Located between North Sichuan Road and Wujin Road in the center of Shanghai, the "8 Lanes of the Present Tide", a century-old Shikumen Lane complex, has recently been renovated and opened to the public, and its popularity has soared rapidly.
On the evening of the 19th, an immersive outdoor performance was held here. The two facades of the exquisite British-style Shikumen building with a history of more than 100 years are transformed into the "stage background" of the musical theater. With the help of the wonderful performances of the shanghai cultural square musical theater actors, as well as the artist's specially designed high-tech wall light and shadow show, the two vicissitudes of the building's exterior walls constantly switch "time and space scenes": sometimes turning into a New York hotel in the snow, sometimes sprinkling a gorgeous rose rain, sometimes "crossing" to the ancient city of Jinling, which witnessed the tragic and joyful life of Li Yu, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty...
At the scene of the performance of the musical "Fan Letter", the actors "read the letter" in the century-old building. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Liping
"Too shocking" "beautiful"... Shanghai citizens who followed the epidemic prevention process to enter the "Shikumen Theater" raised their cameras one after another to freeze the warm and beautiful artistic enjoyment of the winter night.
From the solidified historical buildings to the beautiful art space, behind the century-old Shikumen Lane Change, there is a new concept of Shanghai's exploration of urban governance - respect and kindness to old buildings, renew in protection, protect in renewal, let them come alive or even "tide", see history everywhere, show culture everywhere, and better shape the soft power of the city.
The picture shows the outdoor performance scene of the musical "Southern Tang Dynasty Lord". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Liping
According to the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage, as a repair and protection block of the Bingang Commercial Center in Hongkou District, the "8 Lanes of the Present Tide" includes 8 lanes, 60 Shikumen houses and a number of outstanding century-old historical buildings, covering an area of 15,000 square meters, which is one of the precious Shikumen historical buildings preserved in Shanghai.
Among these old buildings, there are the "Rainbow Garden" visited by Dr. Sun Yat-sen many times, the "Public Welfare Workshop" that has witnessed the activities of left-wing writers such as Lu Xun and Feng Xuefeng, and the "Yingchuan Jilu", a private residence with exquisite structure and exquisite construction. According to the plan, the "Rainbow Garden" has been repaired and will be put into use as a Shanghai Literature Museum in the future.
The light and shadow show on the outer wall of the old building leads the audience to "cross" in an instant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Liping
It is reported that the repair and protection of this piece of Shikumen Old Lane lasted for 3 years. The facades of more than 60 century-old buildings are "cleaned by hand", and the cleaning process alone takes more than a year. At present, it is not only open to the public as an exhibition venue and commercial space, but also injects literary and artistic elements, frequently holds public welfare exhibitions and performances, and creates a city theater that integrates historical memory and the current beautiful life.
"Shanghai is known as the Museum of Architecture of the World, but 'original site preservation' like 'Lane 8 of the Present Tide' is still very rare. It completely retains the original spatial structure of cultural relics buildings, the 'lane texture' of Shikumen architecture, and combines modern functions to make it a literary and artistic space shared by citizens, with 'fireworks' and 'literary and artistic style', which is worthy of being copied and promoted. Shu Shenglan, a cultural relics protection expert at the Shanghai Cultural Relics Bureau, said.
Reporter: Sun Liping
Edit: Chu Hang