Explanation of Gentrification in Chinese Historic Districts, with Shanghai Xintiandi as an Example

An important form of gentrification in China is the gentrification of historic districts. This gentrification has broadly undergone three stages of development in China: emergence, decline, and rapid development. The popular way of renewing historic districts in China today has a positive effect on the preservation of historical style. However, on the other hand, gentrification can intensify the division between the rich and the poor and social segregation, which is not conducive to social stability. Most importantly, the so-called preservation of historic districts is mostly just a superficial formalistic renewal. The cultural connotations and social networks of historic districts have been destroyed. In this paper, we take Xintiandi as an example to explain the gentrification characteristics and displacement of Xintiandi historic district from three aspects: physical environment, social class and functional change. David Ley’s theory is cited here to explain the characteristics and needs of gentrifiers that lead gentrification.