Reliving the past: an old pleasure garden finds a modern expression

Disneyland probably ranks high on the list of places to visit today, but a century or so ago, Zhang’s Garden was the magnet for public outings.

The garden, called Zhangyuan in Chinese, was China’s first modern pleasure garden. At the turn of the last century, it had an inexhaustible supply of novelties, such as a roller coaster, the aquatic Lotic Brave Ride, a fireworks display, circus shows, a charity bazaar and bicycle races.

But over time, the garden’s brilliance faded as new forms of entertainment, such as movie theaters, captivated audiences. The garden area was later converted to private residences and then deteriorated into a neighborhood of dilapidated houses.

Today, Zhangyuan is recapturing some of its past glory as a lively gathering place. Its renovated western section will reopen on November 27, the Jing’an district government’s Shanghai Daily has learned.

“We want to show people what it was like 100 years ago,” said Zhou Qi, who has been repairing and restoring historic buildings for nearly a decade. “As people wander the alleys, they will feel transported to the heyday of Zhangyuan.”

Now a department manager at Jing’an Construction & Decoration Industrial Co, Zhou and his team spent a year finishing the renovation of the western section of Zhangyuan.

“Tall buildings and wide roads were once considered the epitome of urban development,” he said. “But today, it’s the renaissance of the historic blocks.”

He added: “It’s more than just a facelift. Urban renewal is a matter of combining historic buildings and modern environments, giving the public a mix of old and new.”

Zhangyuan, he said, is being reincarnated as a fashion, cultural and commerce site.

Three of the world’s biggest fashion conglomerates, LVMH, Richemont and Kering, have jumped ahead of their rivals by securing advantageous window displays in the makeover. They are promising displays of luxury items never before seen on Chinese domestic shelves.

“Downtown Shanghai needs a place to brand new luxury goods,” Shen Hong, director of the Jing’an Commerce Commission, told the Shanghai Daily. “Zhangyuan is up to that challenge.”

Bounded by Weihai Road, Wujiang Road, Maoming Road N Road and Shimen No. 1 Road, Zhangyuan dates back to 1872, when a British merchant bought a plot of farmland to build garden villas.

The site became famous after wealthy Chinese businessman Zhang Shuhe took it over in 1882 and made it the city’s most popular pleasure destination three years later.

The pleasure garden came of age in the 18th century in Europe, and Zhangyuan became a Far Eastern expression of that phenomenon.

In particular, it was the site of the city’s first electric lighting, the first outdoor photographic studio, the first modern dramatic performance, and the first Western-style wedding, among its many innovative activities.

It was also the place to be seen by the notables of the time. Revolutionary Sun Yat-sen made speeches there, Chinese martial arts master Huo Yuanjia displayed his skills, and painter Liu Haisu exhibited his nudes.

When Zhang died in 1919, the park of his dreams died with him. The area was subdivided and sold to 28 developers. Zhou compares it to a cake cut into 28 pieces.

“Different developers favored different architectural styles at different times,” he said. “They basically fall into the shikumen architectural style, but differed in details encompassing Renaissance, Baroque, and Eclectic styles. It’s literally an architectural treasure.”

Subsequently, the stately residences were divided into smaller units occupied by multiple families, leading to miserable living conditions, with shared kitchens and bathrooms, cracked walls, and leaking roofs.

The renovation of the 60,000-square-meter former garden began in 2018.

Zhou said that 17 historical buildings in the western section and 26 in the eastern section are being preserved. Details of each, including the antique fireplaces and wooden staircases, have been cataloged with information on age, history, and condition.

Zhangyuan 77, one of the most iconic buildings in the old garden, was known by locals as “the building with the green dome.”

A notice posted on the building’s wall indicates that it was designed in 1921 by British architects and is owned by a banker named Wang Junchen. It also says that the three-story brick and wood structure was built as a garden villa with baroque and traditional Chinese elements.

The document further establishes that the decoration and accessories of the building will receive special attention during the restoration process.

“It has the highest protection levels in the western section, which means its structures, facades and some details need to be restored to their original appearance,” Zhou said. “Like its green dome. Some officials proposed painting it red to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021, but we insisted that it would violate the spirit of restoration.”

Pointing to a speckled pillar, Zhou said, “We didn’t purposefully remove some of the scratches or slogans written in the old days. We just reinforced them and repaired some cracks. These are historical traces.”

When Zhou joined Jing’an Construction & Decoration Industrial Co in 2008, the company’s office was located at Zhangyuan 77.

“At that time, the building was used as an office for senior officials, and we, as junior employees, worked in a nearby building, which was later demolished,” he said, pointing past two trees, “That’s where my desk was.”

He remembers walking through a delicate garden to Wujiang Road to buy snacks for the afternoon. It is true that some places were too dilapidated to be repaired and many original building materials were lost. Building materials often had to be cannibalized from other old buildings.

“At that time, when the historic buildings were demolished, bricks, tiles, wooden pillars and other building materials were treated as waste. So we strive to recycle them,” Zhou said.

He said old materials, such as Dongsiwenli bricks. shikumen neighborhood a mile away, they were invaluable in the renovations.

“We now incorporate urban renewal concepts into renovations,” he said. “A perfect blend of old and new.”