Old compound reborn as modern cultural venue

The INLET, the latest venue in Shanghai's bustling arts and cultural scene, opened to the public in November after three years of renovation.

Located near one of Shanghai's major commercial streets, North Sichuan Road, the venue is converted from a century-old compound comprising 60 shikumen-Shanghai-style stone-gate houses-and eight standalone buildings.

The area has been home to many famous personalities throughout history, including Chinese writer and poet Lu Xun (1881-1936) and the early Communist leader and literary translator Qu Qiubai (1899-1935). The road is also where the country's first formal cinema and the predecessor of the private Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts were once located.

The 60 shikumen houses were built in 1928 and spanned nearly 7,200 square meters. The renovation of the compound started in 2018 after the acquisition of the old buildings in 2014 by local government. Chongbang Group was responsible for the compound's renovation and commercial development.

Ren Wei, a representative of the project management department of the group, says it was clear from the beginning that the compound would be restored to serve as a public space for the appreciation of art and culture. The other focus of the project was to showcase Shanghai-style culture by combining traditional and modern design elements.

According to Ren, old bricks were used to restore the facades of the buildings so as to retain the original look. The developers also restored the gates using stones similar to the original. The wooden doors and roof tiles of the old houses were remade using traditional methods.

The major structure in the compound is the Yingchuan Jilu, a 1,100-square-meter house built in 1907 by Chen Qizhe, a merchant from Guangdong province.