### Travelogue: Yangpu Binjiang Art Season
#### Duration: 1 Day, October 2019
##### Companion: Solo Traveler
##### Travel Style: Free and Easy
**October, 2019: A Journey Through Shanghai’s Industrial Past and Artful Present**
*Published on 2019-10-19 22:39*
This art festival transcends the confines of indoor exhibitions, embracing the outdoors with a vibrant public space. The 2.8-kilometer waterfront west of the Yangpu Bridge has been opened, and now, an additional 2.7 kilometers to the east will also be accessible, creating a continuous 5.5-kilometer stretch for the public to enjoy during the Art Season.
**Yangpu Binjiang: A Historical Powerhouse**
Located in the Yangshupu Industrial District, the Yangpu Binjiang area was once the epicenter of energy supply and industry in Shanghai and modern China, earning it the title ‘Corridor of Modern Chinese Industrial Civilization.’ The southern part of this area is a treasure trove of historical buildings and industrial heritage sites, each with its own story to tell.
**Reviving the Past: The Yangpu Water Plant**
The Yangpu Water Plant stands as an extension of outdoor public art, with industrial old buildings being gradually renovated. Some are regaining their historical appearance, transforming the area into a living museum of Shanghai’s industrial past.
**Artistic Renewal: The Former Shanghai Municipal Electrical Office’s New Factory**
Once a soap factory and a gray storage facility, this site is set to be revitalized by artists, breathing new life into the structure and adding a splash of color to the Yangpu Binjiang landscape.
**Yangpu Binjiang: A Fashionable Evolution**
As the most concentrated industrial area in Shanghai, Yangpu Binjiang carries the marks of the heavy industry era. Now, it’s an extension of outdoor public art works, with industrial old buildings being renovated and some regaining their historical appearance.
**Art Season at Yangpu Walkway: A Two-Month Extravaganza**
The Yangpu Walkway’s Art Season will span two months, featuring dozens of Chinese and foreign artists. They will create 20 sets of large-scale public art works that will be permanently displayed, combining the characteristics of public spaces.
**A Stroll Along the Binjiang Path: Noticing the Changes**
If you take a walk along the Binjiang path recently, you will definitely notice the transformation. ‘Urban Wilderness,’ by Yuji Asai and Yan Shuai, invites you to enjoy the perfect sunlight during the 2019 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season, to feel the encounter between art and urban space, and to experience the changes in time along the Yangpu Industrial Belt.
**Mao Ma Factory Warehouse: A Century-Old Witness**
Walking along the Yangpu Binjiang path, you’ll encounter the brick-red Mao Ma Factory Warehouse. Built in 1920, it was originally the German-owned Rui Ji Trading Firm and later became the first silk weaving factory in Shanghai. It was transferred to Shanghai Shipyard in 2003. This nearly century-old building has witnessed countless changes along the Huangpu River and is now the largest un-girder roof warehouse in the Yangpu Binjiang area, a testament to the vigorous development of Shanghai’s national industry.
**Mao Ma Warehouse: A Hub for Art and History**
Now, Mao Ma Warehouse serves as one of the main exhibition areas for the third Shanghai Urban Space Art Season themed ‘Encounter,’ with a large number of exhibits available for free viewing. The exhibition inside is divided into ‘Spatial Art Section’ and ‘Planning and Architecture Section.’ The ’16 Scenes of Shanghai’ in the Spatial Art Section is particularly eye-catching, with many artists condensing their impressions of Shanghai into various art works.
**Overlooking Lujiazui from Mao Ma Warehouse**
After visiting the exhibition, do not rush to leave because standing on the stairs of the Mao Ma Warehouse is an excellent place to overlook the opposite Lujiazui.
**Rui Rong Shipyard: A Witness to Shanghai’s Shipbuilding Evolution**
Next to the Mao Ma Warehouse is the former site of the Rui Rong Shipyard. The building has been used by Wanlong Iron Factory, Rui Rong Shipyard, British Alliance Shipyard, and Shanghai Shipyard Repair Branch, witnessing the development and changes of Shanghai’s ship repair and shipbuilding industry over the past century.
**The Dock: A Century-Old Legacy**
The dock remaining from the original Shanghai Shipyard is also part of this exhibition. One of the oldest docks in Shanghai, it will be open to the public as part of the main exhibition of art display. The dock was excavated by the German-funded Rui Rong Shipyard in 1900 and has a rich history, including the delivery of China’s only third-generation polar ice-breaking scientific research vessel, ‘Xuelong,’ in 2007.
**Sealed Memories: Echoes of the Past**
Between the changes of light and shadow, it seems that one can still hear the ships of that year sailing from here to the Huangpu River, whistling while pushing aside the rolling waves.
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This travelogue captures a day’s journey through the Yangpu Binjiang Art Season, a celebration of art and history in the heart of Shanghai’s industrial past.
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**Space Art Festival Experience**
Imagine attending a space art festival where unique installations and video artworks are not only on display but also come to life within the historic confines of a century-old dock. Coupled with the unique experience of watching art films on a loop, this is an event you wouldn’t want to miss. Picture yourself immersed in a cinematic journey within the walls of a dock that has stood the test of time.
