Anting New Town is part of the project One City, Nine Towns which was
initiated by the former mayor of Shanghai. In order to reduce the
increasing urban density of Shanghai the mayor invited international
architects and urban designers to develop themed replica villages in
style of their own countries. Most of the new towns were designed as
copies of historic European townscapes. Anting New Town however is the
attempt of AS&P to portray a contemporary German City.

The film follows the construction of Anting New Town, a satellite town
near Shanghai, which was planned by the German architecture firm Albert
Speer und Partner. The town is the realization of a ‘German city’ in
China. The film documents parts of the empty city that have been
appropriated by the current inhabitants. These appropriations often do
not match the original intended functions of the spaces.

The future of architecture is more than buildings.