Saving our architectural heritage

Last weekend a historic 150-year-old building was demolished in Shanghai. It was one of the oldest buildings in the city, built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The building, called Shen's Residence, was located behind some old homes on Huayi Street, in Huangpu district. It was built in 1860 by Shen Yisheng, a shipping merchant from Fujian Province. At the time it was built, it was one of the most luxurious homes in the city.

The building was knocked down because developers needed more space for a new construction project.

When the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Huangpu District found out that the building was undergoing demolition, it ordered a halt to the work, but by that time it was too late as half of the structure was already a pile of rubble.

Residents living nearby the site said the demolition work stopped for a few days after media first reported the story, but that last weekend the company quickly finished off the job.

It appears that since the building was not actually listed as a protected cultural relic - because the bureau was awaiting a final decision for it to be listed - the developers cannot be legally punished.

First of all, the city's authorities need to implement stricter laws regarding heritage buildings. Shanghai has a long history, the legacy of which can be seen on almost every corner in some parts of the city. Old buildings are a part of Shanghai and should be protected as such.

Secondly, there is a need for harsher punishments for the illegal demolition of heritage buildings.

And I believe there was a way that the developers might have saved the building. They could have included the existing structure into the overall design of the new development, a point that Wu Jiang, a professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, also made. And before they even started demolishing this self-evidently striking building, the developers should have checked with cultural heritage experts to see what its historical value actually was. Officials have confirmed that no such enquiries were made.

An official from the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Huangpu District was reported by local media as saying that the only thing that can be done now is to salvage important pieces of the building, such as various carvings, which could hopefully be put on public display one day. But the sad truth is that the original building is gone forever.

New laws overseeing the protection of relics, monuments and buildings are desperately needed in a city with such a long and rich history as Shanghai.