BEIJING, June 2 -- The State Council crowned
three more buildings in Shanghai -- Longhua Pagoda, Moller Residence and Park
Hotel -- as key national cultural heritage sites, Xinhua news agency reported
today. They are included in the sixth list of national cultural heritage sites
that was published last week.
Located in the city's southwestern Longhua Temple,
Longhua Pagoda dates back to 977, at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty.
It is one of the oldest pagodas in South China. The seven-story pagoda is 44
meters high, square in shape and is made of brick and wood.
Now serving as Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel, the
unique Norwegian-style home used to be the private residence of Nils Moller, a
British merchantman in the horseracing buisness in Shanghai. The house was built
in 1936, boasting steeples, uneven walls and upward eaves.
Shanghai Park Hotel, built in 1934, was the highest
architectural structure at that time in the city. Designed by Hungarian
architect Laslo Vodac, it is well-known for its elegant fa?ade and luxurious
interior. Later renovations resurrected an Art Deco style in the building.
The State Council announced 1,080 countrywide
cultural heritage sites in its sixth list, including 220 ancient remains, 77
ancient graves sites, 513 historical architectural works, 63 caves and carved
stones and 206 contemporary buildings.
The previous lists consisted of 1,279 sites, among
which 16 are in Shanghai, including the collection of architectural pieces at
the Bund, Yu Garden, the former residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Soong
Ching-ling and the grave of Lu Xun.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)