上海是一个迅速发展的城市，城市发展过程中民居的变化过程也是耐人寻味。那么它们的演变过程中会有哪些值得探讨的地方呢？我们就要到一些相对变化进程比较缓慢的远郊去看看。
400米高度的俯视图
于是我们就来到了南汇的大团镇，大团镇对南汇来说足够大，但是因为地处边缘，不像惠南镇的改变来得那么迅速，所以可以在大团镇找到不少上海原住民的传统房子。
当初找上海早年的民居还是在徐大纬老师的指导下做的，因为她一直有一个心结，就是要搞明白上海早期民居是否只有绞圈房一种形式？
由于原来没有无人机这种视角来观察建筑，所以很难系统性的了解传统民居的奥秘究竟在哪里？所以当我有了无人机航拍的手段，就开始尽量到一些保留的较为完好的远郊去看看。
当时的无人机比较小，拿着还不算累。于是随身同时携带单反相机，又是自己开车去，尽可能地在一天的时间段里完成这些拍摄记录。
因为知道无人机因为电量的关系只能航拍一个半小时，所以做了一个拍摄的计划，先是对镇区由南向北拍了一段视频，然后在五百米高空对整个镇区拍了俯视图，接着才是降低高度后一个个点去拍摄那些老式民居的特写。
一段拍摄后，再带着单反相机走进那些小路和建筑内部逐个拍摄，最大程度的记录那些尚存的上海传统民居。
中午在饭店吃个工作餐，再给无人机充电，下午再去补充一些前面没有拍摄完整的画面，好在那时候的电子地图还比较清晰，在卫星示图模式中你可以分辨出哪些漏网的需要补拍。
我们很多老房子爱好者都喜欢早年上海的民居–绞圈房，由于早年有人发现后给它下了一个定义，同时给它一个标准的认定框架，于是好像只有绞圈房才算得上上海早年的民居。
其实根据徐大纬老师的一系列深入分析，这样的定论还是有缺陷的，因为她发现在绞圈房存在的同时期中，有一种带有小缺角的传统民居也普遍存在，而且这种建筑在上海不少远郊地区都还留存，那么否认这些建筑是上海民居中存在的意义，显然是不可取的。
那么这些带有小缺角的本地房子基本构造又是如何？为什么会在建筑的这个位置留下小缺角？
在她的指导下，我在上海较远的乡镇中找到了它们的普遍性，从现实来看它们留存的时间比绞圈房更长，那么它们是否是绞圈房的改良版？
有一点可以肯定这部分建筑是代表了上海民居演变的过程，那么在大量绞圈房消失的遗憾中，这样的建筑理应引起有关方面的重视和保护。
Exploring the Development Process of Residential Houses in Shanghai’s Outskirts
Shanghai is a rapidly developing city, and the evolution of residential housing during its urban development is a fascinating story. What aspects of their transformation are worth exploring? We need to visit some outlying areas where changes have occurred more slowly.
Thus, we arrived at Datuan Town in Nanhui. Datuan Town is quite large within Nanhui, but due to its remote location, it has not changed as rapidly as Huinan Town. Therefore, many traditional houses of Shanghai’s original residents can still be found here.
Initially, our search for early Shanghai residential houses was guided by Professor Xu Dawei, who had long harbored a question: Was the “绞圈房” (jiaoguanfang, a traditional courtyard-style house) the only form of early Shanghai residential architecture?
In the past, without drones to observe buildings from above, it was difficult to systematically understand the mysteries of traditional dwellings. Therefore, once I had access to drone aerial photography, I began visiting well-preserved outlying areas as much as possible.
At the time, the drone was small and easy to carry. I also brought a DSLR camera and drove myself, aiming to complete these shooting records within a single day. Knowing that the drone’s battery life allowed only one and a half hours of flight, I created a shooting plan: first, filming a video of the town from south to north, then taking overhead shots of the entire town from 500 meters altitude, and finally lowering the altitude to capture close-up shots of individual old residences.
After aerial filming, I would enter narrow streets and buildings with my DSLR to photograph interiors, documenting as much of the remaining traditional Shanghai residences as possible. I would have a working lunch at a local restaurant, recharge the drone, and spend the afternoon filling in any incomplete shots. Fortunately, electronic maps were still clear back then; in satellite view mode, I could identify which spots had been missed and needed re-shooting.
Many enthusiasts of old Shanghai houses admire the “绞圈房” (jiaoguanfang). After someone defined and standardized this architectural form in the early days, it seemed as if only jiaoguanfang counted as early Shanghai residential housing. However, according to Professor Xu Dawei’s in-depth analysis, this conclusion has flaws. She discovered that alongside jiaoguanfang, there was another common type of traditional residence with small angular notches, and examples of this architecture still exist in many outlying areas of Shanghai. Denying their significance as part of Shanghai’s residential heritage is clearly unjustifiable.
What is the basic structure of these local houses with small notches? Why were these notches left in their architecture? Under her guidance, I found these houses to be widespread in Shanghai’s more remote townships. In reality, they have survived longer than jiaoguanfang. Could they be an improved version of jiaoguanfang?
One thing is certain: these buildings represent the evolution of Shanghai’s residential architecture. As many jiaoguanfang have vanished, such structures deserve attention and protection from relevant authorities to preserve this part of Shanghai’s architectural heritage.
