An international forum on new Jiangnan-style water town is set to be held in Shanghai’s Qingpu District next week.

Well-known architects from all over the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, India and Japan, as well as domestic professionals will gather in the district's Zhujiajiao town to discuss the ancient water town's future development plans.

"I am very much looking forward to the meeting," said Sun Jiwei, vice director of the district. "The development of Zhujiajiao - a famous tourist attraction in the city - is an important part of Qingpu's whole urban construction procedure."

The 8.14-square-kilometer town is divided into three parts: the 0.68-square-kilometer ancient-town area, the 2.4-square-kilometer old-town area and the new-town area.

Tourism has always been the area's leading industry and the ancient-town area is the main attraction for tourists.

Various stone bridges, tranquil water, zigzag lanes and private gardens form the picturesque fan-shaped area.

"To maintain Zhujiajiao's unique historical character, all the old houses and historical relics in the area will remain the same as they were," Sun said.

Some of them will be carefully repaired. Others will be reconstructed by retaining the original exteriors. The efforts aim at preserving the town's traditional style and features.

"The beauty of traditional Chinese architecture cannot be expressed by a single building but by groups of them, " he said. "To protect them we should concentrate not only on the constructions but also the natural cultural environment around them."

The old-town area will turn into a main recreational and business center.

Shopping malls, museums, public recreational places and a yacht club will be established according to the plan.

Some old buildings that don't coordinate with the new constructions will be demolished.

A greenland avenue, currently under construction, will become the connection between the old-town area and the new-town area.

The new-town area will develop into a modern residential area with specific water town features.

Sun said that apart from Zhujiajiao, the district has also put much effort into the development of the Qingpu New City and Xujing Town.

"Compared with other new cities around the city, Qingpu New City has its gifted advantages," he said. "As the origin of Shanghai, Qingpu is well-known for its Songze Culture dating back to 6,000 years ago.

"Besides the historical advantage, the district also features abundant water resources as all the city's natural lakes are gathered in Qingpu."

An area of 26.89 square kilometers is currently under construction in the center of the district. It will be completed in three to five years. By then, 250,000 to 300,000 residents will relocate to the area.

Xujing town, as another name card of Qingpu, has been developing at full speed in the past few years mainly because of its unique location.

Close to Hongqiao Airport, it serves as a link between downtown area and the outskirts. This has also helped it become a hot spot for real estate development.

At the moment, the town's industrial zone is home to over 700 enterprises, among which more than 200 are foreign-invested. It will pay more attention to the development of environmentally friendly industries in the future.

(Shanghai Daily November 15, 2004)