In August, 26th year of the Republic of China (Year 1937), the Japanese imperialists occupied Shanghai and seized the Shajing Road slaughterhouse, turning it into a mandatory government-run slaughterhouse. Most of the meat animals arrived at the port were transported here for processing, looting the business of private slaughterhouses and placing them in desperate struggle.

In August, 34th year of the Republic of China (Year 1945), the Japanese were defeated and the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau of the national government took over the Shajing Road slaughterhouse and made it the No. 1 in its kind in Shanghai. It was soon developed into the largest slaughterhouse in the Far East Area and provided two thirds of fresh meat consumed in Shanghai.

On May 28, 1949, PLA Shanghai Military Control Commission marched into and got stationed in the slaughterhouse and dispatched the Department of Health of its Financial and Economic Committee to officially take over on June 8. This put an end to its colonial and concession history, bringing it finally back to the hands of Chinese people and making it really Shanghai’s No. 1 slaughterhouse that served the people. After the liberation, it became Shanghai’s main meat production and processing base, the main premise of testing and development of advanced production technologies, and also a major enterprise for food processing and international exchanges. Along with China’s reform and opening up and the economic development, the fresh meat production and processing industry was gradually transferred from the city center to the suburbs. The 1933 slaughterhouse also withdrew from the food processing industry year by year.
In 1997, Jiulong Hotel sprang up on the south of 1933.
The slaughterhouse fell into complete shutdown in 2002 and had largely lain in ruins until the renovation.

History has played magic to make this derelict building an undetected jade before giving it a new life and finally polishing it into a valued fine jade. In the Spring Festival of 2002, Mr. Xue Shunsheng, senior engineer of the former Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Real Estate and associate research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was attending the wedding reception of his niece. During the meal, the old man opened the hotel windows casually and looked down, fixing his eyes on a huge labyrinthic dome. A veteran in the cause of protection of historical buildings, he realized the dome he saw must be an old building with extraordinary history and special meaning. He then started his investigation and information collection from various resources until unearthing the whole story behind, bringing Far East’s No. 1 slaughterhouse back to people’s attention. In 2004, current Secretary-General of Shanghai Creative Industry Center He Zengqiang and Deputy District Chief of Baoshan District Xia Yu heard of the building and made their first visit here. Though ragged and broken, 1933 still impressed its visitors with its striking charm. Later, Shanghai Creative Industry Center organized several visits to study and demonstrate this building. They began to plan on how to protect and renovate this old building and how to instill into it a new life. In August 2006, Shanghai Creative Industry Investment Co., Ltd. officially started the renovation work of the building.

After nearly a year’s renovation, 1933 had a facelift from inside out. It was transformed, reborn and refined. After a head-to-toe repair from the shell to the core, it has shaken off the inglorious past and started a new life with imposing appearance and high spirit.
On August 1, 2006, Shanghai Creative Industry Investment Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Jinjiang International Industrial Development Co., Ltd. signed a leasing agreement to lease the slaughterhouse run by the formal Shanghai Municipal Council and officially kicked off the construction of 1933 creative industry cluster area.
Under the premises of bearing historical responsibilities and retaining the characteristics of historical buildings, the construction seeks to carry on the nearly one hundred years’ humanity history and architectural history of Honglou District while passing on new lifestyles and historical culture with creativity. 1933 Shanghai, with these historical buildings blended with modern fashionable elements, has become a new landmark of Shanghai. It is generally positioned as a place that absorbs the upscale and fashionable quality of Bund 18, the vitality of Xintiandi, and the artistic atmosphere of Tianzifang, combines creative experience and creative production, and assimilates interaction and inspiration.
It embodies three core elements: lifestyle, design creativity and the pursuit of knowledge. When fully occupied, it will house fashion shows, offices of creative designers, brands for custom design, educational institutions, innovative and leisure stores, bringing together artists, master designers, educators and business elites. It will be a town of creative lifestyles that balances form and content and interprets retro trend with fashion.

Now
1933 has risen from the ashes. Surviving the vicissitudes of history, it has waved goodbye to the past and with magic power of creativity, it has transformed into a space of free creation and imagination. It gathers together culture, fashion, creativity and classics, housing exhibitions, exchanges, launching events and transactions. Like a silkworm, it has now emerged as a beautiful butterfly, becoming a creative lifestyle experience center.

Boundary
North to Hailun Road, South to Jiulong Road and Zhoujiazui Road; west to Siping Road and east to Wuzhou Road.