Shanghai’s new botanic garden set to open at the end of the month

In an effort to increase greenery in the city, after three years’ construction, the Chenshan botanic park will open just in time for the Expo. At 207 hectares (three times the size of the Shanghai Botanic Garden), it boasts 9,000 species of endangered plants and trees , and eventually 30,000 in order to earn a spot at the world’s top 10 botanic gardens.

Designed by German landscape architect  Christoph Valentien (of the award winning firm Valentien & Valentien), several details of the garden were also inspired by Chinese culture and tradition, for example the design of a hill and a lake, the height of the pavilions, and the setting of the buildings.

A 71.4 m waterfall runs from Chenshan Hill into a deep lake at the Quarry Garden, constructed from an abandoned quarry. The park also has a  special garden that encourages blind people to feel the plants and smell the scents, equipped with an audio system to guide the blind on tours of the foliage.

Architecture in Shanghai – László Hudec

As the “Pearl of the Orient”, architecture is definitely one of Shanghai’s strongest suits. With new buildings sprouting daily, the city is chock full of architectural masterpieces both old (Puxi) and new (Pudong) that will never cease to excite design enthusiasts.

Probably the most celebrated architect in the history of Shanghai, the name László Hudec is synonymous with most of the city’s landmarks. The Hungarian-born architect shaped Shanghai’s skyline in the early 20th century with grand structures, the most notable being Park Hotel , the Green House and the Grand Theatre, all amounting to more than 60 buildings. Hudec had a wide range of influences: from gothic, neo classicism, greco-roman, art deco, avant-garde (LeCorbusier, Bauhaus) and even Islamic. Combining these styles into one building may sound like an architectural passé, but Hudec managed to seamlessly integrate them into one another, all these while maintaining his philosophy of functionality, technical and aesthetic values in mind.

Hudec proved himself to be ahead of his time with the realization of Park Hotel (pictured above).  This project was especially notable due to Shanghai’s land condition, the city lays on soft soil, causing buildings to sink 2-3 cm per year, making the idea of a skyscraper seemed ridiculous and impossible. The architect and his team of collaborators and engineers, however, defied this belief and successfully constructed the 22-story Park Hotel, the tallest building in Shanghai (until the 1980s) through solutions inspired by German technologies at the time. The hotel remains today as one of Shanghai’s elegant buildings.

(clockwise) The Shanghai Grand Theatre, Moore Church, Normandie Apartment, Villa on KangPing Road

Some of Hudec’s buildings, possibly including the Park Hotel and the Grand Theatre are undergoing massive restorations in time for the upcoming 2010 World Expo. Shanghai Daily recently reported that Hungary will donate money to aid this plan. According to Andras Huszty, special envoy of the Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and commissioner general for the country’s Expo project, the country, along with the Shanghai Culture Heritage Management Committee will select a number of Hudec’s buildings to restore to his original designs.

Hungary will also organize a “Hudec Tour” with a Shanghai travel agency to take visitors on a bus tour to some of Hudec’s buildings. These tours will be tied to Hungary’s Expo pavilion as a part of its off-site Expo exhibition.

To learn more about László Hudec and his works, please visit www.hudec.sh