Century-old buildings in Shanghai, temporarily relocated in-whole to accommodate underground construction, have been laid back on their original site in an impressive feat of engineering involving over 400 carrying robots stepping in sync.
The buildings, weighing 7,500 tonnes and covering an area of 4,030 square meters, were originally built in the 1920s and 1930s in the Shikumen architectual style -- a distinctive fusion of Western elements with those of traditional Jiangnan-style residences from the southern region of the Yangtze River Delta.
For decades, they have stood in the city's Zhangyuan cultural and historical block as the best preserved and most diverse Shikumen building complex in Shanghai.
Efforts to move the building complex back into place began on May 19, with a total of 432 small crawler-type transporting robots moving the complex as a whole at an average speed of 10 meters per day.
To accommodate the construction of a ground-level roof for a 53,000-square-meter underground complex, the buildings at Zhangyuan had originally been moved away in whole due to their large number and density, which left no space for renovation and repairs.
Robots move historic Shikumen buildings back to original site in Shanghai
A Japanese expert warned that rising oil prices are beginning to slow Japan's economic recovery and push up overall prices, and that tapping national oil reserves is not a long-term solution.
Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday as concerns over supply mount amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The measure, announced by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a meeting of relevant Cabinet members to discuss ways to cushion the impact of the tensions in the Middle East on the Japanese economy, comes after Japan started releasing oil from private-sector stockpiles last Monday.
Masatoshi Kojima, a professor in the Department of Business Administration at Momoyama Gakuin University, said the policy assumes the Middle East crisis will end soon; if it doesn't, the policy will require a dramatic adjustment.
"In fact, I don't believe that the current policy (of releasing oil reserves) is sustainable in the long term. The policy currently rests on the assumption that the crisis in the Middle East will end soon. If it drags on, I think the policy will need significant adjustment," said Kojima.
On the economy, Kojima warned that continued rises in crude oil prices would put long-term pressure on Japan.
"The Japanese economy is recovering steadily, but ongoing Middle East tensions could have a major impact. If the crisis is resolved quickly, the damage will be limited. However, given the uncertainty, if consumers and investors start cutting back, the economic fallout could be far greater than expected even after the tensions end," said Kojima.
Releasing state oil reserves not long-term solution for government: Japanese expert
