The reuse of Lilong in Shanghai

The paper aims to explore and analyse the processes ongoing in contemporary metropolis of Shanghai, with reference to the emergent phenomenon of architectural reuse of the lilong (lane neighbourhoods), a type of social house developed in Shanghai in the 19th century, which has so characterized the city as to be considered an architectural icon. Stylistically, it is a hybrid of Western architectural languages and spatial organization, typical of Chinese tradition. The main aim is to understand how reuse is contributing to a more historically and culturally conscious design and how these places have influenced the city not only architecturally, but above all from a social point of view, an aspect that also typifies the conservation projects that have affected them. Re-use projects will, also, be analysed with reference to the legislative system governing the valorisation and protection of cultural Heritage in China to deeply understand the elements that led to the decision to conserve through re-functionalization and re-use projects these parts of the city. This architectural type represents an important historical moment in the transformation of China into a Republic, and through the spatial and social relations generated in its spaces, it allows us to understand certain peculiarities of Chinese culture, which is rich in symbols that remain stable in form. In Chinese philosophy, in fact, every reality is whole: everything in the universe is like the universe.