District to complete renovation of old derelict buildings

Downtown Jing'an District has vowed to pioneer Shanghai's massive jiugai campaign, or "renovation of old houses," to complete the restoration of old derelict neighborhoods by 2025.

Dilapidated and crowded living in decades-old buildings, usually featuring shared kitchens and chamber pots, had been a headache for many downtown residents.

Since the 1980s, Jing'an, at the heart of Shanghai, has been trying to improve the living conditions in old buildings. Years of efforts are about to wind up by 2025.

Specifically, next year, 10 renovation projects covering about 50,000 square meters of old buildings will be on the district government's agenda. Of these, Fangualong, one of the city's slums, is to be renovated, with new buildings to be erected so residents can move back.