Xuhui, a district in the southwestern part of Shanghai city proper, is one of the earliest commercial centres in Shanghai.
An important historic town, Xujiahui takes pride in being one of the earliest areas in the development and opening up of Shanghai. By the end of Eastern Han Dynasty in the year of 247 A.D., the ancient kingdom of Wu built in this area the grand Londhua Temple and Longhua Tower, which now boast a history of over 1700 years. From the seventeenth century onwards, promoted by Xu Guangqi, the famous Ming Dynasty scientist and messager of Sino-West economic and cultural exchange, Xujiahui began to have contact with many foreign countries and many regions in economy, science, culture, education,religion and other fields. These contacts and exchanges have no doubt contributed greatly to the area's development and prosperity, and made this area the birthplace of the earliest Sino-West economic and cultural exchanges in Shanghai.
As one of Shanghai city's key projects, the construction of Xujiahui Commercial Centre is an important decision closely related to the purpose of developing Shanghai into an international economic, financial and trade centre. Early in 1992, the area was officially affirmed as one of the city's five major commercial centres by the municipal authorities. According to the approved plan, the central area of Xujiahui Commercial Centre, starting from Tian Yaoqiao Road and Tian Ping Road in the east, connected with Nan Dan Road(E) in the south, close to Yi Shan Road in the west and adjacent to Guang Yuan Road, will cover twenty-four hectares of land, mainly for five large central buildings around Xujiahui Square. The extension area of Xujiahui Commercial Centre occupies approximatly 120 hectares, being enclosed by Wuan Ping Road, Yi Shan Road, Guang Yuan Road, and Shanghai Gymnasium and Sheraton Hua Ting Hotel, forming Xujiahui great commercial area, and totally the real economic centre of Western part of Shanghai.
Recently, taking the building of the metro railway as the turning point, Xujiahui has made in succession the completion of ten main construction items belonging to the first stage of the development of Xujiahui Commercial Centre, such as Shanghai Orient Shopping Centre, the No. Six Department Store, Zhongsing Department Store, the Pacific Department Store, Hui Lian Commercial Building, Xiya Hotel, and Daqian Restaurant, and the newly built Xujiahui Centre is one the sign of "a new phase each year and great changes taken place in three years". The leaders of the Central Committee of C.P.C. and Central Government, comrade Li Peng, premier of the State Council and comrade Qiao Shi, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress were present to the construction of the commercial Centre respectively.
According to the overall plan, the total construction areas of the Commercial Centre are 2 million square meters, among which the total construction area of the ten major projects, belonging to the first stage of the development of Xujiahui Commercial Centre and already completed in 1993, is 100,000 square meters. The construction area of the other 15 projcts belonging to the second stage of the development, launched in 1994, will finally amount up to 130 million square meters. This includes some major cross-century construction projects, which will form the symbol of the western part of Shanghai,such as Ganghui Commercial Centre, 225 meters in height, and Jianhui Mansion, Huijin Shopping centre and Mefro Culture and Entertainment Centre, which will be built cooperatively by Hongkong, Taiwan, Britain, the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and some other countries(regions). With the introduction of the most advanced architctural expertise and the newest styles in the world. All these projects will be completed successively around the year of 1997 when Xujiahui Commercial Centre will once again become the new centre "epitomizing the achievements of architecture in the world."
As one of the most brilliant municipal commercial centres, Xujiahui Commercial Centre will be composed of "five major centres"and "six major trades collections," that is, touring and shopping centre, the finance and information centre, the commercial and business centre, the culture and entertainment centre; and the collections of the commercial circulation trade, the finance and insurance trade, the information and consultation services, and tourism trade,will form such a commercial layout as incorporating three layers of the undergound area, the surface facilities and the high buildings. Eventually, a future version of Sinjwuku or Tsimshatsui in Shanghai, Xujiahui Commercial Centre is designed to become an important economic centre of the west part of Shanghai and an open, modern, multifunctional and world-class city area.
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