The old alleys of Shanghai with their unique way of life, tradition and charm are slowly disappearing to give way to the fast invading modernism of this great metropolis. This little boy and I had a brief staring contest, and he won.
Tag: modernism
You can see it every day in this city, a new demolitions site, another traditional neighborhood condemned to destruction and giving way to the race for a future city of sky scrapers. Imagine having to pack up all your belongings on a whim and move to a new world with no history, no character and no choice.
Nothing left to say…
Walking around the streets and alleys of Shanghai, I love to meet old people, the ones that represent the China that I had read about before moving here, the China of movies, of books and historical documentaries. And these people are still there, walking with their fans, with their tiny previously bound feet, with their age old traditions and they drift on the shores of the huge sea of modernism that is taking over China. And I wonder, how long will there be tai chi in the streets, mahjong in the parks, pajamas worn in the city, bird cages filling the park, crickets in tiny cages for good luck… when will all this start to become a thing of the past giving room to the ipod carrying new generation?
I feel so lucky to be witness to some of it that still lives on in the very few…