On November 3, the six-episode documentary series "Old Houses Under the Sycamore Trees," produced by the CCTV Finance Channel, premiered in Shanghai. Using architectural heritage as a unique medium, the series focuses on typical cases of the protection of historical districts and outstanding historical buildings in Shanghai. Through the concept of "readable architecture," it vividly decodes the "Shanghai experience" in the protection, inheritance, and revitalization of cultural heritage, providing a tangible and referable model for urban development by blending history and reality.
Launch ceremony of "The Old House Under the Sycamore Tree"
"Old Houses Under the Sycamore Trees" consists of six episodes: "Relics Reborn," "A Century of Commerce," "Cultural Imprints," "Cradle of Industry," "Urban Landscape," and "City of Glory." The program will be broadcast simultaneously on CCTV-2, CCTV Video, and CCTV Finance Channel from November 3rd to November 8th at 7:45 PM, with each episode lasting 45 minutes.
Cai Jun, Director of the Financial Channel of China Media Group, attended the launch ceremony and delivered a speech. In his speech, Cai Jun said that as the national broadcaster, recording this great era and telling China's story well is our fundamental responsibility. Shanghai's exploration is a vivid example of the important concept of "a people's city built by the people and for the people." The documentary uses the imagery of "under the plane trees" and "old houses" as its entry point; seemingly small, yet actually grand. It hopes that through six episodes, it will not only showcase the physical changes in architecture but also reflect the modern leap in urban governance under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the historic improvement in people's quality of life. It aims to provide profound reflections and enlightenment from the East in balancing historical preservation and modern development.
Chen Jialing, the first researcher appointed by the China National Academy of Painting and a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, wrote the title for the documentary "Old Houses Under the Sycamore Trees".
At the ceremony, the title of the documentary, specially inscribed by Mr. Chen Jialing, the first researcher appointed by the China National Academy of Painting and professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, was displayed. Mr. Chen shared how he drew inspiration from the architectural texture and historical stories of the old houses. “This documentary was a huge inspiration and impact on me. Because I live near Wukang Road and Huaihai Road, I can personally experience the beauty and charm of the plane trees and these buildings. From various cultural perspectives, Shanghai is a window and a process of modernization. Shanghai has always been inclusive, integrating the best cultures from around the world to build this city, transforming it from ancient to advanced… The plane trees are very elegant, and their texture is beautiful. Combined with old houses of various styles, this combination is very charming, very beautiful, and very thought-provoking.”
Live Interaction
The ceremony included an interactive segment titled "Test Your Architectural Reading Skills." This segment condensed the documentary's in-depth exploration of historical research, humanistic sentiments, and institutional innovation into six questions, vividly illustrating the theme of "readable architecture" in a fun and interactive way, and revealing secrets on-site by incorporating clips from the documentary.
To ensure that this urban memory can be touched, taken away, and continued, the host announced the cultural and creative development plan for the documentary "Old Houses Under the Sycamore Trees." In the future, a series of cultural and creative products centered on the typical buildings in the film will appear in relevant offline scenarios, allowing history to be integrated into everyone's lives in a more approachable way.
