10 Dec 2024
As a popular street in Shanghai's old neighbourhoods, Anfu Road is frequently visited by many tourists during holidays. In sharp contrast to the young crowds on Anfu Road, the old neighbourhoods that surround it are mostly populated by the elderly and children, and many new modern buildings are replacing the traditional houses, with people gradually becoming estranged from each other.
The busy Anfu Road and the surrounding old neighbourhoods
After witnessing the current state of Anfu Road, Yinuo Zhang, an architecture student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, hopes to find a sense of belonging to the local culture for young Chinese and foreign tourists, as well as a sense of belonging to the community for the original residents.
Inspired by this thought, her project “Look for” has recently won the first prize in the Yuanye Awards International Competition for Students, under the supervision of Dr Leyuan Jiang, an Assistant Professor from the Department of Architecture at XJTLU.
Combining traditional culture with modern forms of interactive entertainment, Zhang integrates immersive drama performances into the old residences on Anfu Road, allowing visitors to experience a family story that takes place in the alleys. She hopes that both tourists and residents can find their own sense of cultural belonging here.
Yinuo Zhang
The project extracts eight living spaces from houses on the Anfu Road and translates them into theatre scenes. The visitor, as a character in the story of the play, passes through each of the eight scenes along the tour route, and interacts with the actors in each scene according to their prompts.
In the process of participating in the play, visitors are not only spectators, but also part of the story. They experience the unique neighbourhood atmosphere of the old community and feel the close connection between people as they walk through the alleys.
Neighbours chatting through windows between houses in the lanes
Through immersive theatre performances, Zhang designs an interactive space that provides visitors with the opportunity to explore the culture of the alley district, while also representing the life stories of the original inhabitants.
The corners of the neighbourhood are transformed into the stage for the play, the streets of the neighbourhood are transformed into the auditorium for the audience to watch the play, and the living spaces inside the houses are transformed into the backstage for the actors to prepare for the play.
The atmosphere of the marketplace on the street
In addition to the main performance space, the venue has been given functions to serve residents and visitors, such as a board room for the elderly, a classroom for children to learn about theatre performance, and daily dining and shopping spaces. These spaces are interdependent with the main theatre performance space for different groups of people looking for a sense of belonging.
Living space with a sense of belonging in a neighbourhood
Zhang says that the creation of this work originated from her in-depth observation and reflection on Anfu Road and its surrounding communities.
She says: “On this road, I feel two very different senses of belonging: on the one hand, young Chinese and foreign tourists are eager to connect with Shanghai's unique culture while taking photos and drinking coffee; on the other hand, the old lanes around Anfu Road are becoming more and more depressed, and the memories of the lives of a generation of aboriginal inhabitants and the emotions of their neighbours are disappearing gradually.
Neighbourhood in the street: residents gather underneath their houses to chat
“This contrast got me thinking: how can we create a shared sense of belonging for different groups of people in the same space? Young tourists are looking for a sense of fashion and cultural integration, while residents of older neighbourhoods are eager to preserve the history and emotional ties that belong to them. With my work, I hope to merge these two searches for a sense of belonging and find a resonance for them.”
Neighbourhood in the stairwell
During the creative process, Zhang discovered that Anfu Road is not only closely associated with modern culture, it also has a deep theatrical history, particularly with the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, which inspired her to combine traditional culture with modern forms of interactive entertainment.
“The live action role-playing game not only allows young people to participate in the performance in a way they are familiar with and passionate about, but also brings Shanghai's unique alley culture back into the public eye in a figurative way.
“Through this work, I hope to bring tourists closer to the local culture, and at the same time awaken the memories and emotions of the residents towards their community. I believe that a sense of belonging can be found by creating a new balance and connection between different groups through empathy and interaction,” she says.
Ground floor plan
Exploded axonometric view of the site
Story and images provided by Department of Architecture
Edited by Yi Qian
10 Dec 2024