When raindrops blurred Shanghai's skyline, the entrance to 1933 Old Millfun emerged like a time capsule. Built in 1933, this former abattoir is the only surviving Art Deco-Bauhaus hybrid in the city.
Originally designed with wide spiral ramps for livestock, labyrinthine corridors to muffle panic, and skybridges connecting five floors of raw concrete, it now pulses with creative energy. Photographers chase dramatic shadows along its curves, artists repurpose its industrial bones, and coffee-loving crowds fill sunlit nooks once meant for processing meat.
Visitors say the building seems to absorb you, drawing you deeper into its concrete embrace. Adaptive reuse has become a hallmark of Shanghai's urban vision, bending the past into new forms instead of erasing it. Here, history isn't buried under glass towers – it thrives beneath vaulted ceilings and weathered walls.
For global travellers and digital nomads, 1933 Old Millfun offers more than a photo op. It's a live case study in sustainable citybuilding, a narrative of resilience and reinvention. Next time you're in Shanghai, step inside and experience how the city's industrial ghosts have been reborn.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
