Behind and right next door to the glitz and glamour of Shanghai, real people live their real lives in the old lanes. The first shock you get walking through the very old parts of town is the extreme narrowness of the alleys and the very small size of the overcrowded rooms people call home. It is quite a wake up call that I make sure I take myself through at least once a week so as not to be fooled by the fake reality that expats tend to exist in in a place like Shanghai.
I used to live in New York City and always thought: too many people, too little space, overcrowded, claustrophobic. And then I moved to China.
It is quite difficult to describe in words and even in photos the amount of space people have to fit their lives inside of in a city like Shanghai. It is even more difficult to perceive if you have lived part of your life in a western standard home with a garden and space. I have seen some homes in city lanes, where a whole family lives in one small room with barely any room to move. Sinks and bathrooms are shared outdoors and naturally laundry is hanging in any space that is left over in the lane, on trees, on fences, electric wires, and on light poles of street intersections. Yes, overpopulated for sure…