Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2017 | Page 6

The Pearl of China
Regents Primary School of Shenzhen, Dangi, Yash - 9
S
hanghai is one of the first cities that people think of when they hear the name of China. It is now
even known as the window of China. But not many people know its history, Shanghai was a very
different city before and was called “The Pearl of China”. And Old Shanghai was very different
from the new Shanghai.
The Old City was the county seat for the old county of Shanghai. With the advantage of foreign
concessions in Shanghai, the Old City became just one part of Shanghai's urban core but continued for
decades to be the seat of the Chinese authority in Shanghai. There are still a lot of places that represent
the history of the whole China, such as the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of
China which is a typical two-storey brick and timber building of the kind seen in Shanghai City. The
building contains exhibit furniture and personal items once used by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Today the Old
City still contains some ancient but renovated features, such as the Yuyuan Garden complex, and the
City’s God Temple. Its circular shape is now dwarfed by the surrounding large streets which occupy the
space of the former walls, now Renmin Road to the North and Zhonghua Road to the South.The Old
City has also been cut in the middle North to South by Henan Road. Nowadays, the Old City is a
combination of ancient winding streets, with some modern high-rise buildings progressively
encroaching on the older areas.
The old Shanghai was also known for its beauty. If you search on the internet now, you can still
find a lot of photos of Old Shanghai which are just very beautiful. It has different types of architecture
which include even European and gothic styles. They give a comprehensive reflection of the evolution of
the modern society and cities and also provide a key to learn the culture of Shanghai and the history of
modern China, such as Xintiandi. Another manicured creative cluster was gearing up for Shanghai’s
Fashion Week – a major creative industry event that catalyses collaborative activity and innovate
economies. These kinds of events are a must for a city to be taken seriously on the global creative stage.
The area’s meticulous beautification belied the oppressive urbanity of the surrounding city – and the
presence of chain stores only serves to catalyse this isolative mantra.
Although new concepts and ideas will bring Shanghai to an even brighter future,those old
buildings will be bestowed with new significance.Who will wake them up,wash away the dust, make
th