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Should the White Swan Hotel bridge be demolished?
Guangzhou West, Baietan three rivers meet, wide water and sky. On Shamian Island, modern and historical collide, and one after another fanciful contemporary art works have attracted a large number of citizens to punch in.
After the transformation of the sand surface, the river corridor is reopened, and the lawn is connected with the pearl water, giving people a long-lost sense of openness and gaining the appreciation of a large number of tourists. However, many tourists and citizens also regret to say: "Although the White Swan Lake is beautiful, it is a pity that the bridge of the White Swan Hotel blocks the scenery of water and sky." ”
From the realization of the river to the people, the sand surface may still be "the last 600 meters".
As China's first five-star hotel for Sino-foreign cooperation, the White Swan Hotel is hailed as a successful model of reform and opening up. However, in order to solve the traffic problem, a 600-meter-long elevated bridge leads along the south bank to the lobby, and the horizontal knife cuts off the connection between the Pearl River and the Shamian Historic Building Complex.
The White Swan Hotel stands on the south shore of Shamian Island
The Pearl River shoreline is an important resource of Guangzhou, and the coastal area is the core area of the city's high-quality development. Only by realizing the penetration of coastal landscapes and public spaces can we show the infinite charm of Yunshan Zhushui and auspicious flower city.
Since the opening of the White Swan Hotel in 1983, there has been a lot of controversy over the bridge. From experts and scholars to government officials, different voices have been heard. Now that Guangzhou has entered a new stage of accelerating the realization of the new vitality of the old city, it is imperative to promote high-quality development along the Pearl River.
Should the White Swan Hotel bridge be demolished? Should be dismantled No need to dismantle do not care to submit
From the release of the "Shamian Historical and Cultural Block Protection and Utilization Plan" to the promotion of the "Shamian - West Causeway" declaration of the national AAA scenic spot, in recent years, the pace of development and protection of Shamian has accelerated significantly, and more and more tourists have entered this small island that carries half of Guangzhou's modern history.
Descending down the stairs northwest of the People's Bridge, the first thing that catches the eye is the sign of the White Swan Hotel, and the arrow points in the direction of the bridge. The lamppost at the entrance to the bridge is hung with a notice of "Internal Road", and on the other side is a reminder that "pedestrians and bicycles are prohibited".
As the designer of the bridge, Mo Bozhi, a master of Chinese architectural design and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, once said, "The bridge is bound to affect the entire landscape of the Pearl River and Shamian, and originally planned to design a land passage to Shamian Island, or to take the water surface, but for various reasons it could not be implemented, and in the end the only way to choose the bridge plan could be chosen."
The bridge belongs to the internal road of the White Swan Hotel
"At that time, the historical conditions were limited, and compared with other methods, the idea of the White Swan Bridge was very good, and it had less impact on the residents and tourists of Shamian." As a student of Mo Bozhi, Ni Yang, dean of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of South China University of Technology, while agreeing with the teacher's original design, also believes that the bridge does have a blockage on the line of sight of the river, "At present, the society has developed to a certain extent, the public should enjoy more space, and the bridge may have to give way." ”
The bridge is smoothly delivered, the guests are in the water, and they have obtained a distinguished experience, and the White Swan Hotel has also successfully established a national brand in China's hotel industry and ranked among the world's first-class hotels.
The entrance to the bridge is located on the west side of the People's Bridge
However, on Shamian Island, as long as the bridge is mentioned, most of the neighbors said, "I hope to demolish it as soon as possible." "Blocking the landscape of White Goose Pond on the south side of the sand surface and encroaching on the public water space of the public is the main reason for advocating the demolition of the diversion bridge."
In fact, not only the bridge, but also the white swan hotel exclusive white goose pond scenery, has been controversial for decades. "At that time, take out the best lot to build a hotel. It is not appropriate to look at it now. Hu Gang, president of the South China Urban Research Association and professor at Jinan University, said, "In the historical and cultural district, modern high-rise buildings are in conflict with the low-rise European-style buildings in the surrounding areas. ”
The riverside area southeast of Shamian is greatly affected by the introduction bridge
The river shoreline of Shamian Island is about one kilometer, of which the diversion bridge occupies about 600 meters, and the main building of the White Swan Hotel occupies about 300 meters. If the bridge is removed, Shamian Island can still restore half of the river scenery.
In the book "Guangzhou City Chronicle", Lin Shusen, former secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, said, "The White Swan Hotel is one of the earliest and best hotels in China's reform and opening up, but it should not be built on Shamian. The 32-storey five-star hotel is not in harmony with the architectural style of its surroundings, which is meaningless to the architecture and culture of Shamian, especially the viaduct (diversion bridge) that enters the hotel destroys the appearance of Shamian Riverbank, and if Shamian wants to protect its original appearance, these structures should first be demolished. ”
"The conditions in White Swan Pond are no worse than those on the Bund." He Jingtang, a master architect and planning expert, once said so. Strolling through the West Causeway Pier, the beautiful scenery of the confluence of the three rivers in White Swan Pond is unobstructed, and there is a sense of grandeur of the Bund in Shanghai. However, when we walked west to the sand surface, the bridge across the south bank immediately stopped all this.
Sandy night view
On the other side, the traffic function of the bridge is decaying. With the increase in the number of vehicles entering and leaving the Sand Face and white swan hotel, it is difficult for the bridge to provide a comfortable traffic experience.
"The bridge can't actually solve the traffic problem." Zeng Dexiong, director of the Institute of Zhewen of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences and a deputy to the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, told reporters, "Last year I went to the White Swan Hotel for dinner and blocked the bridge for a long time. ”
As an expert in municipal bridges, Xiong Zhengyuan, secretary of the party committee and chairman of Guangzhou Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., participated in the design of Renmin Road viaduct and inner ring road. For the White Swan Bridge, he believes: "It is helpful for the white swan hotel to enter and exit, and it will have a local impact on traffic after demolition." ”
White Swan Hotel parking lot
In 2019, Liwan District promoted the improvement and upgrading of Shamian and Xidi blocks, gradually cancelled the outdoor parking lot of Shamian, and unified parking of motor vehicles in a newly built mechanical parking building that can accommodate 480 parking spaces, transforming the parking space into an activity space, expanding the 8200 square meters of activity space, and realizing the diversion of people and vehicles.
However, this move still cannot meet the parking needs of nearby passengers. Last year, the White Swan Hotel adjusted the parking price, from 00:00 on December 1, 2020, the parking fee of the White Swan Hotel was raised to 28 yuan / hour during the 08:00-22:00 period. The reason for the price adjustment is that "the hotel is based on the needs of operation and management." ”
The Shamian multi-story parking lot can accommodate nearly 500 parking spaces
With the release of the "Shamian Historical and Cultural Block Protection and Utilization Plan", the prospect of traffic optimization in Shamian has gradually become clear: strictly control the right of passage of vehicles in the historical and cultural block, and implement "round-island traffic and internal slow travel".
If the bridge is demolished, how will the drinking tea drinkers enter the White Swan Hotel? "People go in, cars don't go in, this experience is actually better." Zeng Dexiong suggested that the three-dimensional parking lot next to the Huangsha Market is very close to the White Swan Hotel, and the car can be parked in the three-dimensional parking lot after the bridge is removed, and people can walk in or the battery car will connect to it.
According to the "Shamian Historical and Cultural Block Protection and Utilization Plan", the "Roundabout Car Shop" will implement the policy of "one-way, no-stop". If the diversion bridge is removed, the public can also take a direct car to the north gate of the White Swan Hotel in the mode of "roundabout driving", and there is no need to walk the whole way. In principle, the traffic inside the block is mainly pedestrian, which improves the accessibility of internal roads and creates a comfortable and pleasant pedestrian space.
Shamian Island will also add a new parking building design to solve the problem of "random parking and difficult parking" on the basis of meeting the parking needs of residents and offices. In addition, underground space can be appropriately developed to meet the parking needs of the current situation and subsequent development.
Since the inauguration of the White Swan Hotel, the controversy over the bridge has hardly been interrupted. After entering the new century, the state has paid more and more attention to the protection of history and culture, and the call for the demolition of the bridge has become louder and louder.
At the same time, there are also many people who have doubts about the demolition of the bridge, on the grounds that the White Swan Hotel has destroyed the integrity of the sand surface, but its existence has a legal basis, and it has been extensively demonstrated by experts that year, and approved by the Guangzhou Municipality, Guangdong Provincial Government and the Ministry of Construction.
In the midst of the controversy, the demolition of the bridge has been shelved to this day.
In August 2004, Zhang Guangning, then deputy secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee and mayor, said that the bridge in front of the White Swan Hotel would be demolished, and a sinking tunnel would be built for vehicles to enter and exit the White Swan Hotel, restoring the integrity and unity of the sand surface.
He also revealed the traffic alternative plan of Shamian: "Arrange cars to drive along the outskirts of Shamian, build the inner street of Shamian into a pedestrian street, develop commercial, leisure and catering projects, and build a historical style area of Shamian." ”
During the "two sessions" in Guangzhou in 2006, Chen Yanming and Li Baosong, two members of the CPPCC Municipal Committee, submitted a proposal on increasing the development and protection of the Shamian building complex, and once again proposed the demolition of the White Swan Hotel. In this regard, the Liwan District Government said: "At present, the relevant departments are studying the possibility and feasibility of demolition. ”
Regarding the traffic optimization plan after the demolition of the bridge, it is mainly concentrated on the construction of new bridges, river bottom tunnels, underground passages and underground parking lots in the west. The overall purpose is to restore the sandy landscape, increase the space for citizens to move around the water, and alleviate the traffic pressure on the sandy surface.
In 2008, Liu Ping, then secretary of the Liwan District Party Committee, revealed in an exclusive interview with the media: "According to the overall plan of Shamian, the bridge connecting the White Swan Hotel will be demolished, and it is planned to build an underground passage and an underground parking lot on Shamian Island, so that cars can go underground, and Shamian will gradually be built into a pedestrian area with a unique European style." ”
At the "First Meeting of guangzhou urban planning committee in 2009", the "Protection Plan of Shamian Historical and Cultural Conservation Area" issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Planning Bureau proposed to "demolish" the Bridge of the White Swan Hotel in the long term. However, the plan does not give a clear time definition for the long term and the near term.
How far is the forward? The first to act was the White Swan Hotel. In August 2010, the White Swan Hotel submitted planning adjustments to the Guangzhou Municipal Planning Bureau, and for the first time officially proposed a roadmap for the demolition of the bridge.
According to the plan, the original diversion bridge on the east side of the island will be demolished, a new 15-meter traffic bridge will be built on the west side of the island, Shamian South Street will not be widened, and the block between Shamian 2nd Street and 4th Street will be implemented in a one-way circular car. There are three main exits of the White Swan Hotel plot, which are located in Shamian South Street, and solve the internal traffic organization of the plot by setting up auxiliary roads on the south side of Shamian South Street. Cooperate with the demolition of the eastern diversion bridge of the hotel, open the riverside space in the south of Shamian, restore the space and landscape of the historical riverbank as much as possible, and improve the green space environment in the south of Shamian.
Shamian Island was remodeled and upgraded, restoring the historical layout of the park
However, because the White Swan Hotel also proposed to rebuild the hotel building at the location of the bridge, at the third meeting of the Development Strategy Committee of the Guangzhou Urban Planning Commission in 2010, the plan was rejected by experts with 12 votes against and 2 votes in favor. The main reason for the objections of experts is that the intensity of development is too large, exceeding the upper limit of the historical and cultural protection plan, and destroying the coastal landscape of Shamian Island.
To this day, does the White Swan Hotel still have plans to demolish the bridge? Regarding the series of questions about the bridge, the Southern + reporter contacted the head of public relations at the White Swan Hotel several times. As of press time, there has been no response.
Shamian Island has a community of cultural relics and buildings, and it is prudent to move a grass and a tree. "The demolition of the bridge is a historical repair to the destruction of the white swan pond landscape." Hu Gang suggested that the style of Shamian should be restored as soon as possible, and "the removal and retention of the bridge may directly affect the effectiveness of the protection and utilization of the Shamian historical and cultural block." ”
Another 10 years have passed since the White Swan Hotel proposed to demolish the bridge in 2010, during which the hotel also underwent a 3-year upgrade. However, the bridge remains strong. Last year, the "Shamian Historical and Cultural Block Protection and Utilization Plan" was officially released, which clearly put forward the principle of "restoring the texture of historical space and reproducing the characteristics of the lot".
Historically, Shamian, "Queen's Park" and "French Park" are distributed at the southern end, and after the founding of New China, they were merged into one and named Shamian Park. Since the special diversion bridge of the White Swan Hotel passes through the middle, Shamian Park forms two parts separating the north and south. In 2019, Shamian Island was renovated and upgraded, the wall blocking the park and the river view was demolished, and the historical layout of the park was restored, and the public could see the Pearl River from Central Avenue.
As for whether to remove the diversion bridge across Shamian Park, the plan does not directly state, but proposes to "achieve the publicity of riverside activities by diverting traffic and organizing public spaces in the long run." ”
Shamian is planning a comprehensive revival, and the construction of the White Swan Pond CBD has also entered a substantive stage.
In September last year, the "Baietan Business District (District 1) Planning and Urban Design Integration Optimization" was approved by the Guangzhou Municipal Government. The White Swan Pond CBD will benchmark the world's central business districts such as New York, Chicago and Tokyo, and strategically build a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao industrial and financial agglomeration area, a digital economy industrial center, a high-end medical and health center and a cultural and creative fashion center that complement the advantages of Zhujiang New Town.
The Baietan Business District carries the future and hope of Liwan's development, and is also a strong support for the realization of "new vitality of the old city" and "four new colors". Feng Weiyu, a cultural scholar and vice president of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Society, also said: "White Goose Pond not only belongs to Guangzhou, but also belongs to the world, it is the most storied place in Guangzhou, and it is also a cultural powerhouse with a high focus on the construction of the Greater Bay Area."
The cultural heritage is the flesh and soul of the metropolitan CBD, just like the central business districts of the world's well-known international metropolises such as Paris, New York, and Tokyo, all of which have unique cultural genes with local characteristics.
Where is the context of the White Swan Pond Business District?
Zeng Dexiong believes that Guangzhou's important historical value is concentrated in modern times, and one city has leveraged the progress of the whole of China, and the essence is in the Baietan area. He suggested: "Through the opportunity of demolition and diversion of the bridge, the overall protection and upgrading of the sand surface, fully excavate the historical connotation, and activate the cultural genes of the White Swan Lake Central Business District." ”
The time to promote high-quality development along the Pearl River is not waiting
From the signing of an unequal treaty after the Second Opium War to force the lease of sand noodles, to the founding of New China that became an important diplomatic window of the country... Shamian Island and White Goose Lake have witnessed the vicissitudes of Guangzhou.
The city is an open book from which its ambitions can be seen. Guangzhou has entered a new stage of development, and it is imperative to promote the high-quality development along the Pearl River on a larger scale, and Shamian Island has opened the prelude to a comprehensive rejuvenation, and it is urgent to solve the problem of bridge introduction.
【Co-ordinator】Chen Bangming
【Text】Tan Chao, Feng Yandan, Guo Suying
【Photography/Videography】Liang Jucong Intern Cai Jiahong
[Editing] Mo Liting
【Author】 Tan Chao; Liang Jucong; Mo Liting;Feng Yandan;Guo Suying
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client
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