The Shikumen Obituaries, Greater Shanghai Map and Reporting on Japan

— Ever wonder what an ongoing obituary for Shanghai’s old shikumen and houses looks like? Xi Zi (席子) has been compiling an ever-expanding photographic list of before and afters of beautiful structures in Dongjiadu (董家渡), Wujiang Lu (吴江路) where the food street used to be, Fengyang Lu (凤阳路) and many  more. Have a poke around his archives. The memory of Shanghai’s most iconic shikumen, in all its diversity and architectural uniqueness, is rapidly fading.

— The intrepid Ms Old Shanghailander (deceptively named, she is young and most lovely!) has posted a walking map of Greater Shanghai, detailing a few key landmarks worth exploring. Spring is here and perfect for a vigorous stroll. So go forth and discover what the city has to offer.

— In sadder news, the devastation and growing death toll in Japan continues to be heart breaking. Do considering donating for every bit helps, one possible NGO is the Japan Red Cross. In addition to the many courageous individuals cooling nuclear reactors and searching for survivors and bodies, journalists and photographers are braving harsh conditions to bring us images and information.

The Guardian’s photographer Dan Chung who just returned from Japan, offers “a revealing and thought-provoking analysis of the aesthetic, logistical and reporting challenges he faced working in the disaster zone”. A key debate emerges on whether Dan’s use of “cinematic journalism” was appropriate for spot news reporting.

This was put together by the prolific David Campbell who is a lecturer for the  MA in International Multimedia Journalism located at Beijing Foreign Studies University and run in association with the University of Bolton. I’ve learned a great deal from David’s probing analysis and lectures he has shared online, and encourage anyone who want to learn more about the philosophy and processes of photojournalism to read more.