Today, plans are being drawn up to restore the old building to the popularity it enjoyed in its glory days.

During the recent meeting of the People's Congress one deputy, Zhu Ronglin, proposed a complete renovation of the building. Zhu, a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, said the Great World has lost its former attractiveness in the Shanghai of today and was running at a deficit.

"The Great World cancelled its evening business hours last year, the first time since it was established in 1917," Zhu said. "That was because there are not many visitors even in the day time, let alone the evening."

Zhu proposed that the Great World be rebuilt to create a Shanghai-in-the-1930s theme entertainment park. A more sensational name for the site after the renovation could be the "Chinese Broadway". But the main idea is that the Great World should remain an entertainment center.

Zhu said: "There should be no deviation from its main business field. Turn it into a restaurant and it will surely make big money. But our main consideration is not just to make money -- it is to make money on the basis of its original function. It should feature national, historical, and entertainment characteristics."

Renovation fancies

Renovation will have to be carefully thought out as the space is limited, and the 87-year-old building can't bear too much structural alteration.

The "Chinese Broadway" plan includes Chinese folk opera shows, teahouses, and live folk culture shows. A list of repertoire programs should be drawn up like on Broadway or the Moulin Rouge in Paris. A further plan will include a large area behind the building, which is proposed to become a fashionable leisure place -- something like Xintiandi.

Although no specific plan has been put forward, many investors have shown an interest in the project. "Foreign investment is good, but we have to make sure the Great World keeps its original look," Zhu said.

The project is now included in the city's five-year development plan. One of the targets is to add the Great World as a new attraction for Expo 2010.

The 1930s was Shanghai's prime time but the city has no place where a visitor can see and experience what that era was like. The Yuyuan Garden shows Shanghai's look before 1900 when the city was starting to establish itself. The Bund shows the Western influence, while the Great World reveals the social, economic, and cultural characteristics of the city and its people.

The building, located at the junction of Xizang Lu and Yan'an Lu, is one of the three places where one can have a view of Shanghai's history. It is one of the origins of Shanghai's urban culture.

The four-story building occupies an area of more than 3,600 square meters. It changed hands from entrepreneur Huang Chujiu to gangster head Huang Jinrong and then to the Chinese Government.

Declining business

The Great World now belongs to the Municipal Youth League which uses it as a training and entertainment center for young people.

The other two places, the Bund and Yuyuan Garden are both hot scenic spots for tourists but the Great World somehow has been forgotten.

It is still open for business but only 100 to 200 tickets are sold every day. Even in the late 1940s when business had started to decline, the Great World still had 5,000 to 6,000 visitors every day.

The building has six theatres, each with a capacity of 100 to 200 patrons. Acrobatic performances take place in the open theatre behind the building. In one performance, teenage girls were dancing, each holding sticks with plates rotating on top. The small audience was about as impassive as the performers. Most looked to be of low social status and poorly dressed.

The Chongming Huju Opera Troupe was giving a performance in the folk opera theatre on the second floor. "Our audiences are mainly retirees who buy season tickets," said the director of the troupe, Shan Lifeng. For 100 yuan they can come anytime over three months.

"I come once a week, and spend a whole day in here." said one elderly woman in the front row. "They are taking longer intervals now. This place used to be packed. People sat on the floor."

Shan said: "Renovation will be a good thing but traditional opera should be kept. It is a characteristic of the Great World."

The ancient chairs and the stage area give out a fusty smell. A washroom at the far end of a hall was also contributing to the odor.

One theatre was showing an old Western movie. In another, songs, dance and a show featuring a magician was being put on. The dance hall does not open in the afternoon and a few staff members were sitting in a corner playing cards.

Other entertainment venues -- balloon shooting, signature designing, and a "fright ride" were getting the cold shoulder from visitors.

In its heyday 14 or 15 shows were going on simultaneously. China's best performers appeared on the stage. It was in Great World that some of the country's top performers made their names and established their lasting fame, such as Peking opera star Mei Lanfang.

"It is like A-mei singing in one room and F4 dancing in another," said a staff member of today's Great World.

(Shanghai Star May 15, 2003)