget for next year will increase substantially.

onthebund

December 31st, 2011, 06:29 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491460&type=Metro

Start date for next Disneyland stage

By Dong Zhen | 2011-12-31 |

SHANGHAI Disneyland will start taking shape in the spring, with work set to begin on attractions, government officials said yesterday.

Preparatory work on the first Disneyland on the Chinese mainland began in April, with the theme park scheduled to open in 2015.

This stage of the project is set to cost 29 billion yuan (US$4.6 billion), including the park, hotels and leisure facilities. Other stages are planned afterwards.

Jiang Shujie, deputy director with the Shanghai Construction Commission, said nearly 3 billion yuan has been spent on preparatory construction.

This includes building roads and drainage systems, as well as sightseeing and traffic structures.

Preparatory work should be finished by the spring, after which builders can move on to Disneyland attractions, Jiang said.

Work has begun on a 10-kilometer waterway attraction that will enclose the site. A 5-kilometer stretch is currently being dug at the northwest of the site, Jiang said.

He added that two elevated roads connecting the site to the S1 and S2 highways are under construction and could open next April.

A Metro link will also be built.

Authorities have already revealed a rough plan indicating how Shanghai Disneyland could look, attracting great interest.

Jiang said the bidding process for the detailed design had begun, but did not elaborate on likely candidate designers.

The city said it has spent about 100 billion yuan this year on major government-backed construction projects.

These were mostly aimed at upgrading traffic and other facilities to boost the local economy.

Officials said there will be a substantial increase in next year's budget for similar work.

Around 30 tunneling machines are currently at work in Shanghai, as the city builds more subway lines and other tunnels, said the construction authority.

By 2015, the Metro network will have grown from 420 to 500 kilometers, said Jiang.

Yellow Fever

December 31st, 2011, 09:25 AM

edit

onthebund

January 1st, 2012, 08:14 AM

please don't post too many photos in one entry. Max 10 pics per post please, thanks!

Ok,moderator!;)

Yellow Fever

January 1st, 2012, 08:48 AM

^^ I'm sorry! I actually thought that this is the photo forum! :nuts:

Please ignore my post! :D

onthebund

January 1st, 2012, 09:27 AM

^^:(

onthebund

January 1st, 2012, 09:32 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491139&type=Feature&page=1

New kid on art block: Taopu M50

2011-12-28

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-28/20111228_491139_01.jpg
Taopu M50, a 3-hectare textile mill complex in Putuo District, has become another art hub that attracts artists with spacious areas and low rent.

TWO years ago super-size exhibition space Taopu M50 in distant Putuo District was a virtual art desert and a big question mark. Today it's an important venue. Wang Jie reports.

Everyone knows the well-trod art hub and tourist magnet M50 at 50 Moganshan Road, and now Taopu M50, a textile mill complex in Putuo District, is becoming another anchor of the art scene on Shanghai's outskirts.

It's a colossal venue for colossal installations; it's both a museum and a gallery.

When it opened at the end of 2009 in Taopu area - its huge airy buildings painted in bright colors - expectations were low. It was and still is remote, there's no art ambience in the neighborhood and building up another art hub after the success of M50 was a daunting prospect.

Once M50 on Moganshan Road along Suzhou Creek was a magnet for starving artists and it is considered the cradle of Shanghai's contemporary art scene. But soon it became too expensive for struggling artists. Today it's high-end, trendy and dominated by big galleries. The 24,000-square-meter M50 is Shanghai's answer to 798 in Beijing.

Compared with it, the new Taopu M50, covering an area of nearly 3 hectares, was almost an art desert in 2009.

"That doesn't matter. Who ever heard of Moganshan Road years ago?" Taopu M50 General Manager Caroline Zhou says. "We are confident that we can change this unknown place and obsolete factory into a dynamic art venue, just as we did the old M50."

Both M50s are operated by Shantex.

Seemingly Taopu M50 is on the right track.

Most of the buildings on the site are two-storied, simple and clean, lofty and spacious, mostly built in the 1980s, far different from the gritty old warehouses on Moganshan Road.

Zhou and her team hired Margo Renisio, the French exhibition designer who worked for Shanghai Biennale, to invigorate Taopu and give it a distinctive character.

Renisio painted each building in a strong color - red, green and purple brown.

Inside it still looks and feels like a factory; no major changes have been made; the space is awe-inspiring. The area has been landscaped, the roads repaved, the entrance gate renovated and there's a cafeteria.

"It's totally a different look, like bringing something new out from the ruins," says Jin Weidong, general manager of M50 on Moganshan Road.

All these moves were not enough to warm up the new M50.

Taopu M50 invited big names, including Liu Jianhua, Yang Fudong, Yang Zhengzhong and Xu Zheng, to open studios, paying low rent.

"At that time, I needed a big studio that could both function as a warehouse and a place for creation," Liu says. "I was so happy to find this, not to mention the good rent."

Now Liu can relax in his living room on the second floor and play table tennis on the first floor in the 700-square-meter private studio.

Some studios have enormous terraces for barbecue parties.

ShanghART Gallery, a major contemporary gallery in the city, opened a branch covering 28,000 square meters.

"It's a perfect place to showcase some installations and big sculptures in the gallery's collection," says Helen Zhu, a staff member from the gallery. "We hope that the venue will become a warehouse art museum in the future."

Using big names as a magnet is a regular practice.

Tian Zi Fang, an arts and crafts enclave that developed from a renovated residential area in the former French concession, initially provided spacious low-rent studios to late visual artist Chen Yifei and photographer Deke Erh.

And the idea for Taopu M50 is that big-name artists actually work here and don't just use it as a warehouse for enormous pieces that can't go anywhere else.

"That would make us a dead community," Zhou says. "Fortunately, it hasn't happened."

Through the strong network of these famous artists, Taopu M50 gradually gained recognition in the art community. It's frequently used as a backdrop for fashion shoots.

Even Wendy Deng, wife of Rupert Murdoch, shot scenes of the place in her maiden film "The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" (2011).

The newly opened Metro Line 11 has shortened travel time to get to Taopu M50.

"Things are getting better and better, faster than we planned," says General Manager Zhou. "But that doesn't mean that the old M50 and Taopu M50 are in a competitive relationship. Perhaps the old M50 is more fashionable and commercial, and the new M50 is more dynamic and academic."

Today young artists, architects and designers bring their energy to the venue.

Fudan University's Institute of Visual Arts has chosen Taopu M50 as an off-campus education center.

"It's not so chaotic," says Yang Fudong, one of China's top video artists.

As cities urbanize, artists must move further and further from the downtown core to find affordable studio space.

"I hope that Taopu M50 won't turn out to be a place for the privileged class in the future, " says Su Hang, a young local artist. "Otherwise I have to move to Suzhou."

Artforum magazine, considered authoritative in the art world, praised a poster exhibition titled "My Communism" at Taopu M50, calling it one of the 10 most influential exhibitions around the world in 2011. That helped put Taopu M50 on the map.

Address: 18 Wuwei Rd

How to get there: Qilianshan Road Station of Metro Line 11

onthebund

January 1st, 2012, 09:59 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491058&type=Feature&page=1

Savoring the sights in Old Town

By Chen Ye | 2011-12-27

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2011/2011-12/2011-12-27/20111227_491058_01.jpg
The restored Sanshan Guild Hall was built in 1909 by Fujian merchants in Shanghai.

THE Old Town area is the historical core of Shanghai that included the old walled city, and visitors can still appreciate life in the slow lane along narrow winding streets, with names like Cotton Street, Ham Street and Dog Meat Street. Chen Ye goes for a stroll.

History professor Gu Xiaoming recently paid a visit to the Old Town area and says he cannot recognize many places in the former Nanshi District.

"I really enjoy wandering about in the old neighborhood, because each street is a piece of history," says the retired professor from Fudan University. "And the vibrant daily life there represents what real Shanghai is and used to be."

However, fast urban development has made dramatic changes to the historic area, the oldest part of Shanghai, since Nanshi District was merged into Huangpu District in 2000.

Still, all history hasn't been bulldozed and there are places where one can appreciate narrow, winding streets with colorful descriptive names like Cotton Street, Dog Meat Street, Ham Street - indicating past and current functions.

The former Nanshi District was the historical root of Shanghai. It included the old, walled city as well as the nearby docklands on both sides of the Huangpu River.

"(Nanshi) Old Town is the real birthplace of Shanghai culture," says Professor Gu, from the Cultural Heritage Protection Department of Fudan University. "And most people have some connection."

In old Shanghai, Beishi (north of city) was said to be "the paradise for foreign adventurers" and Nanshi (south of city) "the heaven for local entrepreneurs."

The Old Town area contains many intriguing and famous elements.

Shiliupu (16 stores or docs) Dock used to be the biggest port in China and East Asia. At one time as many as 27 docks were planned for fishermen, salt dealers, farmers and merchants. But actually 16 were needed, and soon Shiliupu Dock became a popular market.

Gu contrasts the Old Town area with the Lujiazui in the Pudong New Area, which he says "is not a successful example of reconstruction because the entire area lost its own characteristics and became a financial center for people living a fast-paced life."

Fortunately, the Old Town area has retained some of its characteristics.

Today's Jingye Middle School is the original site of Shenjiang Shuyuan (Shenjiang College) built in 1748 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

In 1851, the city's earliest commercial theater Sanya Hall was established at the intersection of Sipailou Road and Fangbang Road M. Further, the Second People's Hospital is the first Western medicine hospital established by Shanghai locals.

Even today, the well-known Bus No. 11 still plies a loop that takes in tourist destinations such as Yu Garden, Wenmiao and the Bund.

Professor Gu has taken part in many conferences about how to rebuild the Old Town area to retain its original appeal.

"Reconstruction is good but maintaining an appearance consistent with history and improving internal structures and facilities is better," Gu says.

Quaint names

Many of the streets in the area retain quaint names that describe their original (and current) functions; many are named after the goods sold on the streets. Huayi Street sells cotton and textiles, Gouyu Alley sells dog meat, Huotui Street sells ham, Luxi Street sells reed mat, among others.

"Different types of structures require different restoration methods, but they should retain the general appearance or style of the period; an authentic feel is more important," says Ruan Yisan, a celebrated urban planning professor at Shanghai Tongji University.

In the mid-1990s, the area was designated for two areas - new neighborhoods and old neighborhoods.

One decisive criteria was the old shared toilet facilities (no sewage system): Those with shared toilets belong to the old neighborhoods and would retain the original glamor; and the ones with independent toilets are in new neighborhoods and can be restored.

"I always asking myself whether good reconstruction and preservation should make this old town a golden egg," Ruan says. "The answer is absolutely 'no'."

If reconstruction aims to benefit the tourism industry, then rebuilding these old houses and structures becomes meaningless, he says.

There's no rational plan for land use, he says, adding that sometimes it's easier for the government to knock down an old building and make way for development than to restore it.

The Old Town area is valuable as a cultural and historical resource that should be left for future generations to appreciate, Ruan says.

onthebund

January 2nd, 2012, 09:00 AM

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=491059&type=Feature&page=1

Heritage under threat

By Chen Ye | 2011-12-27 |

AN 89-year-old woman and her daughter live alone in a vast, crumbling scholar's residence - listed as national cultural heritage - but there's no plan for repair. Chen Ye pays a visit.

Shivering Madame Guo, 89, answers the door with a quavering voice from behind the dark side room of the 250-year-old Shu Yin Lou, the crumbling Secluded Library, once part of a magnificent estate in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The building, which was home to one of the greatest Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) scholars, Lu Xixiong, is believed to be the city's oldest residence identified thus far. It also contained a famous library, and there still are some books and crumbling furnishings on the second floor.

Madame Guo and her daughter, Guo Yufen, 59, are without resources and have no maintenance funds, so they charge 50-yuan (US$7.90) admission to the building hidden away on Tiandeng Lane in Huangpu District.

According to Madame Guo, the city government once offered to fund the preservation of this 2,300-square-meter complex, but it finally didn't make through because of family disagreements. And now since the building is still in private hands, the city would not fund the restoration (although it's on the official protection list), she adds.

"My daughter doesn't allow me to use the heater equipment (even in this freezing winter)," complains the old lady, who uses her husband's surname ever since she married into the Guo family of Fujian merchants when she was 27 years old. Her real name is Qu Qi.

Madame Guo's daughter says, "I'm just worried that she's careless and might make a mistake using the heater, which could ruin this dilapidated building."

Shu Yin Lou, literally Book Retreat Building, used to be part of a much larger complex. It contains older elements, such as an 800-year-old Song Dynasty (960-1279) well and elaborate fretwork.

Madame Guo and her daughter are the only descendants of the wealthy Guo clan, which purchased the building from illustrious scholar Lu, who in later years became a recluse - hence the estate name Book Retreat. It is believed to have been built in 1763 by scholar Chen Suoyun, inherited by his grandchildren and sold to Lu.

The house is located in narrow Tiandeng Lane in former Nanshi District and has been famous for many years as the only large-scale Qing Dynasty residence in Shanghai.

It is one of southeast China's only three existing large, ancient libraries - the other two being Tianyi Pavilion (Ningbo, Zhejiang Province) and Jiaye Hall (Nanxun, Zhejiang Province).

A commemorative plaque of Shu Yin Lou was placed there in 1987, identifying it as part of China's national cultural heritage.

Today it is overgrown with weeds - parts of the structure have fallen down and it's home to many mice.

Madame Guo, who studied at a church school, still speaks decent English.

"My husband's family was running a shipping business in the age of flat-bottomed vessel," she says.

The old lady still remembers the day she married Guo Junlun, a famous architect, and was stunned by the vast house and grounds. Windows were decorated with elaborate fretwork and frames were delicately carved. The beams were all carved and painted. The height of some halls was 12 meters.

Madame Guo's husband graduated from the civil engineering department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and was an expert in ancient architecture.

During the "cultural revolution" it was turned into a workshop for a food factory. The Guos reclaimed it in the 1990s.

In the early years after the house was reclaimed, owner Guo Junlun spared no effort to restore it by himself.

"The government still has no plan for reconstruction and I feel really sad about Shu Yin Lou," says famous preservationist Ruan Yisan, director of the National Research Center of Historic Cities.

Ruan says Shu Yin Lou is not only part of national cultural heritage but also a fine historic building.

"The day I moved into Shu Yin Lou (some 60 years ago), I could not take my eyes off the beautiful house," Madame Guo recalls.

However, in 2002 the western wing collapsed during a heavy storm.

Although Shu Yin Lou has fallen into shocking disrepair, it contains many interesting things. Books and various artworks are kept on the second floor, but the wooden floor has rotted and now no one is allowed there.

Guo Yuwen recalls her injury when she fell on rotting planks. "This house is a blessing passed on by our ancestors," she says.

Madame Guo and her daughter hope there will be a way to restore the old house and complex.

Address: 77 Tiandeng Lane

Admission: 50 yuan

How to get there: Fuxing Road Station of Metro Line 8 or Yu Garden Station of Metro Line 10

The history

These extravagant gardens were built in 1763 for the Lu family, who also had property in what is now Lujiazui in Pudong and on Lujiabang Road.

Lu Xixiong (one of the most prominent scholars in the Qing Dynasty) built a walled library where after his retirement he lived like a hermit, giving the compound its name.

By the late 19th century, the Lus were in decline and were forced to sell the estate to Fujian merchants named Guo.

onthebund

January 5th, 2012, 04:46 AM

from www.gaoloumi.com

Photo by adsl77

尚嘉中心 - L‘ Avenue Shanghai（LV大厦）

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_120105/120105022284976ee3c0de9468.jpg

Langur

January 8th, 2012, 08:18 PM

Good planning is not exclusively restricted to narrow streets that are easily crossable. That's a very myopic view of how good cities work. It's a whole integrated package. Wide avenues are not necessarily bad planning either as there are numerous good examples such as the Champs in Paris and the Diagonal in Barcelona.

The key to consider is the interaction between pedestrians, buildings, and the street. Lujiazui's buildings don't front the main wide boulevard. That's the key problem. By building underpasses and bridges to cross it, it alienates people from the street even further. Perhaps the original planners had no intention to make this a vibrant street full of activity at all, but rather a big traffic conduit for vehicles to get in and out.

Wide open spaces only work when people have a reason to be there. The cozy European square works because people's homes and businesses front to it, so there is a reason for people to linger about there. Having a big empty square that is bordered by roads only is a recipe for disaster. Office workers would not want to cross to get to that space while shoppers have no need to venture out when they can do everything inside a mall. This empty space then becomes a safety concern at night.

The key question is why is the space there, rather than how big that space is.

China's urban ideologies consist of a mix of cutting-edge technology and backwards-thinking suburbia. Lujiazui's wide boulevard and building setup is clearly the latter than the former. I've observed that big street on numerous occasions on work days and on holidays, and that place is devoid of life in the middle of a bustling city. Clearly, what they've done is not working.

And you don't need to build a narrow street to make it vibrant. There are many ways to beautify and add activity to a wide boulevard. The first step is to build buildings that front to it and the people will come.

Shanghai's metro network has been expanding rapidly over the past decade, and now boasts an incredible amount of trackage. I doubt there is a need to copy other cities' suburban rail model when they can do it with a subway line already. The likes of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich are not dense or large enough to have subway lines running everywhere, but Shanghai can do it.

I suggest you look into some of the satellite cities that are popping up around the Shanghai area. There are examples of American suburbia already, with lowrise homes in the middle of nowhere that will succumb to car culture. Not every new Chinese development is like a skyscrapered Lujiazui. Unfortunately, there's a lot more American bad planning influence out there than you think, and you need to leave Lujiazui to see it.I agree. Lujiazui looks impressive from a distance, especially from across the river, but at street level it simply doesn't work. There are green open spaces, but they're empty and unwelcoming. You never see anyone relaxing there, eg walking dogs, or throwing a frisbee around (as you'd see in a square or park in, say, London). On the other side of the river is Puxi, which is far more like London, Paris, or New York, and imo far more attractive and successful as an urban space.

@Pansori
Your idea that modern business districts should be like Lujiazui ignores the fact that everyone I know who's spent time in Shanghai would far rather live, work, and relax in Puxi. The ideal business district should be attractive and lively with a nice mix of urban activities just like other parts of a city. I have friends in finance here in London, and their first choice location is Mayfair (where all the hedge funds are located), their second choice is the City, and their last choice by far is Canary Wharf. Frankly people dread being relocated to these sterile purpose-built business districts, and even Canary Wharf is more lively and more balanced in terms of urban activity than Lujiazui.

VECTROTALENZIS

January 9th, 2012, 02:03 AM

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111102/1111022059e842b6cee1db9cb4.jpg

http://pic.gaoloumi.com/attachments/day_111102/1111022059c60bda6ab52ab653.jpg

What's the status of this project?

hkskyline

January 12th, 2012, 03:44 AM

City eyes schools to lure foreigners
Shanghai Daily
Jan 10, 2012

THE local government will support building more international schools and give subsidies for children's tuition to high-end foreign professionals in the next four years to boost the city's ability to attract overseas talent.

"Local authorities are now working on the development framework to facilitate children of foreign families working in Shanghai, as children's education is one of the major concerns for foreign professionals," said Mao Dali, deputy director with the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. His statement came in a news release on the city's plans in the headhunter campaign to lure more overseas professionals.

The official said the new campuses would spring up in districts where they are most needed and that they would negotiate for lower tuition costs.

"We have heard some foreigners complain about the high tuition fees at local international schools," Mao told Shanghai Daily. "While the price is decided by the special market, offering special incentives could be a way to ease the pressure."

The bureau also said it would improve the system to make it more convenient for overseas professionals to register their children for entrance exams for admission to Chinese public middle schools and universities.

In another move, efforts will be made to improve overseas commercial medical insurance, officials said. Foreigners who have bought medical insurance from overseas insurers now can claim their medical expenses only at certain hospitals. The government plans to increase that number during the next four years. This would require the hospitals to be accredited by insurers, and related agreements.

"Local authorities are aiming to establish a settlement system for those buying foreign medical insurance to claim their local medical bills. The government will try opening channels between local hospitals and overseas insurers to set up cooperation in this regard," Mao said.

"Many foreign workers in Shanghai have purchased commercial insurance, and if their local medical expenses could be conveniently covered by the foreign insurers, that would be a major attraction," said Tang Yi, a lawyer specializing in foreign-related labor dispute lawsuits.

The city aims to attract 1,000 high-end foreign professionals.

drunkenmunkey888

January 12th, 2012, 07:34 AM

I agree. Lujiazui looks impressive from a distance, especially from across the river, but at street level it simply doesn't work. There are green open spaces, but they're empty and unwelcoming. You never see anyone relaxing there, eg walking dogs, or throwing a frisbee around (as you'd see in a square or park in, say, London). On the other side of the river is Puxi, which is far more like London, Paris, or New York, and imo far more attractive and successful as an urban space.

Funny you should say that about Lujiazui because I feel like Central and Admiralty feel the exact same way. From across the bay, Central/Admiralty look really stunning and stacked but there is no street level to speak of. The only way you can get anywhere via layers and layers of overpasses traversing motorways. There are no stores or shops unless you're in a ridiculously freezing mall. After having been to Central/Admiralty, I can certainly see what Lujiazui modeled after (just like everything else in Shanghai lol). Both cities' CBD's have pedestrian overpasses, obscenely pretentious over-A/Ced malls, buildings on single plots surrounded by uncrossable motorways, and have no vibrancy at the street level.

Langur

January 12th, 2012, 12:59 PM

You're right about Hong Kong's Central being carved up by urban motorways, traversed by overpasses, etc. It's not ideal. However at least it feels like a city centre. There are pedestrians around, and none of those blank lifeless green spaces that one finds in Lujiazui. Central also improves as you walk a few streets towards Lan Kwai Fong or Sheung Wan. However Lujiazui doesn't feel like an urban centre at all. There's nowhere more lively to walk within a few streets. I just feel like hopping on the Metro back to Puxi.

Minsk

January 12th, 2012, 08:12 PM

RTKL pushes design envelope with new luxury residential towers in Shanghai

Working with a client that has a long history of pushing the design envelope for high-end residential projects in Asia, LXM Residential Towers is set to become the most innovative and luxurious residential development in China in the heart of Shanghai’s Laoximen district. The project consists of five residential towers, all close to the 100m height restriction, sitting on a two-level retail podium, as well as a free-standing residential tower.

With approximately 85% of the above-grade gross floor area dedicated to residential space and 15% to retail, the project will benefit not only its residents, but also the surrounding neighbourhood with exceptional shopping amenities. The exterior design creates a distinctive silhouette on the city’s skyline, featuring primarily glass towers with floor-to-ceiling glazing and windows arranged as thin, solid panels in a random pattern. Fritted glass provides privacy where needed while exterior sunshades create strong horizontal lines to tie together the residential facades, as well as eliminate views from the retail space into the apartments.

As a testament to the project’s luxury status, all of LXM’s units are served by private elevators and highly-secure private garages. The main lobby for each tower is located on the third level rooftop garden above the retail podium with additional secure entries through small lobbies on the first and B2 levels that provide access to the street and grocery stores. In addition to private elevators and open, flexible unit planning, the LXM Towers will continue RTKL’s and the client’s legacies of design innovation, featuring private swimming pools and guest houses for extended families that will be a first for China’s residential market.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18495_1_01-RTKL-LXM-main.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18495_2_02-RTKL-LXM.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18495_5_05-RTKL-LXM.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18685

hkskyline

January 15th, 2012, 02:36 PM

Affordable housing still key priority in Shanghai
Shanghai Daily
Jan 15, 2012

SHANGHAI will proceed with its affordable housing program this year as the city continues to make efforts to improve the living standards of middle to low-income households.

Construction of 11 million square meters of affordable housing will begin in the city this year, Liu Haisheng, director of the Shanghai Housing Support and Building Administration Bureau, told a municipal conference yesterday.

Budget homes will account for 53,000 units, homes for relocated residents will total 42,800 units and there will be 40,000 units of public rent apartments.

The city's affordable housing program mainly consists of budget homes, houses built for relocated residents, public housing units for rental as well as some low-rent apartments catering to low-income families.

Under the plan, a total of 90,000 affordable housing units are supposed to be completed this year. The new supply of such houses to hit the market should reach 7.7 million square meters, or 110,000 units, in 2012.

The city has been working hard to increase the supply of affordable housing as high home prices have priced many out of the market.

djm160190

January 15th, 2012, 02:54 PM

RTKL pushes design envelope with new luxury residential towers in Shanghai

The project consists of five residential towers, all close to the 100m height restriction, sitting on a two-level retail podium, as well as a free-standing residential tower.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18495_1_01-RTKL-LXM-main.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18685

I didn't realise there was a 100m height restriction on residentials...
Somewhere dense and with a huge and growing population like Shanghai would be the idea candidate for the the Worlds Tallest Residential, or at least a supertall residential!

lianli

January 15th, 2012, 03:00 PM

I didn't realise there was a 100m height restriction on residentials...
Somewhere dense and with a huge and growing population like Shanghai would be the idea candidate for the the Worlds Tallest Residential, or at least a supertall residential!

I think the restriction is just for certain areas, but I'm not sure why. In Lujiazui there are residential twin towers of 280m height proposed (plot next to ST).

ganghui

January 16th, 2012, 10:41 AM

^^Maybe its close to the Bund? On the other hand the design seems very Pudongesque...

lianli

January 16th, 2012, 12:12 PM

^^Maybe its close to the Bund? On the other hand the design seems very Pudongesque...
It's in Laoximen district.

ganghui

January 16th, 2012, 02:43 PM

Then it makes even more sense, if its close to the old city.

hkskyline

February 1st, 2012, 04:05 PM

Shanghai restricts use of glass curtain walls in buildings over safety concerns

SHANGHAI, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The use of reflective glass curtain walls will be banned in apartment, hospital, school, kindergarten and nursing home structures that have two stories or more, a local construction official said in Shanghai on Tuesday, citing safety concerns.

"Cracking and dropping glass curtain walls have become a hidden danger for urban residents. The problem of their reflection is also outstanding," said Shen Xiaosu, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Urban-Rural Construction and Transportation Committee.

Shanghai currently has 4,210 buildings using glass curtain walls, of which 475 have reported safety problems, he said.

"Some of the buildings have entered an aging period, with their ironware rusted and twisted, sealing strips cracked, and bearing carriers loosened. Accidents, like dropping glass curtain walls, have taken place many times over recent years, posing a prominent safety issue," he said.

Therefore, construction authorities have drawn up a new regulation to restrict the use of reflective glass curtain walls to ensure public safety. The regulation has been approved by the municipal government and will take effect Wednesday, he said.

According to the regulation, reflective glass curtain walls will also not be allowed in buildings that directly face the straight section of "T-shaped" crossroads.

Moreover, the use of such walls will be restricted in buildings that are situated beside a street or in areas with heavy human traffic.

"The construction and housing authorities will launch a general overhaul of the city's glass curtain walls by the end of March to check their quality and ensure timely maintenance," Shen said.

ganghui

February 2nd, 2012, 12:29 PM

^^Oh no, the Shanghai Tower is placed right next to a T-shaped crossing! :lol:

hkskyline

February 2nd, 2012, 06:49 PM

^^Oh no, the Shanghai Tower is placed right next to a T-shaped crossing! :lol:

But it's not an "apartment, hospital, school, kindergarten and nursing home structure".

Jim856796

February 3rd, 2012, 06:25 AM

^^The Shanghai Tower is actually used for offices and a hotel.

lianli

February 4th, 2012, 08:47 PM

Tong Shan Jie
Shanghai, China
2014

The Tong Shan Jie project is one of the first international quality developments in the Huangpu River Complex district of Pudong. Pellli Clarke Pelli Architects’ design is intended to be recognizable in the city and around the world and to embody the promise of the region.

The design calls for a family of distinctive residential buildings – point towers instead of the usual slabs – arranged around a figural open space. This composition of slender, gently curved towers gives this mixed-use complex a recognizable silhouette and allows for light-filled, airy homes. The design looks both outward and inward, responding to the city at large as well as residents.

The site is located one block south of the Huangpu River, east of the Pudong central business district. The design balances views of the river to the north, while admitting sunlight from the south. The three-sided curved tower plan maximizes southern exposure while offering a variety of views from each unit. This curved form also maximizes privacy because no facades face each other directly.

This project is designed to both inspire and accommodate future growth in the Huangpu River Complex. At present, a mix of low-rise commercial and residential buildings surrounds our site. In anticipation of the redevelopment of the waterfront, the most public functions are located to the eastern edge of the site, closest to the future subway and ferry. The hotel and retail components of the program create an urban edge to the east of the site, while the central garden creates an oasis.

http://www.pcparch.com/#/projects/retail/tong-shan-jie/description/

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_0_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_1_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_2_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_3_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_4_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_5_highres_highquality.jpg

http://www.pcparch.com/assets/project_images/final/167/tongshanjie_8_highres_highquality.jpg

Seems to be U/C:

04.02.2012
by Sh!N
http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/6a3ec9d2jw1dpqfnbo7d0j.jpg

Joel que

February 6th, 2012, 06:12 AM

artficial lake is waste of space.

Joel que

February 6th, 2012, 06:19 AM

I didn't realise there was a 100m height restriction on residentials...
Somewhere dense and with a huge and growing population like Shanghai would be the idea candidate for the the Worlds Tallest Residential, or at least a supertall residential!

100 meter has something to do with high rise rsidential fire prevention and safety .this allow fire track ladder easier to reach.

city_thing

February 6th, 2012, 11:28 AM

Those Pelli buildings look nice on the inside, but the exteriors are rather bland.

hkskyline

February 7th, 2012, 02:41 PM

Shikumen restoration condemned as 'fake'
Shanghai Daily
Feb 6, 2012

GOVERNMENT-BACKED restoration of Shanghai's biggest shikumen neighborhood has been dismissed as "reconstruction" by critics.

Locals have raised questions over the authenticity of the work, while an architectural professional branded the renovated buildings "fakes".

Built in the 1930s, the one-time 25,000-square-meter Jianyeli neighborhood sits on Jianguo Road in Xuhui District.

Shikumen - stone gate - communities are a distinctive 19th and 20th century Shanghai architectural style. Townhouse buildings combine elements from Western architecture with traditional Chinese features.

The Jianyeli lane, with its stone gates and laohuchuang - dormer windows - typifies traditional old-time local housing. It was granted heritage protection in 1994.

About 3,000 residents and some businesses were relocated from the 260 original apartments which had been suffering structural problems, such as rot, as well as over-crowding.

The government-funded restoration and redevelopment project began in 2008. Officials promised the project would see the historic buildings structurally strengthened and their original look restored.

But as restoration now takes shape, readying the project for commercial redevelopment, criticism has emerged.

Members of the public claimed that buildings were simply torn down for "reconstruction."

A news report by local TV station broadcast yesterday said its investigation showed most of the original buildings were razed and replaced.

A clip showed underground car parks and elevators in the restored lane.

"Obliterating historic structures and building new ones does not constitute preservation," said a nearby resident.

Wang Weiqiang, an architectural and urban planning professor with Tongji University, told the television crew that "the project is like having historic heritage demolished and then building a fake."

But a district government insider told Shanghai Daily that many original materials - including 40,000 pieces of brickwork - had been used in the new structures.

Other features, such as window frames, were too rotten to be salvaged, said the insider.

The Jianyeli redevelopment project is led by the state-owned Xufang Group. It will reportedly cost 800 million yuan (US$126 million).

It is planned the area will be a commercial and leisure center, modeled on Xintiandi.

big-dog

February 8th, 2012, 08:43 AM

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10717

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10717_1_himalayas1big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10717_2_himalayas2big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10717_3_himalayas3big.jpg

Plus some more renderings at http://www.isozaki.co.jp/buildings/

Himalayas Center

I visited this building on the weekend to watch a movie. The shopping mall part is not fully opened yet (2 restaurants and a movie theatre opened). The hotel and exhibition hall were full operational.

Photos I took on weekend,

hotel
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7694_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7708_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7709_resize.jpg

"opening soon" store signs, the interiors are all completed, I guess they will open in one month.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7707_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7718_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7720_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7711_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7710_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_7722_resize.jpg

el palmesano

February 8th, 2012, 08:52 AM

WOW!!!!!

ganghui

February 8th, 2012, 10:45 AM

Oh, where is this located? How could I've missed this!

Julito-dubai

February 8th, 2012, 01:14 PM

Nice! And just around my brother's house. I have missed it too so far. He lives close to Century Park station!

big-dog

February 16th, 2012, 11:06 AM

I passed by this building on Monday. It's almost completed. I guess subway (line 10) connection will be opened as well soon.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMAG0148.jpg

on Aug-10-2011

Gubei International Forune Center (Phase II)

30-floor, offices+hotel+shopping center
area: 60k sqm; Cost: 1.3 billion yuan
Project completion: 2011
Shopping mall opening: 2012
Location: Gubei, on subway line 10 Yili Road station

http://www.hq-office.com.cn/hqenews.files/20091210guijiao/outlook_GB.jpg

B1 - 7th floor: Takashimaya Shopping Center

http://xwwb.eastday.com/x/20090224/images/00127558.jpg

http://hq-office.com.cn/hqenews.files/20090405huanhQ/outlook-guheicaifu.jpg

This project site is near my office. Below construction pics are taken by me this morning.

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_2908_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_2906_resize.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx216/davidwei01/IMG_2905_resize.jpg

taken by me

HardBall

February 17th, 2012, 02:08 AM

Bluemooncm78

February 17th, 2012, 03:09 AM

Shanghai has a lot of fantastic project!

big-dog

February 17th, 2012, 04:21 AM

How close is this to the Hongqiao development zone?

It's right in the Hongqiao development zone, connecting with subway line 10's Yili Road station.

hkskyline

February 17th, 2012, 08:09 PM

Is city's Lujiazui area cracking up?
Shanghai Daily
2012-2-17

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/NewsImage/2012/2012-02/2012-02-17/20120217_494545_01.jpg

A CRACK up to 10 meters long on a main road in Lujiazui sparked safety concerns in the skyscraper area yesterday after pictures were posted online.

The crack was spotted at an exit of the Shanghai World Financial Center opposite the under-construction Shanghai Tower.

"It has been here for a while," a member of staff at a hotel in the financial zone told Shanghai Daily.

However, the company that is building the Shanghai Tower said the crack was normal subsidence during the construction of the tower's foundation ditch, which is "under control."

So far the underground structure of the building has been finished and the element that caused the subsidence should be gone, the company said last night via the Shanghai government's official microblog account.

Repairs should be started soon once the rainy weather improves, the company said.

Construction of the Shanghai Tower, which will be the tallest building in China by 2014, has been strictly monitored since the beginning, and this would not end despite the completion of the foundation, the company added.

The Lujiazui area, which is now experiencing massive construction both above and beneath the ground, has long been at the center of debate over whether construction work could lead to subsidence problems.

Below ground, five underground passages and a transit hall are being built to connect the skyscrapers and Metro stations.

Above ground, the Shanghai Tower has reached a height of more than 200 meters of its intended 632 meters.

Experts said that the loose earth structure in Shanghai and improper construction methods were very likely to trigger subsidence, especially uneven subsidence, which is more dangerous.

Xu Liping, general engineer of Shanghai Geotechnical Investigations & Design Institute, said: "The soil in Shanghai is soft and the construction around or under is likely to cause cracks in certain places."

But Xu said that determining the cause of the current crack could be a complicated process that not only required the involvement of relevant parties around the crack but a calculation of the influence of the construction work as well.

Shanghai is taking active steps to tackle its subsidence problem.

One way that has proved effective is to pump back groundwater drained during construction.

Cracks and cave-ins, caused by subsidence, have frequently made headlines in the city.

In October last year, a large piece of the road surface at a busy intersection collapsed in downtown Zhabei District.

Local urban maintenance department officials said loose sand and earth beneath was to blame.

Vice Mayor Zhang Xuebing has told local lawmakers the city is controlling the number of projects, with no more than 10 percent of roads affected by construction at any one time.

hkskyline

February 17th, 2012, 08:20 PM

Pudong adds 4 roads to connect with former Nanhui
Shanghai Daily
2012-2-17

FOUR artery roads connecting the north and south of Pudong New Area have been built to benefit commuters and local development, officials announced today.

After Nanhui District was incorporated into Pudong in 2009, urban planners decided to build eight roads connecting the former Nanhui District with Pudong.

The new roads total 60 kilometers and will cost 9 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion). About 82 percent of the road construction has been finished and the remaining four roads will be opened to traffic by the end of next year.

Due to historical reason, Pudong and Nanhui are not well connected. There are many dead-end roads near the border of two former neighbors. After the merger, Pudong wanted to connect the dead-end roads for faster development in Nanhui that lies in the south.

About 2,000 households and 450 enterprises need to be relocated to make way for the new roads. But a new regulation issued by the State Council to ban forced demolition delayed the road construction, said Jiang Aifeng, deputy director of the Pudong New Area Construction and Transportation Commission.

It takes more time nowadays to relocate people and make land ready for construction, said Jiang, adding that construction authorities will strive to ensure the remaining four roads are open to traffic by the end of 2013.

hkskyline

February 17th, 2012, 09:40 PM

City facing 2GW power shortfall
2012-2-18
Shanghai Daily

SHANGHAI faces a power shortage of up to 2 gigawatts this summer - about 7 percent of its peak demand, government officials said, as the city works on securing more supplies from other regions.

The maximum power load is expected to reach 28.5GW-29GW during summer, when sweltering residents crank up their air conditioning.

This would be up 11 percent on last year, Zhou Minhao, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, said yesterday.

The supply capacity is 28GW, including 8.7GW from other regions. That means a supply gap of 1.5GW-2GW, as 1GW of capacity is usually held back for emergency use, Zhou told a government work conference.

Zhou said the city government is negotiating with State Grid Corp of China to secure additional supplies from the Xiangjiaba hydropower station in southwestern China and the Qinshan nuclear power station in neighboring Zhejiang Province for the peak season.

He also told Shenergy Co and Shanghai Electric Power Co to make sure a new 400-megawatt generation unit at their Lingang power plant in Pudong can begin commercial operations in the current quarter. One gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts.

Among other efforts, the city will step up maintenance on its existing power plants in the spring to ensure they can function reliably in the summer, Zhou added.

And key energy users, such as industrial companies, have been told to strengthen captive power-generation capacity.

Shanghai has been relying on out-of-town generation for about one third of its power supply in recent years due to land and resource constraints.

Though the city's power growth is moderating as a result of a slowing economy, Shanghai's power need remains big and rising in the long run, said Vice Mayor Ai Baojun, who is in charge of the industrial sector.

"One thing you should know is that per-capita electricity consumption in Shanghai is only what it was in Tokyo 10 years ago," Ai said.

hkskyline

February 22nd, 2012, 03:46 AM

Reason for 10-meter crack in Lujiazui 'eliminated'
Shanghai Daily
2012-2-22

THE crack that split a road in Shanghai's Lujiazui area, to the alarm of passers-by, is expected to be fixed by next month.

The reason for the subsidence near the under-construction Shanghai Tower "has been eliminated as the underground structure construction has been finished," underground structure expert Sun Jun told Xinhua news agency.

"Considering the current situation, it will not affect the safety of nearby high-rises and pipelines beneath the ground," Sun added. Sun said subsidence during construction was a "normal phenomenon."

The 10-meter-long crack, which made headlines last week after photographs were posted online, first appeared in December last year.

The Shanghai government said the crack was the result of "subsidence during foundation ditch construction of the Shanghai Tower."

The tower, set to become the tallest building in China by 2014, will be 632 meters high upon completion.

City authorities said they would be carrying out inspections on the surrounding area and pipelines to ensure safety.

"The situation is under control," said Pei Xiao, an official with Shanghai's construction and traffic commission.

Gu Guorong, a professor with Shanghai Geotechnical Investigations & Design Institute, said subsidence could hardly be avoided when building high-rises on the soft soil structure in Shanghai but it was within limits.

Subsidence takes place when underground water is pumped out when carrying out foundation ditch construction, Gu said. It gradually stops as the water is pumped back afterward.

Many other cities are seeing the same situation as the pace of construction quickens. In a plan drawn up by more than 10 state ministries to deal with subsidence in China, it is said that more than 50 cities are experiencing the problem.

"The places which suffer the most severe subsidence problem are the Yangtze River Delta region, the North China Plain area and the Fenwei basin area," officials said.

About 46 percent, or about 64,000 square kilometers, of the North China Plain is said to have seen subsidence of more than 200 millimeters over the past few years.

Guan Fengjun, an official with the Land and Resources Ministry, told China Central Television that a monitoring network would be set up by 2015 at the key areas.

By 2020 the tendency of subsidence to get worse is expected to have been curbed, Guan said.

Wei Zixin, a Shanghai Geotechnical Investigations researcher, said one of the most effective ways of curbing subsidence was to pump back groundwater drained during construction and the city had been doing that for a number of years now.