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.