Shanghai Art Deco

Shanghai Art Deco
Feb 05, 2009 By Pictures and Article by Susie , eChinacities.com

You probably have a certain image in your head when it comes to Shanghai’s architecture. The skyscrapers of Pudong and Jing’an give the impression of a thoroughly modern city, while the low-rise former French Concession with its old-style villas reveal the city’s colonial past. But most people don’t know that Shanghai is home to some of the most impressive and prolific Art Deco architecture in the world. In fact, we have the highest concentration of Deco buildings anywhere in the world after Miami Beach.

Art Deco was a design movement running from 1925 to 1939, used most widely in the fields of architecture and interior design. It was popular across the world, and was a purely decorative design form with no political affiliations or stimuli. It combined elements of several early 20th Century styles including Neoclassicism, Cubism, Modernism, Futurism and Art Nouveau. Despite its non-partisan nature, politics and economy affected the spread of the movement. Cities like New York, Paris and London, while possessing some Art Deco buildings, cannot be called ‘Art Deco towns’ because the Great Depression halted the construction of new buildings. However, Miami Beach’s building industry continued to thrive through the Art Deco era thanks to Mafia control of the town. Likewise, Eritrea’s capital city Asmara is blessed with an Art Deco stamp thanks to Italian rule during the 1930s. (Incidentally, it was geographical and not political forces that led to New Zealand’s Napier becoming an Art Deco town; after the devastating earthquake of 1931, the city was rebuilt entirely in Art Deco style.)

Shanghai during the Art Deco epoch was a city in the grips of a boom. The ‘Paris of the East’ was the fifth largest city in the world with four million inhabitants; colonial control had strengthened the economy, and there was a cosmopolitan vibe. Architects caught up in the zeitgeist began to reject the austere colonial style of the Bund and turned instead to the trail-blazing Art Deco style

The best known Art Deco architect was Slovak-born Ladislaus (Laszlo) Hudec who was active between 1918 and 1945. His story is fascinating; after studying architecture at the University of Budapest, he was enlisted to fight in World War II. He was captured by the Russians in 1916 and sent to Siberia, but managed to escape from a train close to the Chinese border. He found his way to Shanghai where he joined American architecture firm R. A. Curry. In 1925 he started his own company and designed nearly 40 buildings up until 1941. He was responsible for the famous Park Hotel on Nanjing Lu, the Grand Theater, and the Joint Savings & Loan Building among many others – some destroyed, some still standing.

Another leading light was Hudec’s countryman C. H. Gonda. He designed several cinemas including the Capitol - which now serves as government offices - and the Cathay on the former Avenue Joffre (Huaihai Lu) which has recently been refurbished.

Despite the proliferation of Art Deco buildings still standing in Shanghai, there used to be many more. After China re-opened to the world after the Mao-imposed isolation, the focus was on forward thinking. Development over the past two decades has augured an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ attitude which hasn’t discriminated; if an old building stands in the way of a shiny new development, it will be razed to the ground, whether it’s a dilapidated shikumen or a majestic Art Deco cinema.

 

 

 

Fans of Art Deco wince at the thought of so many treasures being lost. One man stands at the helm of the movement to preserve Shanghai’s architectural gems. His name is Deke Erh. He was born in 1959 and grew up in the French Concession. Memories of his childhood spurred him to record his city with photographs; he has published several books of photography, and runs a gallery in a Taikang Lu alley. Possibly his most famous book is the 2007 ‘Shanghai Art Deco’ – over 300 pages showcasing 1000 photos. The text of the book was written by fellow Art Deco enthusiast, American-born Tess Johnston. Erh insisted that the text be bilingual, to reach out to Chinese people and persuade them of the value of Shanghai’s Art Deco legacy.

Erh is quick to point out that , despite colonial input from the likes of Hudec and French architecture firm Leonard, Veysseyre & Kruze, Chinese architects also left their mark on the cityscape. Less lauded but no less important were Benjamin Chih Chen, Chuin Tung, and Shen Chao – graduates of the University of Philadelphia in the 1920s who founded the famous Allied Architects company. A.A. built the Chekiang First Commercial Bank in 1948, while fellow Chinese architect Dong Dayu was responsible for the Chinese Aviation Association building, designed in the style of a 1930s aircraft.

Erh hasn’t found it easy to convince local government to listen to him, but progress is being made. The fact that foreigners are willing to pay over the odds for old buildings has encouraged preservation, as well as temptation from the tourist dollar. The Peace Hotel, formerly the Cathay, on the Bund has received government-funded restoration thanks to its cultural significance – it featured in Ballard’s epic ‘Empire of the Sun’, and was the most stylish address of the 20s and 30s.

What makes Shanghai unique is the diversity of its architecture, but the rapid rate of development places this in jeopardy. Luckily, with architectural activists like Deke Erh on the case, we will be able to enjoy our city’s Art Deco delights for many years to come.

Related Links


Moganshan Lu and Beyond – Shanghai’s Art Scene Past and Present
A Night Walk Down Hengshan Road, Shanghai
Sky-High Shanghai – Exploring the City’s Tallest Buildings

 

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1 Comments

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scottpalmer

that's interesting. we also went one shop in shanghai selling artdeco furniture and accessory. the pieces are loverly, and they have lots of art deco pieces for sell. maybe you can visit their shop. the phone number is 15801708557, the web-site is www.xiafeiroad.com

Apr 09, 2016 07:20 Report Abuse