Nantou Ancient Town— witness of the city's history for millennia
Nantou Ancient Town Renovation and Upgrade is a project launched to inherit the historical context for more than a thousand years and recapture the memory of Shenzhen city. As a local emerging design studio, Various Associates was entrusted to participate in the cluster renovation of the Project led by Vanke. The studio has completed an "urban memory exhibition hall" in the core area at Nanbei Street — the demonstration section of the Project.
Designed by Various Associates
Photographed by Bruce Zhen
40-year rapid development, thousands of years of history
Situated in the heart of Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Nantou Ancient Town has witnessed the rise of Shenzhen (China's first special economic zone) from a small fishing village into an international metropolis in just four decades. However, its vicissitudes are rarely known. With a nearly 1,700-year history that dates back to Jin Dynasty, Nantou used to be the administrative center and a key sea defense fortress at coastal areas of Lingnan Region, and also the epitome of integration of Central Plains Culture and Lingnan Culture.