How to take the path of renewal that takes into account both indigenous and tourist needs? Shanghai Zhaojialou Ancient Town Renovation and Upgrading is unwilling to participate in the "One Town, One Town" Project | Cultural Tourism | Renewal

In the first half of this year, the renovation project of the 800 year old "urban village" in Zhaojialou, Pujiang Town, Shanghai was launched. The ancient town of Zhaojialou has also temporarily bid farewell to its citizens and tourists, and will return in a new state in a few years.

The renovation of Zhaojialou Ancient Town, which has only been in operation for 13 years, has left many Shanghai residents puzzled. Industry insiders analyze that in addition to the strong desire of villagers to improve their living conditions, the lack of prominent characteristics of the ancient town itself is also a major reason for promoting upgrading. How to avoid falling into the trap of "one town per thousand towns", the research team of Pujiang Town in Minhang District recently visited multiple places to seek a path of renewal that takes into account both indigenous people and tourists.

Pattern similarity leads to "fatigue in reviewing ancient texts"

During the visit, the research team found that with the development of the ancient town entering the fast lane, there are some common difficulties and blocking points through questionnaires and discussions.

The ancient town is not ancient. Some buildings have not been "restored as old", and there are obvious traces of artificial craftsmanship; The commercial pedestrian street, store styles, store displays, and store products lack an antique atmosphere and are not closely related to cultural connotations. During the update process, residents need to relocate in part or as a whole. How to prevent the loss of some excellent folk customs and carry out targeted protection and inheritance work requires more attention.

For example, some residents of an ancient town no longer retain their original custom of drinking morning tea due to various factors after relocation. With the relocation of merchants, the inheritance and promotion of agricultural culture, time-honored New Year's food collection, and Shanghai opera culture in Zhaojialou Ancient Town are facing challenges.

The ancient town is inconvenient. The research team learned that before the renovation of the ancient town, the original river channel was buried and encroached upon, small vendors gathered, and disorderly construction was common. Social security and fire safety hazards were more prominent. Although there have been some improvements through government rectification, addressing the symptoms is not the root cause. Local villagers generally hope to relocate and resettle as soon as possible, completely changing the current situation of "dirty, chaotic, and poor" environment and "distant, few, and old" living facilities.

More than a hundred survey questionnaires collected by the research team showed that 88% of people in the "urban village" of Zhaojialou hope to improve their living conditions, and 69% hope the overall environment will improve. Previously, in the scenic area of Zhaojialou Ancient Town, there were mixed merchants and residential buildings, and the noisy crowd brought certain troubles to the "indigenous people".

The ancient town is not unique. The research team found that although each ancient town has its own cultural heritage, in the actual operation process, due to factors such as tourist preference orientation, insufficient integration of landscape protection connotation with high-end industries such as brand development and creative design, ancient town projects gradually tend to homogenize, and the attraction to tourism is diluted by homogenized goods and services, forming no differentiated competition.

The survey results of the research group show that 61% of tourists believe that snacks and delicacies are one of the attractive factors for the ancient town. Most snacks are Zongzi, tangbao, Stinky tofu and other varieties, with obvious homogenization tendency. When conducting research on tourists' views on the unique features of the ancient town, only 7% of people believe that the town has distinctive features, while 47% of people believe that the town is basically the same, and there is already "fatigue of reviewing the ancient town". For example, on a certain review website, many comments also mentioned that the Zhaojialou ancient town before this renovation is quite similar to the surrounding ancient towns.

The ancient town is not rich. There are multiple ancient towns in Shanghai, with high passenger flow and a large number of merchants, which to some extent stimulate consumption. However, if the project is single and the depth of development is insufficient, relying solely on ticket and rental income cannot form an industrial system, and the spillover driving effect on the surrounding areas is not obvious. In ancient towns like Zhaojialou, the rent for shops is not high, and it is difficult to balance the input-output of renovation.

Cultivate new growth points for cultural and tourism consumption

The ongoing Zhaojialou "Urban Village" renovation project has clearly adopted the transformation method led by the Minhang District government, introduced by rural collective economic organizations, and developed through social enterprise cooperation. However, the organic renewal of ancient towns is not a complete change, but a long-term proposition.

"Through research, we feel that the organic renewal process of the ancient town needs further exploration in forming a win-win pattern, providing high-quality characteristic services, and improving operating models." said Tao Xingwei, Secretary of the Party Committee of Pujiang Town, Minhang District.

Firstly, it is to achieve a win-win situation for the interests of multiple stakeholders. The renovation of ancient towns should ensure that the "indigenous people" live comfortably and comfortably, with a focus on comprehensive renovation of houses, supporting public facilities, and improving functions such as tourism, entertainment, and leisure. For example, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town has invested over 1 billion yuan to renovate its infrastructure, roads and bridges, and comprehensive pipeline network; Sijing Ancient Town has added 600 square meters of various green landscapes and pocket green spaces, as well as more than 20 potted plants and stone flower boxes. In the model section, street vendors, Anfang Pagoda, and tower gardens have basically completed the lighting landscape construction, set up more than 3000 square meters of temporary parking, and added more than 250 parking spaces.

On the basis of a comfortable and livable environment, achieve mutual benefit and symbiosis among all parties. By integrating investment, design, construction, and operation, utilizing methods such as ancient building restoration and revitalization, ecological environment improvement, spatial weaving of ancient towns, and industrial introduction and operation, we aim to enhance the tourist experience, enhance the consumption scene of ancient towns, and improve the level of urban services.

Secondly, it is to balance protection and development, and transform distinctive culture into development momentum. Based on the unique culture of the ancient town, we will develop cultural and tourism brands, create new highlights in cultural and tourism, cultivate new growth points in cultural and tourism consumption, achieve a linkage effect of "promoting tourism with culture, and supporting culture with tourism", continuously enhance the momentum of cultural and tourism development, and promote regional coordinated development driven by cultural and tourism undertakings.

For example, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town innovatively renovates the only remaining post office site in East China, introducing third-party development of cultural and creative spaces, exhibition spaces, corner living rooms, leisure spaces, and coffee spaces, planning to create a live streaming platform, and linking with high-quality merchants in Qingpu for online sales. At the same time, integrating a good ecological environment, Chen Yun's former residence, Dongfang Green Boat, and well-known scenic spots in the Grand View Garden will accelerate the integration of commerce, tourism, culture, sports, and agriculture.

Sijing Ancient Town has developed projects such as Hilton Gree Boutique Hotel, Zhao's Workshop, Jiafeng Yinchuan Jinshi Culture Museum, Luban Art Museum, Yichi Garden, and Liufanmen Cuisine in combination with its own reality. The intention to sign a contract has been completed.

The third is to seek uniqueness in updates and operations. In terms of updates, through scientific business format planning and policy guidance, optimizing resource layout, iterating characteristic projects, upgrading publicity and promotion, leveraging the spillover effect of its own advantages, and promoting the formation of a good situation of differentiated competition. In terms of operation, encourage various market entities to participate in the investment and operation of ancient town industrial projects, enhance the market response ability of cultural and tourism resources in various links, promote the independent and efficient circulation and allocation of cultural and tourism elements, and achieve maximum efficiency and efficiency optimization.