By Ren Yibin

On 15 September, the reporter noticed that at the old workers’ quarters in Tangzha ancient town, renovation work was coming to the end. Person in charge of Nantong Tangzha ancient town protection and development Co., Ltd introduced that after renovation, the old workers’ quarters’ inhabitation function will be restored, some part will be built as experience halls for exhibition.

More than 100 years ago, entrepreneur Zhang Jian founded Dasheng Cotton Mills in Tangzha ancient town. To solve the inhabitation problem of middle management and engineering staff of the plant, staff’s living quarters – old workers’ quarters were built in Xishi Street to the north of the plant. The workers’ quarters face south. There are 6 houses, 3 two-storey houses and 3 one storey houses. It is brick and timber structure Chinese building. The floor area is 3220 square meters. The old workers’ quarters are historical buildings of Nantong now.

Since Tangzha ancient town historical building protection and renovation and infrastructure facilities update project was started in 2016, obvious progress was made. According to the design plan of Architects and Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University and world heritage research center of Shanghai Jiaotong University, the project focuses on ‘eat, stay, transport, travel, shopping, entertainment’ six tourism elements, restored historical cultural sites such as ‘Tangjiaxiang cultural leisure area’, ‘Dada electric rice mill company old site’, ‘Xinming alley’, ‘Fuxing alley’, ‘Dukou alley’, ‘Beishi street shopping street’. The total renovated and altered floor area is 40 thousand square meters.