Art Deco influence on Shanghai’s shikumen
We all know that Art Deco has had a major influence in Shanghai starting from the 1930s at the peak of its Concession-era building boom. This city boasts one of the most…
shikumen
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…
Shanghai shikumens, London gables and Facebook
Things have gone a little quiet around here of late. Work has wholly consumed me for much of February, leaving very little time (and brain cells) to blog…
Private surveillance in old shikumen lanes
They watched with a deceptive air of insouciance that masked a deeper, almost territorial, wariness. Stray cats, in various hues of black, brown and ginger, rested lazily on…
A bit of London in Shanghai’s lanes
Shanghai has been enjoying spectacular weather over the last two days. Slim puffy white clouds drifted across clear blue skies, basking in brilliant sunshine. The brisk cold air added…
Shanghai’s lost shikumen and villas in 2013
When the editor over at Shanghaiist approached me to write a review of “lost” historical buildings in Shanghai in 2013, I hesitated for a brief moment. In an attempt to…
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…
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
Today’s links are all about Shanghai and China, and how the past and present influence and haunt each other. – Bai Xiaoci has been photographing his series, “I…
The life and times of an old brick in Luwan* district
Located only minutes away from the hectic Xintiandi (新天地), the desolate longtang was as barren as the silence was deafening. February’s wintery cold only added to the vacuum….