Although she feels at home again after landing back in Shanghai after a two-month stay in Europe, July Li is still overwhelmed by the ancient touch of cities there. "I was absolutely impressed when I got to Rome," she said. "Every building is perfectly preserved and reminds you of history."

Her disappointment is obvious when comparing Rome with some Chinese cities. In fact, such a reflection is shared by many people who are concerned with the conflict between Shanghai's modernization and preservation of its old charm. Such concern has been continuously sounded at all levels in a wake of the tearing down of more significant old buildings as a result of unbridled urbanization.

A group of students from Tongji University has just finished a three-month survey of historical buildings in Shanghai's Jing'an District. The survey covering 4 square kilometres was supervised by Professor Ruan Yisan, known for his advocacy of protection for ancient sites. They are trying to help the municipal government have a clearer picture of how much treasure Shanghai has.

Given Shanghai's official rating of having only 398 excellent historical buildings worthy of protection, the statistics gathered by the students showed that a total of somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 buildings should be on the protection list. They recommend that before pulling down any more houses, Shanghai should investigate those built before 1949 to check on their significance to the city's architectural or social history.

The cry for protection of old architecture nevertheless is a headache for local officials. How best to preserve buildings of the old city while developing modern infrastructure has been debated for years.

Pei Ieoh Ming, the world-renowned American-Chinese architect cited Paris as a successful example. The master designer of the glass pyramid for the Museum of the Louvre said that Paris has done a good job in maintaining and restoring the ancient city on the Seine. Modern buildings are only allowed to put up outside the city's old centre. Restoration work has been done to add modern systems of electricity and water to keep the older buildings alive longer. Architecture with a built-in history has become one of the major attractions in the city.

What's more, apart from the old buildings, there is also the problem of pulling down old tall trees planted several scores of years ago. Miss Li says she is most envious of cities in Germany such as Berlin and Munich which are built among woods. She says that she has stayed in an apartment on the slope of a mountain in Erlangen, Bavaria and was waken up by birds singing every morning.

Unlike Europe where trees and lawns are usually on a grand scale, the green scenes Shanghai used to have were hidden in courtyards and longtang. Unfortunately, as old houses and small lanes give way to skyscrapers, ancient trees have been chopped down. What's left are newly planted young trees that hardly offer any shade in the sweltering summer. Helplessly, Li says she won't live to see a Shanghai with boulevards like the Champs-Elysees in Paris and the Ring Boulevard in Vienna.

Nevertheless, we can only hope that in 2010 when Shanghai hosts the World Exposition, we will be able to enjoy what remains of ancient Shanghai in a modern setting.

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