Housing as Heritage

Abstract

Across China, the preservation and reconstruction of European-styled buildings for commercial purposes has become a trend for urban development. Drawing inspiration from established global cities, Shanghai’s local government has aimed to accommodate both modern high-rise and heritage buildings as a major part of its “city with global inspiration” urban development program. Historic preservation, however, has so far been about protecting particular structures from which only members of the urban middle class can benefit from their historic value. Then, for whom is this historic preservation? Presenting a less benign side of preservation, this chapter ethnographically examines social change in urban life as a result of urbanization, presenting how historic preservation affects urban processes vis-à-vis a sense of place in the city of Shanghai.