“Changbai 228 Block is not only a crossover point of urban renewal and a community center within 15 minutes’ reach, but also a new attempt of multi-party co-governance,” said Li Yanbo, a community planner in Yangpu District.

From Gongren Xincun (literally, “Workers’ New Village”) that demonstrated the glory and dreams of a generation of strivers to a relocation base that set an example in terms of expropriation, and a new municipal-level urban renewal landmark that has been updated in terms of space and functions, Changbai 228 Block has witnessed the urban development of Shanghai and the construction of a people’s city.

A few weeks ago, the list of the fourth batch of “nice destinations on the doorstep” for Shanghai citizens was released, and Changbai 228 Block was on the list. For many residents in the area, it is a pleasure to go there for a walk and take a break after a meal.

Once upon a time, a literary teenager in Shanghai looked at a glass of water and wrote an article entitled Seeing Life in a Glass in a writing contest, which is an example of seeing something big from something small. What kind of life can residents see through the glass in their hands after a meal amid Yangpu’s urban renewal?

“I used to work in the same factory as the national model worker Huang Baomei, Shanghai No. 17 National Cotton Factory.”

“Yangshupu Water Plant was designed by a British architect. It looks like a castle. Now, it’s the location of Shanghai Waterworks Science & Technology Museum.”

“I used to work at Shanghai Soap Factory. Now I can’t even recognize it when I see it. It has become Fantasy Bubble. It’s like a garden inside. You can drink coffee and watch exhibitions there. It’s quite fun.”

Every day, when night falls, many local residents take a walk to Changbai 228 Block and stay there for a while.

Chairs are arranged randomly in front of a pub. Residents who have finished dinner get together in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. This is a tippy moment of the day. While having drinks, they enjoy the beauty of life.

Changbai 228 Block carries forward historical and cultural legacy, retains the historical features of Shanghai and displays the charm of Yangpu. This open and innovative community reproduces the style of Gongren Xincun to the greatest extent, allows many senior residents to find their spiritual homes and is an important part of the community center within 15 minutes’ reach.

Children are running around happily, while senior residents are drinking and chatting

In the 1950s, the Shanghai government decided to build a large number of residences for workers to accommodate 20,000 households, so these buildings are known as the “20,000 households”. Changbai 228 Block was one of the first clusters of buildings that were completed. Today, it has the last remaining of the buildings. Many senior residents who used to work in factories once lived in these buildings and are familiar with the history of Changbai 228 Block.

“In Shanghai, people can enjoy nightlife at Xintiandi and on Hengshan Road, but those two places are a bit far away. Yangpu people also need nightlife.” In the eyes of many senior residents, the new Changbai 228 Block just meets their needs. After a meal, elderly men go to a pub for a drink. When their grandchildren play on the lawn, they have a drink in front of the pub, checking on the children from time to time.

After Jiang Chunlei came to Shanghai for college, he stayed with his parents in Changbai Xincun on weekends. Back then, he had never thought that he would open a pub here in midlife and listen to senior residents’ remarks about life.

His pub is not big, with warm-colored lights inside. When there is a football game on the TV, elderly men will come here to watch it, and Jiang will keep them company, serving drinks and food. Most of these elderly men live nearby, but some of them “come from afar”. During the interview, the reporter met two people who came from Anshan Xincun and Shiguang Xincun to see their friends. “Yangpu is very big! Anshan Xincun is close to Hongkou, while Shiguang Xincun is a few kilometers away,” said one of them.

A century ago, the Riverside of Yangpu District gave birth to the first batch of industrial entities in modern China. Today, industrial relics can still be found here. After the completion of Changbai 228 Block, all the occupants were factory workers. Among the people who come to the pub for a drink, former factory workers have the strongest affection for this area.

In their eyes, Jiang, who is in his early forties, is a member of the younger generation. After a few rounds, the elderly men had more to say. They told Jiang stories of their youth so that he could have a more thorough understanding of the history of Yangpu. During their conversation, they said to Jiang: “You run a pub here. What do you think of this place?”

Jiang smiled. The appearance of Changbai Xincun twenty years ago appeared before his eyes. The old-fashioned buildings had wooden floors that creaked when people walked on them. The corridor was narrow, with the neighbors’ gas stoves and idle furniture. “Neighbors had friction sometimes, but we were close. When it rained, people would give their neighbors a call and ask them to collect the laundry or pick up the children after school.”

Jiang misses that kind of life. “When I was a kid, I used to carry a bowl and eat the food my neighbors offered me. Soon I would be full. I didn’t expect that I could still do that in Shanghai today. When my neighbors make nice dishes or wontons, they always bring us some.”

A “community store” for craft beer

The old house where Jiang and his parents used to live was demolished during the old neighborhood reconstruction project. In April, Changbai 228 Block was opened. He came back to take a look, hoping to find the “smell of the old house”. Unexpectedly, he decided to open a pub here to relive old times.

In the pub, Jiang is the owner and senior residents are the customers. His daughter and the senior residents’ grandchildren often play together on the lawn. “After Changbai 228 Block was opened, many children come here to ride scooters and play games every night. My daughter is good at socializing. She gets on well with those children, so they often come to my pub and ask me if she’s here.”

According to a few elderly men, their grandchildren go to school on weekdays and attend extracurricular classes on weekends. They rarely interact with the neighbors and have no sense of community. “This place is better. The kids can play together and make friends. Elder children help younger ones do their homework and answer their questions,” said an elderly man.

Business is the best at the pub from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Elderly men who like strong flavors prefer Belgian Witbier. Some people come here for a refreshing beer after doing sports. Jiang also serves many other types of beer.

Jiang’s goal is to turn the pub into a “community store” for craft beer. “Craft beer is different from industrial beer. The elderly people of Shanghai are trendy. They like the culture of craft beer very much. Compared with the beer served at popular pubs, the beer here is more affordable. You can get 1.5 liters of craft beer with 60 yuan. The ratio of men to women who drink beer here is about 6:4. Many female residents can drink a lot of beer. A senior lady said that she wanted more life experience. She chooses different flavors every time she comes here. It’s like trying different tastes of life.”

Senior residents like drinking in groups at the door instead of drinking alone in the pub. Sitting around a small table with a few dishes and bottles of cold beer on it, they drink and chat, as if they were having dinner in the alley of the “20,000 households”. A new chapter of their happy life starts here.

The red window frame is particularly eye-catching, through which one can see buildings that recall memories of the past few decades. On the opening day of Changbai 228 Block, Mr. Zhang pointed to Building No. 6 and said that it was the location of his old house. Now, it has been transformed into a friendly neighborhood diner called Panda Canteen. The overall structure of the house remains the same, so Mr. Zhang recognized his former home at a glance.

“It has a theme, a main line, stories and movements.” Every building in Changbai 228 Block tells the history of the city.

After reviewing archives, Li Yanbo, an associate professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University and a community planner in Yangpu District, discovered that Changbai 228 Block has been a community commercial center for 70 years. “In the city layout of 1952, this place was already a commercial center of the community. Back then, there were cooperatives, community diners, bathhouses and other facilities. After the reform and opening up, grain and oil stores and Changbai Hotel were also located here.” Pointing at the buildings with elevated ground floors in the northeast corner, Professor Li said that the ground floors were elevated so that the buildings could be used for commercial purposes. “Generally speaking, Changbai 228 Block is a commercial service center that has been constantly transformed and upgraded.”

How can we involve diverse stakeholders, including residents, in community governance? The block is jointly managed by the sub-district, STI and the enterprises here, which demonstrates the concept of a people’s city. “Changbai 228 Block is not only a crossover point of urban renewal and a community center within 15 minutes’ reach, but also a new attempt of multi-party co-governance,” said Professor Li.

“In the future, this place will be turned into a cultural and commercial complex integrating long-term rentals, smart vegetable shops, catering, cultural and art training, leisure and fitness, a central square and supporting services,” said Chen Jun, general manager of Chuangyu Zhida Technology Co., Ltd. “During the leasing process, many merchants wanted to build new windows and doors to showcase their characteristics. We dissuaded those who did not meet the requirements for historical feature conservation.” The management of Changbai 228 Block adheres to the concept of sustainable operation. Historical feature conservation and community business needs are both taken into consideration to provide citizens with a nice place to go for pleasure.

The reconstruction of scattered old neighborhoods in Yangpu District was successfully completed last year. The renovation of complete old houses has been a landmark project concerning people livelihood to accelerate the transformation of old neighborhoods, old houses and urban villages in an all-round way. A specific renovation plan will be made for each residential area. It will take 10 years to complete the renovation of the remaining incomplete houses (including those with small beams and sheet metal).