The former Royal Asiatic Society building
Far from the maddening crowds on the Bund, the Rockbund Art Museum on Huqiu Lu (虎丘路) is a favored destination that singularly embodies the East meets West history, design and architecture of…
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The diversity of design in shikumen headers
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The Invisible Stain of Japanese Comfort Houses in Shanghai’s Lilongs
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Conversations: Jie Li on “Shanghai Homes: Palimpsests of Private Life”
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A history of the (underground) printing press in Shanghai’s shikumen
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“Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan (安源)”: A Mural in Siwen Lane (斯文里)
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Elaborate lattice woodwork in Confucius Lane (孔家弄)
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My favorite Shanghai moments for Vogue
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Neighborhoods
The simplicity in patterned wood
I’ve always liked the predictability and soothing effect of uncomplicated patterns. This was one reason why I found myself standing in front of a discreet entrance off the…
The diversity of design in shikumen headers
What makes a shikumen (石库门) header an architectural tapestry so emblematic of Shanghai? The grey stone pediment, shaped in a triangle or semi-circle, contains designs that range from the…
Conversations
Conversations: Maureen Fan on the legacy of architect Robert Fan Wenzhao
My interview with Maureen Fan about her grandfather, Robert Fan Wenzhao (1893-1979), has been long overdue. What started as an introductory email several years ago grew into a…
Behind the camera: K.S. McMullen on filming docu-fiction ‘Nail House’
I love hearing from passionate artists who reach out to share their works – photo essays, poems, short films – a reflection of their time, consideration and dedication….
Behind the Camera: Alessandro Zanoni on Shanghai’s urban landscapes
In the years of photographing Shanghai, I’ve had a chance to meet a wide array of talented photographers and researchers as enthusiastic about documenting the city as I am. They…
Latest Posts
Where is the respect?
“You can’t shoot here!” she yelped as she saw me setting up my tripod. Wrapped in a glossy pink jacket, the child was a little over 10…
Welcome to Shanghai Street Stories 2.0
Rewind a couple of months back, I was distraight to discover that a server update had disrupted my template, wiped out all my photographs and basically undone years…
Website trouble and update
I must have done something to incur the wrath of the Internet Gods because as you can tell the website is in limbo at the moment. There is…
What I am reading: Party propaganda, slogans and posters
Long-time readers may recognize the above Ruihua Lane (瑞华坊) which I have written about, particularly the mosaic-tiled public service posters that grace the walls. I had anticipated that the entire lane…
Milestones
I’m not one for marking anniversaries, personal or otherwise, not for any principled reason but mainly out of sheer forgetfulness. Perhaps this is why I find it easier…
Toiling in the heatwave: whither thy subsidy?
His world was a three-block radius. Each day before the sun rose, he would wake from his dormitory bed which creaked from rusty springs. The mattress was thin…
The Chinese tourist in Shanghai
“Come on a cruise on the Huangpu River! Buy your tickets here!” a pimply teenager in a sweat-soaked vest droned loudly into the bustling crowd, “Our deals offer…
Melancholic tang poetry on shikumen walls
Somewhere in the labyrinth of shikumen lanes between Jinan Lu (济南路) and Hefei Lu (合肥路), the soundtrack of longtang living was underway: the clanging of spatulas against sizzling…
What I am reading: Urbanisation, urbanization
Since arriving in Shanghai more than 4.5 years ago, I’ve watched the concrete jungle of the financial district grow, shedding layers of retro 90s space-ship like architecture for…
My pick of Shanghai’s cafes: A SPRMRKT collaboration
In addition to my current exhibit “Bazaars of Kyrgyzstan” at SPRMRKT which runs through to September, I wanted to share a little about a creative collaboration I did with SPRMRKT’s…
An evening with Liu Heung Shing on 23 July
Photographer: Liu Heung Shing Some of you may know that I double-hat as an organizer of a policy-oriented speaker series for Young China Watchers here in Shanghai. I’ve very…
“Bazaars of Kyrygzstan” exhibit in Singapore 12JUL
If you’re in Singapore this Friday, 12 July at 6pm, and fancy a tipple while listening me drone on about Central Asia, come on down to SPRMRKT (2 McCallum…
What I am reading: The Chinese photojournalist
Most major Chinese news sites have adopted the large photo essay format similar to Boston Globe and The Atlantic. But it is rare to encounter photo essays that are well-shot…
A book on Hudec’s most iconic architecture in Shanghai
On my way to the Rockbund Art Museum for coffee this past Sunday, I strolled by the distinctive and imposing Christian Literature Society Building and the China Baptist…