Nostalgia in harmony
“The only thing better than singing is more singing.” ~ Ella Fitzgerald One of the best ways to experience the city is to immerse yourself in the many…
Street Stories
A tell tale sign of what used to be
This may seem unremarkable at first glance, but the location was previously a circular turret building which once housed Horn’s Imbiss Stube (Horn’s Snack Bar) and Cafe Atlantic, common…
Lining up the tiles
He had a smirk on his face that came as quick as it disappeared. A winning hand perhaps? It was hard to tell with the room thick with…
Next door, next to go
If you walked by too quickly, you would have missed her. A crowd had gathered to watch an ongoing demolition of a row of old houses. Some were…
Moving out and moving on
It was the same story. The area by Lanyi Dock Road (赖义码头) was half-demolished and residents have more or less emptied out. This family had over 20 people…
How do you view China?
If I were a romantic, I’d paint a picture of China’s social and economic contrasts. A stalwart worker poised on his bicycle, a mode of transportation that once…
Alley bend blur
“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” ~ H.G. Wells
Recounting childhood memories
This past weekend, I met with Terence Lloren who runs “Growing up with Shanghai”, a project series of sound walks with young Shanghainese who grew up in the city in…
Hello, goodbye, again and again
“You missed them. They left two weeks ago for their hometown in Jiangsu.” The neighbor shivered a little in her shapeless coat while stirring a pot of boiling…
A balloon a day…
A neighborhood market can sometimes be like the beating heart where all arteries lead to, the arteries being the longtangs or alley houses that surround it. There is…