Peculiarities of Shanghai Architecture - Term Paper Example

? Shanghai Architecture Shanghai Architecture Introduction Shanghai is a located in the eastern region of China along the coat.The East China Sea surrounds the city while the mouth of River Yangtze is located in the town. Other rivers that cross through Shanghai include Huangpu and Suzhou. The Song Dynasty named the city Shanghai, which means the sea because of its physical location. Shanghai had a population of twenty three million, which was the highest in China, in 2010. The population was also the highest among all major towns in the world. The economic history of the city signifies that Shanghai is an economic hub that is capable of transforming China into a developed state. Historical context Humans started settling in Shanghai 6000BC when they were attracted by the waters surrounding the city. The population formed a village that specialized in fishing. The Tang Dynasty developed the village into a town in 751 AD, when the empire marked its tenth year of ruling in China. The empire created a district that was known as the Song Jiang. This attracted higher settlement and fishing, and the village developed into a town. The town developed further under the leadership of the Northern Song Dynasty in 951AD (Warr, 2007). The Southern Song Empire later created Shanghai town as an official city because of the expansion of the population and fishing. This empire opened the port of Shanghai that would be used by ships that transported cargo to various regions. Ships transporting goods to and from Korea and within China used the port to load and offload cargo. The transformation of the city into a port attracted business persons who settled near the harbor. The investors settled in the town to carry out their businesses with ease. The population that settled in Shanghai formulated new economic activities such as the production of cotton and textiles. Business persons made textiles using the cotton that was grown in the town. The production of textiles and farming of cotton led to the formation of a national cotton textile center. The Ming Dynasty created the center to facilitate the international trade of the goods. The center attracted the formation of administrative units that maintained peace in the region (Thubron, 2007). The cotton and textile business grew nationally and internationally. The goods were sold to international markets such as the European Union and America. The export of textiles led to further development and settlement in the town. In 1911 when the Qing Dynasty was in its last year of ruling, Shanghai had developed into a powerful economic haven. The population of the city had grown to two hundred thousand, and the town had become a central harbor for ships transporting goods internationally (Mann, 2012). The population of the town had reached three and a half million by 1934. The population consisted of nationalities from other countries such as Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and Russia among others. Shanghai was named the fifth largest financial hub after London, Berlin, New York, and Tokyo (Warr, 2007). The growth of Shanghai continues to grow up to today when the city produces fifty five billion dollars worth of Gross Domestic Product in China. Narration of the Colonial Empire The beginning of the nineteenth century attracted mass immigration in Shanghai because of its economic past. British, Europeans, and Americans settled in the city, and each of these groups had various intentions of settling in the town. The British were the first to settle in Shanghai after defeating China in the opium war. The war arose because the Qing emperor of China opposed the importation of opium in the county (Warr, 2007). The British won in the war, and the importation of the drug from India continued; the export of silk and porcelain in Britain also continued. The trade of the goods, however, continued after the signing of the Nanking treaty. British missionaries settled along the Yangtze River after the signing of the treaty, and they formed colonies in the Shanghai. The missionaries settled along the port so that they could carry on their business efficiently. Captain George, one of the missionaries who settled in the city the earliest became a leader in the then government (Mann, 2012). The leadership of George gave more British missionaries the confidence and power to settle in Shanghai. The Americans followed the British in 1844 when they signed the Massachusetts agreement, which gave them freedom to settle in Shanghai (Mann, 2012). The Americans settled in the northern part of the British colonies, and they undertook other businesses apart from the opium trade. The French concession was established after the settlement of American missionaries in the North of Shanghai. The Chinese Qing Dynasty, however, did not allow Americans and French to rule over Shanghai. The empire ruled the American and French settlements for fear that the foreigners would rule the country. The regions were known as international settlements, and the missionaries who settled there followed regulations from the Chinese Emperor. The peaceful co-existence between Chinese and the international settlers did not last forever because Japanese invaded Shanghai in 1923. The Japanese invaded the city from the East China Sea that separated Shanghai from Japan (Mann, 2012). The foreigners from Japan built factories and settlements along the Huangpu River, which acted as a source of water for home consumption and factory use within the settlements. Japanese military defeated the Chinese empire and began ruling in Shanghai until 1945. The population of immigrants from Japan increased in Shanghai as a result of the military ruling in the city. In 1945, a war arose between the Chinese and Japanese. The war led to the defeat of Japanese who fled home after the Chinese empire recovered their leadership in Shanghai. The Second World War also triggered the Chinese empire to withdraw the rights of foreigners of settling in Shanghai (Warr, 2007). The international settlements were broken, and foreigners went back to their countries. Since then, Shanghai has been a home to the Chinese with no foreign invasions taking place in the city until today. Key Historical Figures that led to the development of Shanghai Several leaders have made major developments in Shanghai, and their legacy is remembered by the inhabitants of the region. The song Dynasty improved Shanghai from a village to a town in 1074 (Thubron, 2007). The empire developed the town by building roads and structural buildings that were used for trading fish from River Yangtze. The construction of the roads and buildings increased the population of the town. The Yuan dynasty opened the Shanghai port officially in 1297 (Thubron, 2007). The official opening of the port led to the increase in businesses, in the city. The port attracted foreign investors who contributed funds to improve the region. Trade expanded in the port with businessmen beginning to export cotton and textiles. The port was used for trading opium, silk, and porcelain before its official opening. The Ming Dynasty made major developments in the Shanghai port. The empire constructed a wall around the city to prevent invasion from the Japanese through the Yangtze River (Warr, 2007). The leadership also constructed The City God Temple that promoted trade, and hence economic activities in the city. This is because businessmen used the temple to exchange goods and services. The empires that contributed to the growth of the port are remembered mainly because of the significance of the harbor. The port was held hostage by the British missionaries during the opium war that led to the signing of the Nanjing Treaty. The Shanghai port contributes the highest revenue to the government in the form of taxes (Warr, 2007). The port of Shanghai attracts over sixteen million in the harbor annually. These factors that indicate the significance of the port leads to the remembrance of the empires that contributed to its development. Zhang Qian, a leader of the Han Dynasty is also a critical figure in the development of Shanghai because he officially opened the Silk Road (Thubron, 2007). The road divides the central, northern, and southern routes, and it passes through Shanghai. The Silk Road was used as a major trade route during the revolutionary period. Businesspersons used the road to transport goods to various regions in China. The road passes through Beijing, Shanghai, Tupan, and Xian among other towns (Mann, 2012). The Silk Road contributed to the development of Shanghai socially and economically through trade. Mao Zedong is remembered for forming the communist party and the Red Army. The leader struggled to revolutionize the culture of the Chinese citizens. Mao did not succeed in his struggle to develop the Chinese culture, but his contributions are essential to policy makers in the present day China. Native and Imported Architecture in Shanghai Architecture refers to the style used in the planning and construction of buildings. The traditional style of architecture in the city consisted of buildings that were near to the ground. Such buildings were often congested because the population in the settlements was high. The rise of the population of Shanghai led to the building of more native settlements. The trend, however, changed when foreigners occupied the town during the colonial period. The British who were the first to settle in China introduced western architecture in the places where they settled. The French, Americans and Japanese also introduced modern forms of building within their settlements in the country. When the Second World War ended, foreign missionaries left China for their homelands. The architecture that the foreigners had introduced before leaving was left behind, and Chinese settled in the settlements. Foreigners began entering china when the country formulated new laws that allowed missionaries to explore the state. The missionaries settled in the country once more, and they introduced new forms of architecture (Delsante, 2011). Since then, Shanghai has remained to be a foreign settlement, and new forms of architecture lead to the extinction of the native styles. Some forms of native architecture that exist in Shanghai include the wall that surrounds the city. The Ming Dynasty constructed the perimeter wall in 1553. The wall was meant to act as protection against Japanese pirates who often invaded the port and captured goods. The wall covers 4.8 kilometers, and it rises eight meters from the ground (Mann, 2012). The Qing Dynasty demolished parts of the wall and built roads that are used to connect various regions along the coast. The demolition, however, left some structures standing. The structures attract tourists who visit Shanghai to view their style and mode of construction. The structures are congested because they are so close to each other. The buildings also lack sewerage systems, and this creates a hard lifestyle in the region. The inhabitants of the buildings lack privacy, and this affects their social development negatively. The Yuyuan Garden that is located on the south of River Yangtze is another notable region that consists of traditional architecture. The founder of the garden, Pan Yundian, was a member of the Ming Dynasty (Mann, 2012). There are six halls that are located in the garden, and they are built using ancient Chinese styles. The halls act as sources of tourist attractions. The buildings in Yuyuan also portray the differences in construction styles in china in the colonial period. The differences in the constructions occurred as a result of different classes of people in the society. One can, therefore, differentiate between the congested buildings where the poor settled; from the spacious and colorful houses that were inhabited by the rich (Delsante, 2011). Tourists are also attracted to the Yuyuan Garden by the wooden and brick sculptures that were constructed by ancient artists. The wooden sculptures are surrounded by mud paintings that contain ancient Chinese writings. The modern forms of buildings that are constructed in the city are tall skyscrapers that attract the attention of viewers. Artkinson and Dallas were the first foreign architects to construct buildings in Shanghai (Delsante, 2011). The two were chosen to construct the Beijing pavilion because of their mastery of architecture and engineering. The construction of the pavilion opened up doors for more foreign architects in the country. Some of the new architectural buildings constructed in Shanghai include the Shanghai Grand Theatre and National Museum. The museum consists of an auditorium, gift shops, conservative laboratory, and tea shops all which have modern forms of lighting. The museum takes a rectangular shape with a circular disk made of granite covering its roof. The interior of the museum contains marble pavements. The walls of the building are surrounded by rotating paintings, statues, furniture, ceramics, and calligraphies among others (Mann, 2012). The display of objects with modern lighting and rotating cages shows the development of architecture in the region. The Shanghai Grand National Theatre that is located on the east of the municipal building was opened in 1998. The theatre is a ten-storey building that rises thirty eight meters above the ground and cover 62,803 kilometers on the width. The floor of the theatre is made of marble while the walls are painted white. The white color signifies purity and elegance. A viewer sees the theatre as a palace at night because of its glass walls and shiny lighting (Delsante, 2011). The theatre attracts tourists who visit the place to view performances from local artists. The theatre acts as a symbol of conservation of local culture in Shanghai and China as a whole. The importation of foreign architecture in Shanghai has contributed to the development of the city and china as a whole. This is because the modern buildings constructed in Shanghai are spacious and accommodate numerous inhabitants. The buildings are storied and the presence of sewerage systems inside leads to a comfortable living. Importation of art and architecture has contributed to the growth of China’s gross domestic product. The income originates from the taxation of businesses located in the foreign buildings such as the museum and theatre. Income from tourism also leads to the growth of the national GDP of the country. The continued construction of buildings using imported styles in Shanghai may change the view of the city in the next century. Investors may fund projects in the city and this may boost the growth of Shanghai. The act may also lead to the increase in tourism as well as foreign settlements in the region. Shanghai may then become the ruling city in the world (Mann, 2012). Conclusion Shanghai, a city located in China, in South East Asia is an area that has a rich development, colonial, and architectural history. The city developed from a fishing village that was located along the Yangtze River. The Ming, Song, and Qing dynasties have played major roles in the development of Shanghai into a large port. The port is used to transport goods into China from regions such as India and Korea. Several colonial empires that include the British, American, and Japanese states settled in Shanghai before the Second World War. The colonies left the country after the war when the ruling emperor formulated a law that excluded foreigners from settling in China. The architecture in Shanghai mainly consists of foreign art, which was introduced in the city by Artkinson and Dallas. The art has overtaken the native architecture of the city. This is because the modern buildings in Shanghai, which include the National Theatre and Museum, are constructed using contemporary styles. The continued construction of buildings using the modern style may lead to the further development of Shanghai. This may contribute to the increase in the growth of China. References Delsante, I. (2011). Experimental architecture in Shanghai. Roma: Officina. Mann, C. C. (2012). 1491: New revelations of the Americas before Columbus. New York: Knopf. Thubron, C. (2007). Shadow of the Silk Road. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Warr, A. (2007). Shanghai architecture. Sydney: Watermark Press. Read More