Stone-gate houses project nearly complete
The Chengxingli neighborhood before renovation
Shanghai's first trial renovation of a downtown shikumen (stone-gate) community is nearing completion where some residents are relocated to spare more living space for their remaining neighbors.
The renovation of the old part of Chengxingli in downtown Huangpu District, which is known for hosting annual alley games competitions, is due to be completed in June.
Some 120 households will move back to their refurbished and expanded homes, while some 30 residents have signed to move out with compensation and subsidies.
These relocated families will free up to 3.5 square meters of space for each remaining household. This will be used for new kitchen and toilet facilities, according to the Huangpu District government.
The project marks a new attempt to protect the city’s remaining stone-gate houses.
Shikumen communities combine Western architectural styles and traditional Chinese courtyard structures. They were first built in the 1850s by Europeans living in foreign concessions and then rented to Chinese tenants.
In their heyday, there were more than 9,000 shikumen lanes across the city, but only 1,900 remain today. Each unit inside these lanes was originally meant for a single family, but they were later subdivided to accommodate multiple households.
At 281 Huanghe Road, where most buildings were built around 1920, about six households on average are living in a single unit, said Wang Xinyu, manager of the trial project.
Each household occupies between 4 and 10 square meters, and many families are still using chamber pots since there are only shared toilets for most households in the old neighborhood.
The community’s brick-and-wood houses have suffered severe weathering and damages from both termites and inhabitants. Residents built illegal structures, mostly on the top of buildings to increase their living space.
During the trial project, structures and key parts of the shikumen buildings are preserved, while wooden interior structures are demolished and rebuilt.
Designers divided the units fairly among the remaining residents. Each household must have a separate kitchen and toilet covering at least 3.5 square meters.
A standard separate kitchen and toilet for each household at the Chengxingli neighborhood after renovation
The households living in the public areas and those in the smallest quarters will have the priority to get relocated. Though the compensation is less than other overall relocation campaigns at old downtown neighborhoods, many residents quickly signed relocation agreements.
Xu Anmei, 69, who has spent three decades in a loft apartment in the community, is among those eligible for relocation. Her small apartment was built between two shikumen houses.
"Nobody wants to live in such cramped quarters with no private kitchen or toilet,” said Xu.
However, many of her neighbors with a larger living space said they prefer to live in the community, especially given its convenient location. Chengxingli is 10 minutes’ walk from People’s Square.
Another senior resident surnamed Yin, who was born in the community, said he might rent his apartment after renovation. "The lease is expected to be tripled after the facelift," Yin said.
Huangpu District has the largest number of remaining downtown old residential complexes. Over 55,000 households are still using chamber pots, communal toilets and kitchens. Over 12,000 were relocated last year and another 8,000 households will move out this year.
The current focus is on the old town near Yuyuan Garden, the residential area around Xintiandi and the communities like Chengxingli near Beijing Road E. and W.
Huangpu District aims to have chamber pots eliminated downtown by 2025, while preserving traditional lifestyles.
Ruan Yisan, a professor of architecture at Tongji University, said one of the key parts to preserving the shikumen buildings is to retain the original inhabitants as well as their traditional lifestyle.
Elsewhere in the city, the third-phase renovation of the Chunyangli neighborhood, built between 1921 and 1936, is also nearing completion.
The project in Hongkou District is aimed at modernizing the unique stone-gate buildings while preserving their historic appearance. The inner structures and the apartments are being redivided to improve the living environment for the residents.
The new phase of the Chunyangli project is scheduled to finish around July.
A loft bedroom after the renovation of the Chengxingli neighborhood
