Blasting of dock

The 140-year-old Shanghai Shiliupu Wharf at the Bund was demolished yesterday. Many local residents came to watch the destruction of this once important transportation hub at about 1 am, reported Youth Daily.

Wang Guosong, an official from the Huangpu district government, said: "A tourism centre will be established in this wharf area on the west side of the Huangpu River in three years."

This is part of a plan to remodel the Huangpu River area into a commercial and tourist centre, as well as turn it into a more agreeable place to live.

Shiliupu Wharf, once the biggest dock for passenger transport in the country, saw 6.7 million people pass through it annually in its heyday.

However, with more transportation facilities being built in recent years, it received fewer passengers.

"In 2002, it handled only around 500,000 passengers," said Jin Shuji, a manager from Wusongkou Port, was quoted by Youth Daily as saying.

All the routes that Shiliupu Wharf used to run -- to Dalian of Liaoning Province, the Zhoushan Islands of Zhejiang Province, and cities along the Yangtze River -- were moved to Wusongkou Port in the north of Shanghai last September.

Source: China Daily