Books and resources on Shanghai lilongs, Old Town and former concessions
It’s been a long time coming but I’ve finally pulled together a list on books and websites for anyone who wants to learn more about the origins of Shanghai’s lilong and…
lilong
Conversations: Brigid Conklin on recalling Shanghai’s streets in the late 1990s
The 1990s may not feel too long ago for many of us but with the pace of modernization in Shanghai, it feels like a different era. I first…
Details that define a shikumen lane
What I love about photographing old shikumens and lilongs are the designs and motifs threaded into the exterior and interior of the buildings. How elaborate or simple, modern…
Conversations: Jie Li on “Shanghai Homes: Palimpsests of Private Life”
Jie Li’s book Shanghai Homes has been 10 years in the making. Combining memoirs and analysis of communal hardship and familial secrets, the book focuses on the lives of…
Making friends in high places: Photographing Jiuan Fang (久安坊)
“What did you say you wanted?” The old lady stared wide-eyed at me. Her granddaughter, who was diligently practicing her characters on the dining table, eyed me curiously….
Xingping Lane (星平里): Going, going, gone
Clutching my wrist tightly, she spoke with a heavy, sour breath, “You have to come back tomorrow with the photos,” and leaned closer to make her point, “We…
Life behind the wall
It can be claustrophobic in the alleys, especially when the backs of the shikumen apartments sit so closely to one another; it feels they are closing in. Hengfeng Lane (恒丰里) along the leafy…