Xuhui:Building a Dream on the West Bund

By+PAN+QIAN

THE construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is stimulating Shanghais vitality； Xuhui District is at the core of the citys contribution to the Belt and Road Initiatives.

Xuhui is unfolding a tremendous dream-building blueprint. The 11.4-km-long West Bund in the district has been listed as one of the six major development areas during Shanghais 12th Five-year Plan （2011-2015） period， unleashing huge development potential.

In 2014， along with the launch of several major Sino-foreign cultural exchange investment programs， such as Oriental DreamWorks and West Bund Media Port， the West Bund has revealed its seemingly infinite energy. More cultural projects are being carried out now than ever before， such as the Long Museum and the Yuz Art Museum. With the aim of becoming a world-class cultural waterfront， the West Bund will integrate industrial development， cultural agglomeration， and urban ecological landscape.

As the most important component of West Bund Media Port， Shanghai Dream Center covers an area of 463，000 square meters comprising 12 creative cultural buildings. Construction of the center started in 2014 and will be completed by 2017. Its“Dream Avenue” contains a number of theaters， music halls， and studios. It also boasts the headquarters of Oriental DreamWorks， the top animator in Asia， a 500-seat tailor-made IMAX movie theater， premium restaurants and bars， fashionable retail outlets， Lan Kwai Fong recreational blocks， and grade-A offices. The architectural complex is linked by eight themed squares and greening platforms， forming the main axis of West Bund Media Port.

There is a continuous stream of sophisticated cultural projects emerging from the area. The most representative is the

Long Museum. Located on the site of the Beipiao Wharf， the 33，000-square-meter museum has become a major brand project in the West Bund. The distinctive Yuz Art Museum is located in the former hangar of the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory. Representing the historical memory of Chinas civil aviation， the museum covers 9，500 square meters. The newly opened Shanghai Photography Center along with the Long Museum， the Yuz Art Museum， and the West Bund Gallery and Oil Tank Art Park （under construction） make up Shanghais booming gallery complex – the “Gallery Avenue.”

A number of international cultural and art activities are bringing more life to the area， such as the West Bund Music Festival and the West Bund Architecture and Contemporary Art Biennial.

The West Bund belongs to not only artist， creators and media leaders， but also to urban residents， art lovers， every one.

Xuhui District， which once shone on the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road， is grasping the latest opportunity to represent the new dream of urban development in China.endprint