New Plans To Save China's Jewish Ghetto

Once home to 20,000 Jews, the North Bund of Shanghai is facing the pressure of an expanding metropolis. Two developers are battling over how much of the historic district to save.

June 3, 2004, 5am PDT | Jeffrey Goodman

Since the Chinese government asked for plans on how to redevelop the North Bund as a modern high-density neighborhood, two groups have clashed as to the best way to preserve Shanghai's Jewish ghetto. A New York architectural firm, already responsible for remodeling the city's Art Deco Park Hotel, won the bid with a scheme of parks, high-rises, and selective destruction. But public response is growing in opposition; a Canadian group, led by two Jews, hopes to raise $450 million to preserve nine blocks intact.

Thanks to Jeffrey Goodman

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Hurried effort to save Shanghai Jewish zone

Published on Wednesday, June 2, 2004 in The San Francisco Chronicle