There have been frequent media reports recently saying the
Shanghai Hotel, built in 1983, and the
Shenzhen Bay Hotel, built in 1985, would be demolished. A five-star hotel would be built at the site of the
Shanghai Hotel, the reports said. While authorities said they were yet to approve the program, the news has caused wide debate among citizens.
Li Jinkui, deputy head of
Shenzhen urbanization study society
The
Shanghai Hotel used to be a link between urban and suburban Shenzhen.
Shenzhen Bay Hotel was the first star hotel between downtown
Shenzhen and Shekou. Demolishing the buildings would empty the city's memory.
If Western countries protect their 200-year-old buildings,
Shenzhen should protect its 20-year-old buildings, because in 20 years
Shenzhen has achieved what Western countries achieved in 200 years, and the buildings have recorded that history. Protecting the buildings is protecting Shenzhen's historical status as China's frontier of reform and opening up.
A construction has both use value and cultural value. The Summer Palace will not be demolished for a new complex, because it has huge cultural value. If the
Shanghai Hotel gives way to a taller building, its use value may increase, but its cultural value would vanish.
Neither the
Shanghai Hotel nor the
Shenzhen Bay Hotel is under the protection of China's relics-protection law. Considering its special history,
Shenzhen should write a local regulation protecting constructions 20 years old or more.
Yang Honghai, city adviser
If a construction has become a city's symbol, authorities should be very prudent in transforming it.
Shanghai did not demolish its old Jinjiang Hotel, and Guangzhou's Party secretary said
GuangZhou would not demolish its Nanfang Building.
The
Shanghai Hotel is a unique construction in the Huaqiangbei commercial center, and so it's better to leave it intact. However, the
Shenzhen Bay Hotel can be rebuilt because several buildings at the Overseas Chinese Town are more representative.
Wang Faxiang, director of the human resources division of
Shenzhen Municipal Committee of CPPCC
The
Shanghai Hotel is quite beautiful and can be kept. It is a little too short, but there's nothing wrong with shortness.
However, its owner has the right to decide its future, and the public should respect the owner's decision. Of course, the owner still has to get approval from city design authorities.
The
Shanghai Hotel's spokesman
The
Shanghai Hotel has begun to show signs of aging. Some of its facilities now lag behind other hotels in the city, and there are far from enough rooms.
The hotel's occupancy ranks the highest of the city's 300 or so star hotels. However, it remains a three-star hotel with 162 rooms.
The new hotel will inherit the style of the old
Shanghai Hotel. In this sense, the
Shanghai Hotel will not vanish. It will grow up.
Mr. Shao, official with the
Shenzhen municipal land resources bureau
The
Shanghai Hotel is not an ordinary construction. It holds an important position in the hearts of citizens and tourist. The land resources bureau has not approved the
Shanghai Hotel rebuilding program. Its future will be decided after the first phase of Zhonghang's transformation program is completed. This means the
Shanghai Hotel will remain intact for at least three years.
Miss Yang, resident
Why demolish the
Shanghai Hotel? Is it outdated? I don't think high-rises are more beautiful than low buildings. I have been looking at the
Shanghai Hotel for more than 10 years. I feel close to it every time I see it.
Mr. Zhang, resident
When I came to
Shenzhen 10 years ago, the Guomao shopping mall was the most famous building in the city, and the
Shanghai Hotel was second. Guomao is now buried in high-rises that keep growing in the city. If the
Shanghai Hotel does not grow with the city, its function as a city symbol would vanish automatically.
