Gang of One

There's a famous photographer by the name of Wang Gangfeng who is known internationally for his ability to capture priceless shots of Chinese people through his photo studio, Gang of One. He grew up in the center of Shanghai, and conducts private tours through his old neighborhood, which is rapidly disappearing as Shanghai continues its race to modernize. Oh, and by the way, that's not him on the left. That's just one of his local 'models'.









Last month, I had the opportunity to go on one of these infamous tours with our visiting friends, Megan and Greg. The three hours were fascinating. While the tour lasted over three hours, Mr. Wang never strayed from the same block. The block just happens to be kitty-corner from our complex, and before the tour, we had no idea what old treasures of Shanghai were right across the street. I took a few pictures, nothing which compares to Mr. Wang's photography, but hopefully it will give you a taste of the quickly disappearing 'Old Shanghai'.









Our tour commenced at the base of a 'Shikumen' style house. Shikumen literally translates to 'stone gate', in reference to the stone gates that used to surround the houses. The style, a blend of East and West, was developed by the British and was extremely popular in Shanghai in the early 1900's. The land this particular house sits on is the site of a huge construction project.





The neighboring houses were previously occupied by renters, so the government relocated the tenants to housing of the same size further out of the city. This particular house was still standing during our tour because the family was one of the few that owned. They had been dubbed the 'nail' family, as they were as hard as a 'nail in the floor' to remove. The family was in heavy negotiations to make sure they were paid a fair price, and had been pushing back for months.









The houses were for the wealthy and in the early 1900's were often occupied by single western families and their household staff. During the communist era, the houses were taken over in some cases by up to 60 Chinese families. With the communist government giving way to capitalism, the families still share the space, but they've installed ways to make sure everyone is responsible for their own electricity and water bills.




There were too many electric meters to count to determine how many families were actually living in this particular house. These tracked individual lightbulbs, while in another area of the house, individual faucets are set up.




We marveled at how easy it would be to seek revenge on an annoying neighbor by leaving their faucet running or light bulb on.......








Other areas of the block remain intact for the moment. Mr. Wang grew up in these shikumens during the 50's and 60's and still knows most of the tenants. They welcomed him (and us because we were with him) into their homes, or more appropriately, rooms. I was surprised at how welcoming the people were. They insisted we sit down and showed us their artwork and asked to take pictures of us. The futures of these buildings are unknown, as the government has required that individual plumbing must be installed for each family (something the buildings are sorely lacking) in the next 2 years or they will be demolished and the families relocated to housing outside of the city.





























It's hard to see some of the beautiful architecture and intricate examples of Shanghai's past be demolished to make way for the modern, towering skyscrapers. But when talking to Shanghai youth or feeling the country's energetic push to develop and become a strong global econimic player, I realize it's not totally fair to expect the Chinese to forfeit their determination and desire to improve their standing and have things like modern plumbing, individual houses and cars, things we Americans have had for decades. If someone had decided that our houses were 'quaint' and 'historic' and should not be changed and modernized to make way for what seems like necessities now (hot water showers, central heating, etc.), I doubt we would have listened.




About a week after the tour, on my walk to work, I noticed the house that belonged to the 'nail family' had been torn down. It made me sad, like a piece of Shanghai history had been lost. At the same time, I hope the family made a fortune and is celebrating on a beach somewhere, or planning to invest their earnings in their children's education or something equally worthwhile. I guess to move into the future, sometimes we need to let go a little of the past.










To see more of Mr. Wang's photography or to learn more about his interesting life, visit www.gangofone.com.cn.

What The Government Doesn't Want Us to See.....

With all the protests and brouhaha regarding the release of 'The DaVinci Code' this past weekend in the States, the same film has been released in Shanghai with little protest from all parties. The movie causing the controversy on our side of the world is not the one headed by the 'life is like a box of chocolates' Tom, but by the 'couch jumping, anti-ritalin but probably should be on it' Tom, as highlighted in the attached article. Needless to say, it may be a while before we get to see big-screen images of Tom Cruise recreating our daily Shanghai routines (ex. running into low-hanging laundry, avoiding the expectorating locals, etc.) Fortunately, we live in a country with no scruples when it comes to intellectual property rights, so we pretty much have access to low-cost, high-quality DVD copies of both movies that we can watch in the comfort of our own home.

'Mission' Gets Extra Scrutiny Over Release
Shanghai Daily
Angela Xu

THE eagerly awaited film "Mission Impossible 3"- about a third of it shot in China - is being scrutinized for the third time by the State Film Bureau to decide whether and when to release it, Paramount Pictures' Shanghai Office said yesterday. One media report said it may not be shown because of a negative image of Shanghai. But the film office accused the local newspaper of fabricating a report that the film starring Tom Cruise may not be shown on the Chinese mainland because it shows an unflattering image of the city. The report said the movie, which was filmed for a month in Shanghai, did not give sufficient attention to modern life and skyscrapers and showed underwear and tattered clothes drying on bamboo poles. It also depicted the police as slow and dull, the report said. A decision on release has not yet been made. But a film insider reportedly said some unspecified lines and language by actors would have to be changed and indicated that Paramount had agreed, opening the way to release. Fang Chunhua, a spokesman of the office, said the State Film Bureau is examining the film strictly because nearly one third of it was shot in China. The film was sent for a third examination last Friday. "We will inform the media about the result as soon as possible," Fang said. "The previous report is purely fictitious." A State Film Bureau insider said some domestic film distributors had favorable comments on "Mission Impossible 3" and predicted domestic income might exceed 100 million yuan (US$12 million), according to Shanghai Evening Post. The insider said it was quite possible to show the film on the mainland, but some actors' lines need to be changed. But he did not identify them. "Mission Impossible 3" isn't the only foreign film that needs cutting and changes. The State Film Bureau decides what changes are needed to make foreign films suitable in China. "Sometimes political content, violence and eroticism are cut or changed," said Wu Hehu of United Cinema Lines, the city's largest cinema chain. So far, China doesn't have a movie rating system. If the new movie is approved, it could be released in mid-July.

When Monkeys Attack- Club Med Indonesia

Tiffany and I just got back from a Chinese Labor Day vacation, also known as May Holiday here. We spent a relaxing 5 days at Club Med in Indonesia, located just a quick boat ride from Singapore. Club Med, for the uninitiated, is like a big family camp, and everything is pretty much taken care of for you, from transportation to three meals a day, to cheesy entertainment shows and countless activities to enjoy. It was just the lazy, peaceful sort of break we were looking for. In Tiffanys case, however, Mother Nature had other things in mind.

It started well enough, we stuffed ourselves full of fresh bread and fruit at every meal, and waddled around trying all the activities from archery and swimming to badminton and pingpong.

The weather was beautiful and warm, and we were surrounded by lush, tropical greenery, with the quiet sounds of the wild replacing the noisy Shanghai construction. We read on the beach as the sun set into the gentle waves lapping at the soft, white sand.

We had been warned by the staff to keep our balcony door shut when we left, as there were wild monkeys roaming the resort. Wild, but not stupid. “They go straight for the minibar every time,” our host explained ruefully. “So smart! So smart…” he muttered in a frustrated tone that revealed the likely numerous times he’d been outsmarted by the monkeys. “But just let us know if that happens, and we will charge it to the monkeys!” he conceded with a wide grin.

Apparently, on the morning Club Med power walk, as much as guests might hope to spot a monkey munching on a banana, they were more likely to witness the clever primate downing a can of Coke for its morning caffeine fix.

That night at dinner we witnessed it first hand, as a band of monkeys took up positions along the roof of the dining terrace and watched closely for an opening to the buffet.

They seemed remarkably calm and unfazed by our presence, only backing away when the restaurant staff, who the monkeys apparently had come to recognize, approached them menacingly.

After peeking over the roof ledge and finding a clear path to the food, one monkey managed to snatch up what appeared to be a cherry Danish, before leaping away to safety.

The next day Tiffany and I went to swim with the dolphins in a dolphin preserve located on another small island outside of Club Med. It was so much fun and Tiffany got to hug and smother the dolphins with love, just as she’d always dreamed!

Everything was going great until later, after we'd gotten out of the pool, and the dolphin instructor offered to show us the monkey that the staff kept as a pet. Sandy, as they’d named the monkey, was tied to a leash in the back and came running out to greet us. After I cautiously allowed Sandy to stretch for some cake from me, Tiffany bent down to feed her. Still overflowing with animal affection, Tiffany completely ignored all basic rules of wild animal safety by taking her attention away from Sandy, and sat there holding food all too close to Sandy’s range. In a split second Sandy snapped at Tiffany’s hand, biting at her fingers.

Tiffany jerked back and luckily, no skin was broken, but a valuable lesson was learned that day: Be careful when feeding wild Indonesian monkeys.

So thankfully we escaped unharmed, but I did warn Tiffany that if I even see a hint of foaming on her mouth, I’ll have her locked up in a corn cob faster than she can cry “Old Yeller!”

A day later and we were happily swimming in the ocean when Tiffany was stung by jellyfish, across her thigh and foot. She proved to be a valuable radar safety, as she was swimming ahead of me and suddenly yelped in pain. I stopped, looked down into the water and spotted the stinging offender, and quickly stepped aside of it before coming to harm. Four people got stung that day; apparently the brief storm the night before had brought them into the shallower waters. Despite my best efforts, Tiffany refused to let me pee on her leg, and instead accepted vinegar from the Club Med physician.

The physician, by the way, probably thought Tiffany had been hexed, because earlier that day, we had stopped by his office to have him examine a rash that broken out on Tiffany’s leg. He assured us that it was probably a food allergic reaction, and handed us some anti-histamine. We never figured out what caused the reaction, but Tiffany did inhale about 3 pounds of fresh pineapple a day during our trip!

So despite Tiffany battling it out with the wild environs of Indonesia (and I think we both agreed that Indonesia was the clear winner), we had a terrific vacation eating great food and having a ton of fun with all the activities. It was so beautiful and peaceful there, and all the Club Med staff were super friendly and accommodating.

I was especially hooked on the trapeeze, which I played on for at least one hour each day, culminating in my final day when I managed two catch tricks (in which I had to fly from my bar and grab on to the instructor swinging from another bar). I am happy to post my circus exploits online, at http://www.mindobserver.com/tiffzach/ZachTrapeeze.htm

p.s. Previously we’d written about our parents and family visiting us, and the great time they all had touring through China. You can see some of their photos at http://mindobserver.com/china2006/

p.p.s. Tiffany is doing just fine, the jellyfish stings itch a bit but they and the rash are fading fast!