Shanghai Architecture, 1996-2000

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Faux historic villas in Jinqiao. From the Wechat series 上海建设 (1996--2000年), by 宋志良.

This series showcasing Shanghai's 1990s architecture is a wonderful parade of grotesquerie. It demonstrates how treaty-port architecture continued to influence, directly and indirectly, what was built 60+ years after the dissolution of the concessions. From high-tech office towers planted near the Bund to faux Tudor villa clusters stamped in Jinqiao - everywhere we see 1930s styles scaled up and mashed up. Art Deco ziggurats, stepped roofs, curved facades, cylindrical corners, nautical lines and contrasting accents reference Grosvenor House, Cathay Mansions, Bank of East Asia, Metropole, Cathay Theatre and Park Hotel, to name just a few.

Part 1: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UfNjV03_ZkXt_pIHnZiMbA

Part 2: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4GS7kPNawmnVHbIexUVF6Q

Part 3: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DyVtg4Lnsl7tFSB4YNQMDA

Part 4: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/SG6VfYeYg_OnCDdfNLW8NQ

Part 5: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3CJJLP3Svxh5xx7U2rmDYQ

Part 6: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/T8a-ImKDXUkBQRcT0hKy8Q