The Shanghai Slaughterhouse of 1933

For those fascinated by the world of bizarre architecture or those that love a little bit of low-impact (i.e.: safe) urban exploration, the city of Shanghai in China has a hidden gem in the form of an old slaughterhouse.  The slaughterhouse is located within the Hongkou District but the architectural design is actually of British origin.  Since its original purpose, the large building has been repurposed many times and today exists in a half-abandoned, half-used state the provides for an interesting walking tour.

The slaughterhouse was first erected in 1933 and this bizarre, four-story concrete structure looks like something that was designed via collaboration between classic communist planners and M.C. Escher.  The interior is almost maze-like in its set-up.  The stairways, ramps and bridges that connect the various rooms and levels were all put together for the express purpose of controlling the flow of traffic, both human and bovine, and the result is somewhat surreal.  Nothing is uniform and there was little attention paid to aesthetics, leaving the entire structure as unfinished concrete with exposed pipes.

Transformed after its years as a slaughterhouse, the building has seen incarnations such as a medicine factory, a cold storage facility and more.  It finally fell into disuse and was only recently restored in 2008.  Today it acts as a bizarre creative industry and shopping location.  Some of the shops there have been upgraded and redecorated to look less like the original structure, while others simply moved in right on top of the concrete, letting the atmosphere make itself.

The contrast between the developed and the historical, along with the unique architecture and aesthetics, makes the old slaughterhouse an interesting place to explore and a great place for photography.  If you’re into architectural anomalies and happen to be in Shanghai anytime soon, you should check it out.  The city itself makes a nice vacation destination and the slaughterhouse is but one of many interesting sites to see while there.

Shanghai Slaughterhouse photo courtesy of Kgbkgbkgb via Wikicommons

Slaughterhouse Stairwells courtesy of 3dtourchina.com