[Commentary] The Merchant Marine Club located in the core area of Dongjiadu on the Bund was the earliest established merchant marine club in Shanghai. It was also one of the largest in Shanghai at that time with the largest building area and the most luxurious architecture. On June 13th, 78 cultural relic buildings in Shanghai were opened to the public free of charge. This merchant shipping hall, which carries the heavy history of Shanghai Shipping, also welcomed its first opening to the public after repairs.
[Same period] (Ms. Yuan, a Shanghai citizen) I was among the first to come in. It’s good. The history of Shanghai is based on them. Now it’s all high-rise buildings. This is good. Now that it is well repaired, it should be said that it has basically restored its original appearance.
[Commentary] The Merchant Marine Club was built in the fifty-four years of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1715); it was expanded during Qianlong and Jiaqing, and rebuilt in the eighth year of Guangxu (1882); in the early years of Tongzhi, Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau (now Jiangnan Shipyard) )office.
[Same period] (Pan Junxiang, former director of Shanghai History Museum) How did Shanghai develop? What did you rely on in ancient times? Bulk goods are grain, how is grain transported? What is the most advanced productivity? It's the boat. Merchant Shipping was an organization jointly operated by the Shanghai sand ship group at that time. The emergence of this organization protected the development of Shanghai's shipping operations, so it played a great role in the development of Shanghai's cities.
[Commentary] In 2019, the repair project of the Merchant Marine Association was officially launched. The entire repair process not only retained the original structure and shape, but also used a lot of traditional crafts. According to reports, only 800 square meters of repairing area were used in the hall, and nearly 60 traditional craftsmen were used; a single carving process involves several processes such as extension printing, line drawing, rough processing, fine processing, and painting. Originally preserve the history and memory of the clubhouse.
[Same period] (Pan Junxiang, former director of Shanghai History Museum)
The sand ships in Shanghai not only have the water transportation on the inland river, but also implemented the first sea transportation in modern times in 1826. Let me give a few examples. Lin Zexu and Guan Tianpei participated in this activity. Therefore, the history of the Merchant Marine Club, the connotation of the Merchant Marine Club, is a benchmark for the urban development of Shanghai from ancient times to modern times, and is the most important historical context of Shanghai.
[Commentary] Nowadays, the repaired "rebirth" of the merchant shipping hall bears the heavy history of Shanghai's shipping development, merchants' trade and cultural exchanges, and "returns" to the Bund again, awakening the historical memories of the old docks on the Huangpu River in this modern city China is still unique.
Wang Ji Xu Yinkang Yu Zhan Shanghai Report
Editor in charge: [Li Ji]