Culture center safeguards old and new of Maqiao

The abundant North Shagang and Yutang rivers cross Maqiao Town in southwest Minhang District vertically and horizontally.

The Shagang is said to have once had a wooden bridge for the convenience of travel and lodging for caravans and horses. The bridge fell into a dilapidated condition and the locals could not afford repair. The owners of the caravans finally funded the restoration and the renovated bridge is now a scene of grandeur and a landmark of the area.

Maqiao, literally "horse bridge" in its two syllables, is said to derive its name from an anecdote.

"There are two more factual origins," said Gu Fugen, the former chief of Maqiao Culture Center. "One is that a country squire surnamed Ma funded construction of a stone bridge in the area. The other is that the initial market around the crossing of Shagang and Yutang rivers was in the shape of a horse."

A native of Maqiao born in 1945, Gu left to perform his military service in 1962 and returned in 1968. In 1975, he was appointed chief of Maqiao Culture Center.

"There were three of us in the beginning," he said. "I accepted the position in spite of some self-doubt. It turned out I worked there for more than three decades till my retirement.

"In the stereotypes of some people, the old Maqiao Town was a remote suburb. Yet it is developing tremendously quickly nowadays. With this, some antique objects and old places disappear. I sensed I had to record them, and did research and compiled the book 'The Ancient Ridges and Water Town' (《三冈水长》)," Gu added.

Gangshen (冈身), or ancient ridge, is a unique geographic condition characteristic of coastal regions such as Shanghai.

Archeological surveys revealed the ancient ridge of Shanghai was formed around 6,000-7,000 years ago from the interaction of the Yangtze River and the sea waves.

Gangshen is a proof that the land of Shanghai was formed gradually.

"Maqiao Culture, about 4,000 years ago, developed right along the ancient ridge of Shanghai, following Songze Culture, about 5,500 years ago, and Guangfulin Culture, about 4,200 years ago, chronologically," Gu said.

Relics of Maqiao Culture were discovered for the first time in Maqiao's Yutang Village in December, 1959. The site has been surveyed four times from 1960 to 1997.

The excavated area covers 5,317 square meters, where more than 1,000 pieces of cultural relics have been excavated. They range from pottery, stone and bone utensils to a few bronzeware tools used for production.

The site of the relics is now Maqiao Ancient Culture Relics Park. Inside, the Maqiao Culture Exhibition Hall records the history of the ancient ridge and Maqiao Culture.

In his spare time, Gu visited places in Maqiao and recorded their transition through different times, such as that of a stone bridge across the Yutang River.

"I crossed that bridge every day when I was a school boy." Gu said. "The bridge had no rails and its surface was narrow. Later, its surface was expanded and strengthened several times."

"In 2001, it was renovated into a covered bridge and received the inscription 'Yong'an Bridge' (永安桥) from a scholar and calligrapher of our town. Now it is both a traffic way and a scenic spot."

Gu uncovered the rich history behind some familiar items, such as the ancient wisteria garden on Lincang Road, a popular place for local people to meet and relax.

"I found evidence that Dong Yiyang (1511-1572), a poet in Maqiao and a distant nephew of the beloved ancient Shanghai painter Dong Qichang (1555-1636), was the planter of the 500-year-old wisteria," he said proudly.

Also thanks to Gu and other cultural workers, the Maqiao hand lion dance, a folk art composing of lion dancing, light lantern making and acrobatics, was listed among the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage of China in 2011.

Maqiao, with its ancient civilization, is demonstrating its progress in this modern age, with its pioneering welfare housing rental neighborhood to accommodate key public service sector workers of the city, its better community operation institutes, its artificial intelligence town and leading international sports events.

The New Era Urban Builder and Constructor Home at Lane 588 Zhongqing Road is the first of its kind in Minhang.

The Lekangyuan Residential Neighborhood is noted for its herb gardens.

In front of each residential building there is a 1-square-meter "Nuan Nuan (cozy and warm) Herbal Garden," where soybean, Chinese mugwort, herba houttuynia, Agastache rugosa and other 20-plus medicinal herbs grow. In their flowering seasons, the herbs blossom and become a decoration for the neighborhood.

The prototype of the herb garden, however, was a place for dustbins of the neighborhood.

A densely-populated complex with about 13,000 residents, Lekangyuan faced the random throwing of garbage after the latest garbage sorting policy was announced.

The residents gathered and came up with the idea of a herb garden, and the township government, social welfare institutes, families, neighborhood volunteers, and social volunteers united to carry it out.

The 43 families picked the plants each would care for.

"It is the community receiving public welfare and embracing culture of traditional Chinese medicine," said Wang Kejie, head of the Nuan Nuan community planning and operation support center.

"In the next step we'll launch trials on indoor food space and health service packages related to TCM," she added.

Yang Ziliang is the founder of CellX, a lab-grown meat research and manufacturing company situated in the Maqiao Artificial Intelligence Innovative Pilot Zone.

"I like to travel in different countries and taste various kinds of food," Yang said. "Later, when I chose to be a start-up owner, I chose the arena of cultured meat."

Differing from traditional poultry and livestock raising ways that are energy and time consuming, cultured meat is nurtured from the smallest unit of a cell. Its processing is industrialized, environmentally friendly and can be tailored to diverse market needs.

"In 2022 when our technology was laboratory mature and seeking a pilot trial factor, we chose Maqiao after multiple surveys," Yang said. "CellX is preparing for mass production. It is estimated that in 2025, its first hundred-ton level cultured meat large-scale manufacturing factory will be in operation. The meat will enter the overseas market first."

The company founder attributed their achievements to the good business operation environment of the town and the advanced urban development and sci-tech concepts of the Maqiao AI Town.

Maqiao has become a technology hub housing more than 700 general AI companies.

It has released an investment guideline and AI talent life guide to introduce the history, ecology, resources, facilities, traffic and industrial policies of the town, as well as life guidance on education, entrepreneurship, accommodation, health and entertainment for new residents.

About Maqiao Town

Besides its rich history and cultures, Maqiao is noted for the Rolex Shanghai Masters. This year, the tennis extravaganza will take place in its Qizhong Tennis Center from September 30 to October 13.