Xia Yan is a renowned Chinese playwright known for his works "Under the Eaves of Shanghai" and "The Fascist Bacillus." (Photo : Wikimedia)
Shanghai's Xuhiu District authorities revealed that the former residence of the popular Chinese playwright and screenwriter Xia Yan along the Wulumuqi Road S. will be converted into a cultural and exhibition center.
Xia (1900-1995) had lived in a part of the building from 1949 to 1956.
The literary luminary, who was a native of the Zhejiang Province, was also a critic and social activist, and served as Shanghai's vice minister for culture in the 1960s.
The celebrated playwright, whose most popular works include "Under the Eaves of Shanghai" and "The Fascist Bacillus," spent eight years of his life in prison during the cultural revolution (1966-1976).
The two-story residence is located at No. 178 Wulumuqi Road S. and was built in the 1930s. It also became the office of Xuhui District People's Political Consultative Conference.
According to district officials, the project is part of the local government's plan to preserve historical architectures and make more infrastructures that will be used to hold cultural events.
"It had been a residential building, and the renovation will protect its appearance as well as the cultural and historical value," Mo Fuchun, the district's committee secretary, said.
Officials also revealed that more residences of Chinese celebrities and personalities who lived in the district will be transformed and renovated. These include the houses of dramatist Ke Ling and cartoonist Zhang Leping located at Fuxing and Wuyuan roads, respectively.
Currently, Shanghai is home to over 1,500 buildings that served as former residences of famous personalities. However, half of them are not yet covered by protection programs.
