Demolition in Shanghai

This blog post's credit goes to my dear friend Amy Seago, who came to visit me in China this year. After touring a few art galleries in a hipster district in Shanghai, we came across this scene. Graffiti covered the walls that concealed what looked like a parking lot at first, but upon closer glance, we found that it was the site of an old neighborhood that had recently been demolished.

I loved the way that the two old houses that were still standing could be seen against the backdrop of the towering apartment buildings that would soon replace them.

Upon closer glance, we realized that there were people still living in the houses, just like the squatters in the "already evicted" houses in Old Nanjing. The lot reminded me of my neighborhood in Nanjing. The pictures represent countless other neighborhoods, legacies, lives, histories, and stories that have been demolished in the rush toward rapid urban redevelopment spreading like wildfire across China.

Eviction notice on the front door

Graffiti artist

Police car

Amy!