Zhang’s Garden, founded in 1882, reopened on November 27, 2022, with a stunning appearance after a century-long faultline. Adhering to the concept that “a people-first city is built by the people and for the people” and aiming to create an urban model, Zhang’s Garden integrates trendy cultural, artistic, and fashionable elements into its historical buildings, displaying new vitality and functionality, while its serene old buildings exude accumulation throughout the years. Reputed as the “No.1 Garden on the Sea,” it is now embracing its rebirth. On that day, the western part of Zhang’s Garden was unveiled first.
The revitalization of Zhang’s Garden — Shanghai’s first protective expropriation-based urban renewal project — signifies a groundbreaking development and achievement in the city’s high-level promotion of “urban renewal”. Zhang’s Garden’s historical buildings have undergone four years of protective restoration, guided by the principle of “renovating the old to its original state to preserve its authenticity”, and based on the documentation work rule of “one building, one document”. These efforts have made Zhang’s Garden a pilot project and a significant benchmark in the protection and renovation of Shanghai’s neighborhoods. Today, Zhang’s Garden is with an even more vibrant ambiance than in the past. The renovated Shikumen neighborhood will not only become a new architectural landmark in Shanghai that combines Chinese and Western elements but also serve as a new model for the transformation of old neighborhoods and urban renewal.
Forerunner in urban renewal
In recent years, “urban renewal” has sparked extensive social attention and has been officially included in the outline of the national 14th Five-Year Plan. “Urban renewal” urgently requires breakthrough and innovation to establish a related policy framework and form a renewal model that is suitable for urban development. This will contribute to the construction of a socialist modernized exemplary city that satisfies the people. It can be said that we are witnessing the dawn of an era of urban renewal.
The reopening of Zhang’s Garden is a milestone-like mark on urban civilization. It creatively extends the essence of Chinese traditional culture, awakens the ageless soul of ancient architecture, and revives the elegant charm of the Shanghai-style Shikumen. It serves as a brand-new exemplar of “urban renewal”, rejuvenating the city, people’s lives, and vitality.
Located in the historical and cultural landscaping area of West Nanjing Road in downtown Shanghai, Zhang’s Garden preserves 13 outstanding historical buildings, 24 district-level culture relic protection points, and five planned structures to retain. With each bearing its unique historical imprint, the buildings together create a distinct landscape amidst the surrounding high rises.
A century ago, Zhang’s Garden witnessed significant events in Shanghai’s history. It was here that the first public electric light was illuminated, the first bicycle made its appearance, the first bicycle race was held, the first outdoor photography studio was established, and the first Chinese public film screening took place. Prominent figures such as Sun Yat-sen, Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Taiyan, and Ma Xiangbo delivered speeches here. Additionally, the garden hosted boxing championship matches, charity performances for disaster relief, fundraising garden parties, and stylish exhibitions.
Today, Zhang’s Garden has been resurrected after a century, symbolizing more than just its historical worth and nostalgic allure. Its greatest significance is rooted in the essence of “urban renewal” that fuels its rejuvenation.
“One building, one document”
“Respect” and “commitment” are the core concepts and inherent significance of “urban renewal” and urban fabric safeguarding.
Since 2016, Shanghai Jing’an Real Estate (Group) Co., Ltd. has established a comprehensive database — following the principle of “one building, one document” — for the 170 historical buildings in Zhang’s Garden. The documentation for the property located at No. 1, Sub-lane 64, Lane 590, (former) Weihai Road alone spans over 400 pages. In addition to architectural overviews, building information, basic data, historical drawings, current status drawings, and property materials, the documents even include photographs of previous residents, and audio and textual materials relating to interviews with descendants of the homeowners, as well as technological descriptions and preservation and control recommendations.
In 2018, the surveying, mapping, documenting, comparing, sorting, and photography work for the 2,053 rooms in 170 units of 42 buildings in Zhang’s Garden was completed, making the garden the first cohesive landscaping area with one separate document for each building in the city. This comprehensive and all-dimensional documentation of housing information, along with the provision of preservation and control recommendations, set a solid foundation for subsequent preservation, restoration, and utilization efforts. This approach was also the first of its kind nationwide. Following that, the “one building, one document” approach was further promoted and deepened not only in Jing’an District but throughout the entire city of Shanghai.
Building upon its past foundation, the restoration of Zhang’s Garden faithfully captures its former essence and charm. From every brick, tile, door, and window, to the various marks on the walls of the old buildings, as well as the original layout inside the houses, and even each floor tile with unique patterns, the restoration team has made every effort to preserve or recreate them as much as possible.
Create a trendy new landmark through integration and re-modeling
The optimal preservation of historical buildings lies in their revitalization and utilization while urban fabric safeguarding is best achieved through inheritance-based innovation.
Based on its historical reputation as the “No.1 Garden on the Sea”, Zhang’s Garden, after two years of restoration and updating, has unveiled its western part. Nestled amidst the numerous high-rise buildings on West Nanjing Road, the garden boasts a style of its own and injects a touch of elegance reminiscent of Shanghai-style Shikumen architecture into the bustling city center. In its design, Zhang’s Garden fully embraces the strength of the Shikumen neighborhood — the combination of Chinese and Western architectural features — to achieve a natural fusion of classical and modern elements in neighborhoods. Following the core framework marked by “serenity in the east, liveliness in the west, and unlimited immersion”, multi-dimensional and integrative planning was conducted.
The eastern part is relatively tranquil, and in the future, it will be curated to accommodate boutique hotels, apartments, and creative office spaces, aiming to catalyze the industrial upgrading of the part. For the western part, internationally top-notch brands will be introduced to create a complete commercial site together with the Feng Sheng Li urban space, imbue Zhang’s Garden with fresh commercial functions and formats, and create a centrally-located business district and street with both influence and reputation.
In the western part, an array of luxurious brands can be found, including Arcadia Club, Blue Bottle Coffee, BVLGARI PARFUMS, BY FAR, DIOR, GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon Champagne, RE Bike Museum, Sisley, and Vacheron Constantin, to name a few. Looking ahead, Zhang’s Garden will prioritize the “first store” “first performance”, and “debut” effects and deepen the theme of Shanghai-style culture by incorporating experiential and leading fashion consumption, to bestow upon the historical preservation section of Zhang’s Garden an entirely new set of commercial functions and formats.
According to reports, the southern and northern parts of Zhang’s Garden will feature cultural venues such as cultural performing centers, fashion centers, and art galleries. Additionally, multiple public spaces will be set up throughout the sections, to establish a cultural activity hub that caters to nearby residents.
Demonstrate urban confidence through inheritance and innovation
The significance of “urban renewal” goes beyond simply preserving the ordinary living atmosphere in the city. Zhang’s Garden, through its highly compound business layout, incorporates urban functions for business, leisure, consumption, and culture, to satisfy the needs of the city in the high-quality development stage. By merging “urban renewal” with industrial implantation, the revitalization of sections shifts from a reliance on external resources to nurturing its self-sustaining capabilities, ensuring enduring sustainable development.
The opening of the western part of Zhang’s Garden on November 27, 2022, marks a new chapter of the garden and also symbolizes that its construction and opening will usher in a new stage. The inherent conditions and genes of Zhang’s Garden have destined it to become a thriving commercial hub that blends history with modernity and localization with internationalization. Striving to stay at the forefront of business, it injects fresh vitality into the West Nanjing Road business district and introduces a new commercial civilization from an international perspective. It is undoubtedly set to bring Shanghai’s business to new heights from multiple dimensions in the future.
Yesterday, Zhang’s Garden served as a gateway for Shanghai to transmit fresh ideas and concepts from around the world. Today, it will evolve into a place that gathers the splendor of worldwide commercial civilizations and also a salon for cities of excellence across the globe. Yesterday, it was a grand stage for socializing among Chinese and foreign elites and an imprint of China’s earliest international metropolis. Today, it will bring together global elements and welcome people from all over the world as a representative of cities that are more open and confident. We strongly believe that Zhang’s Garden must emerge as the most influential and highly rated commercial district and street worldwide in the near future!