Qingpu District (Photo : Wikipedia)
Homes that were a thousand years old in Qingpu District were destroyed by mistake, but housing authorities ordered the contractors to keep all the beams, tiles and other materials that were saved. These materials would be used again when the district government restores these hundred-year-old homes that form part of the ancient Liantang Town.
Some of the homes were built during the Qing Dynasty, or the Manchu Dynasty, the last dynasty to rule China from 1644 to 1912. Puyi was the last emperor who had little choice except to abdicate when Yuan Shikai became president of the Republic of China, according to Hindu Times.
The restoration work is being supervised by architects and historians. On Saturday, the district would meet with experts on the best ways to restore the heritage homes. They also invited some professionals to present plans to restore the homes, Shanghai Daily reported.
Xu, vice manager of Qingpu’s tourism and development company, justified the demolition because some of the old homes were deemed dangerous and in state of disrepair, leading the housing administration authority to destroy the houses. However, the government ordered the suspension of the demolition which it allowed to resume after the Spring Festival and ended on Feb. 29.
Xu added that the old structures were in different styles. She assured district residents that the government is working to repair existing homes and restore the ones demolished by mistake. Shanghai Daily observed that the construction site on Dongfeng Street in Liantang were cordoned off and there were no construction workers. But the building materials and tiles were piled in the site.
Qingpu is divided into Shang Tang and Xia Tang, the upper and lower portions, respectively. Shang Tang was home to pastry shops and dining establishments.
