Multimedia Research Blog
Architecture is a concept often seen as old, archaic, and boring. However, people often forget that it is something that, when analyzed, can tell us much more about a place’s history, going both back and forwards than one might initially realize. The environment of Nanjing Road and the mighty skyline of Lujiazui are all living proof that architecture can tell us about the location’s history and the direction it will take in years to come. In the context of our course, these locations can allow us to understand the modernization process that China, Shanghai more specifically, has undergone and will continue to undergo.
I took this first image on an afternoon stroll with a friend immediately after exiting the East Nanjing Road metro station. The liveliness, loudness, and luminousness of the surrounding area drew my attention and compelled me to capture the moment. As we walked down the street and analyzed our environment a bit further, I noticed that the architecture was reminiscent of old British cities or colonies, like London or Boston, reminding me of the content we covered in class and the overwhelming European influence in the history of Shanghai. Furthermore, the combination of this old architecture and the overwhelming presence of billboards and bright displays instantly drew my mind to New York City, mainly Times Square. While I think Nanjing Road is already heading down this path, becoming a heavily crucial commercial and tourist center, this relationship can allow us to see the trajectory the area may take in the future. Additionally, it can enable us to see the possible direction for the continuous modernization of China. On another note, the combination of these two elements in the environment stood out to me, as I found the integration of the old and new intriguing and reminiscent of the New Culture movement, where the idea of progress was tied to an embrace of western ideas.
We continued walking down East Nanjing Road toward The Bund, an area everyone who visits Shanghai can never forget. This time, however, I focused more on the architecture of the skyline of Lujiazui and noticed elements that I had not seen before. The retrofuturist style of buildings near the left side of the picture stood out and reminded me of the previous analysis I had made regarding the integration of the old and new. Towards the right side of the photograph, however, I noticed a more modern approach to architecture, with the buildings seeming more like they were from Seattle or Tokyo, cities that are regarded as relatively new and more modern. It is also important to note that as the buildings are becoming more modern, they are also progressively focusing on finance and business, shaping people’s concept of Shanghai. This shift from an integration of concepts of both old and new into a focus on a thoroughly modern aesthetic reminded me of the New Culture movement, where a focus on renewal was prominent and heavily emphasized. This gradual change can also tell us a lot about the trajectory that Shanghai may take and the goals of the city moving forth: progress, commerce, and finance.
After closely analyzing the architecture around us, we understand that it can tell us more than we initially thought. Not only can we know a lot about the historical context of the area we are visiting, but we can also visualize the possible trajectory that the given area holds. In this case, the architecture of the skyline of Lujiazui and the environment of Nanjing Road can remind us of the historical presence of Europe in China, specifically Shanghai, and the trajectory it may take moving forwards.