Shanghai Nongtang exhibition opens

Museums, of course, are not just places for showing fine art. They also help to preserve those things that were valued in earlier times. Preservation and even restoration of the past are major concerns in China today.

The Nongtang is to the people of Shanghai what the Hutong is to Beijingers.

The Nongtang is to the people of Shanghai what the Hutong is to Beijingers. They are local, traditional neighborhoods of labyrinthine alleys bordered by residential courtyards. As the cities continue to develop, both the Nongtang and the Hutong are being gradually razed to make room for high rises. An exhibition in Shanghai aims to revive memories of life in the Nongtang.

This modern shopping mall was transformed into a typical Shanghai Nongtang. Everything displayed once played an essential role in the daily lives of people of the Nongtang: bicycles, bamboo chairs, shopping baskets and wooden basins.