Shanghai's merger plan gets a 'go'

Plan for districts leads to worries of cultural loss

SHANGHAI - The central government has accepted a plan to merge two districts in Shanghai, municipal government officials said on Wednesday.

Luwan district, the cradle of the Chinese Communist Party, and Huangpu district, home to the Bund area, will be merged to form the new Huangpu district, which will have an area of 20.5 square kilometers and a predicted population of 909,000.