Professor Ruan Yisan was infuriated when he learned that an 80-year-old cinema near the People's Square was to be torn down to make way for a new cultural square compound.

The building, Zhejiang Cinema, originally named Chekiang Theater, was created by Laszlo Hudec in the 1920s, as one of the more than 60 projects the Hungarian architect designed in Shanghai.

The cultural square developer announced soon that the cinema would not be dismantled, but refurbished and used as a cinema.

Ruan, however, was dissatisfied. The professor of Tongji University and ardent advocate of historical building protection believes that the building, like hundreds of others, should have been included in a list of the city's protected historical buildings.

A staff member of the estate developer, Shanghai Jinfu Properties Co Ltd, who declined to give his name, said that there should be an open discussion about which buildings should be preserved. "You can't call it off just because one professor said so. Many other buildings, some highly valuable communities in the area, disappeared a long time ago."

That's exactly why the cinema should be preserved, because few such buildings are still standing, Ruan said.

Zhang Kun