Yangpu Binjiang brings new life to Shanghai's classic industrial port
The Yangpu Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Huangpu River in Shanghai’s Yangpu District. Connecting Yangpu and the Pudong New Area, it provides a crucial link between the two sides of the river.
The salvage vessel “Fen Li,” carrying the wreckage of an ancient ship from the mouth of Yangtze River, smoothly entered Dock 1 at the former site of the Shanghai Shipyard last November.
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) merchant sailboat loaded with the trade relics of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, now known as “Yangtze River Estuary No. 2,” has since settled in Yangpu Binjiang.
In future, the north branch of the Shanghai Museum will be built with the ancient vessel as the core.
Historical and cultural heritage are the accumulated wisdom of our predecessors, and are important symbols of urban connotation, quality and characteristics.
The deep connotation of Yangpu Binjiang is due to its vast industrial heritage. The southern section of Binjiang has 66 industrial heritage sites of over 260,000 square meters.
Walking along Yangpu Binjiang, you can admire the history from the large power plant auxiliary factory building entrance and enjoy coffee and books at the clean water tank coffee shop. You can also immerse yourself in the “Ancient Babylon Sky Garden” and take in the panoramic view of the waterfront.
The industrial texture, carefully preserved and integrated into the natural ecology, is always and everywhere, like a vertical textbook of China’s industrial progress over the past century.
The century-old Wing On Trestle House is undergoing renovation. The WorldSkills Museum will be built on the west side of the twin towers and will officially open to the public soon.
Some areas on the east side will be opened at the end of this year with the new look of a carbon neutral technology museum.
Yangpu Binjiang has gone through a major transformation in recent years and has become a go-to destination for both locals and tourists to enjoy a relaxing and memorable outing.
At present, there are 73 immovable cultural heritage sites and excellent historic buildings within the Yangpu Binjiang area. These old buildings are now endowed with new vitality, and the renovated site of the “wool and linen” warehouse has become the preferred destination for many large-scale art exhibitions and famous brand fashion releases, such as the Shanghai International Photography Festival and International Fashion Week.
The former ash storage tanks for the thermal power plant have been transformed into a wanghong (Internet celebrity) art space for ecological and artistic sharing. After protective repairs, the warehouse of the former Minghua Sugar Factory has become a new gathering place for fashion trends in Shanghai.
For years, Yangpu District has embraced the core idea of industrial heritage, relying on industrial relics and native ecological plants in the creation of post-industrial characteristic landscape belts. This has achieved “rehabilitation” of the native landscape.
The southern section of waterfront has accumulated an open public green space of about 216,000 square meters, achieving the goal of “returning the river, banks, and landscape to the people” and transforming the “industrial rust belt” into a lively and appealing lifestyle area.
The construction of the entire Yangpu Binjiang green space is carried out in accordance with the concept of highlighting the ecological forest and unique riverside landscape of the Fuxing Island, integrating historical heritage and modern urban elements in the southern region.
This has formed a Yangpu riverside park, leading the way as an urban demonstration area, with flowers blooming in every season, autumn colors flourishing, natural and wild, and distinct characteristics.
