1933 Shanghai Slaughterhouse

The words ‘art deco’, ‘abattoir’, and ‘Shanghai’ are not ones you usually find in the same sentence but on a hot summers morning in China’s second most populous city I found myself in one of the most curious architectural relics you could imagine; a 1930’s former slaughterhouse beautifully crafted from concrete in a style most unbecoming of China’s usual mausoleums to the uncouth.

1933 Shanghai

Located in the historic Hongkou District, 1933 Shanghai (上海1933老场坊) was built amidst the vibrant urban landscape of pre-communist Shanghai. Designed originally by British architects, and built in 1933 by Chinese developers, the building was originally intended for use as a slaughterhouse but served a number of purposes over the years from medicine factory, and cold storage facility, to its current incarnation as a ‘commercial hub for creative industries’.

Flowering Columns

Concrete is one of the hardest building materials to use in an aesthetically pleasing way since by its very nature is cold, hard and difficult to mould in unconventional ways. Despite this, the original architect managed to find a way to fulfil its practical mission as an abattoir, yet also incorporate decorative elements such as the ‘flowering columns’ seen above and below.

Flea Market

The building was commissioned by the then Shanghai Municipal Council with the high-quality cement aggregate required to support the load-bearing needs of the building and was imported from the Portsmouth area of the UK. After being abandoned and falling into disrepair the building was extensively restoration in 2008.

Sky Theater

Built around a central atrium, which served as the abattoir’s workshops, each floor is connected to an outer shell by a series of interlocking ramps, bridges, and spiral staircases which were designed to control the flow of both people and cattle being processed through the building.

Concrete Layers

There are 26 ‘air bridges’ of various widths splayed out at different angles, provoking feelings of both confusion and fascination at how it could have been conceived, let alone given birth to. Imagining how it must have been with the sounds of animals being slowly herded through the industrial maze towards their gruesome fate is strangely haunting.

Concrete Abyss

Looking down at the concrete abyss one is reminded of M. C. Escher’s famous drawings of impossible constructs where stairs ascend and descend in an infinite loop. With so many different paths to choose from it’s easy to lose your bearings.

Angular

After the RMB100 million restoration you can’t blame people for wanting to make the space earn its keep but it must have been so much nicer before the likes of the ‘Ferrari Owner’s Club’ had moved in. Some of its original charm and mystique has certainly been lost.

Spiral Staircase

The owners seem to be straying down the path of trying to attract the nouveau riche rather than being a cultural centre in the truest form. Poorly constructed ‘design’ shops and overpriced restaurants seem to be permeating what could have otherwise been a very successful urban renewal project.

Concrete Maze

Despite this, the classic architecture with Art Deco styling and beautiful geometric motifs is well worth a visit and seems to be particularly popular with amateur photographers all searching for the best angles to try to capture this unruly monster.

Concrete Pose

Strangely enough, I noticed advertisements for couples to get their wedding photo taken here which seemed peculiar to say the least! Still, if you’re looking for something a little different…

Air Bridges

Another concrete masterpiece you might like to check out is the University of East Anglia in my hometown of Norwich (UK) whose Grade II listedziggurataccommodation terraces have become iconic in their own right.

Cattle Path

The rough cattle paths almost have the look of a medieval dungeon.

1933 Shanghai Slaughterhouse

You can find 1933 Shanghai, otherwise known as “Old Millfun” at No. 10 Shajing Lu
(near Jiulong Lu) (近九龙路).

David avatar

8 responses

  1. Chen Wu avatar
    Chen Wu

    creative association to M. C. Escher’s painting

  2. nice coverage of that amazing place, I do like it also very much.
    one photo i took from the empty showroom on another day…
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/longwei66/5859618325/in/photostream/

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  8. unueco avatar
    unueco

    > ….you can’t blame people from wanting to make the space earn its keep but it must have been so much nicer before……Some of its original charm and mystique has certainly been lost.

    I have to agree. While I found the location to be a source of great photographic inspiration, I couldn’t help wondering how much moreso it would have been BEFORE the renovation that brought in the likes of Starbucks.

    It is, however, still worth the visit!

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