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“Shikumen” Lane Houses Are Being Torn Down Across Shanghai, And I Wanted To Capture These Historic Streets Before It Was Too Late (22 Pics)
My name is Cody Ellingham, I am a photographer and nightcrawler from New Zealand. The aging and ornately beautiful "Shikumen" lane houses were being torn down across Shanghai, and I set out on a mission to capture the historic streets before it was too late.
I have embarked on a project to explore the disappearing communal Shikumen lane houses unique to Shanghai’s oldest districts, as part of my Shanghai Streets series.
More info: codyellingham.com | Instagram | Twitter
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Final score:
59points
lkthorlyn23 3 years ago
They've already torn down all the old neighborhoods in Beijing...very sad
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
Comparing what was to what is, only proves that we are loosing our individuality, cultures, and way of life to a homogeneous future that history has proven unsustainable.
In the old days, the city was split into three areas: the French Concession, the International Settlement, and the Laoximen Chinese district. Much of the former French Concession retains a European vibe – the terrace houses and tree-lined avenues could be Barcelona or Paris, but they are not. This is China, with its noisy meat markets, modified electric motorbikes, bundles of live wires dangling from rooftops, humming neon lights and a dense smog reflecting the changing city below. Card games and shops sprawling out onto the street give it a community atmosphere. Nowhere is this more clear than in the lane houses of Shanghai, the oldest type of which are called Shikumen.
The structures, partly inspired by the Chinese ‘Hutong’ style housing of the capital and heavily influenced by French and British colonial and art deco styles, were built in their thousands between the end of the 19th century and World War Two.
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#2
Final score:
49points
#3
Final score:
41points
Horizon 6 years ago
This would make an amazing poster for wall art!! Love the juxtaposition of old and modern - the neon lights, like a throwback, which it really kind of is - my childhood with these colors. I love that you’re taking these photos! Save the history.
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
I wonder how many of these new buildings will still be standing over a century and a half later?!
The name Shikumen comes from the brick or stone gateway at the entrance to these communities. A sophisticated entrance meant a sophisticated family behind it, and it is these lane houses that make Shanghai. Almost all of the original nineteenth-century examples are lost, with the vast majority being post-World War One specimens. But even for these, time is running out.
#4
Final score:
39points
Sue Hazlewood 3 years ago
Since it is partially demolished of course it doesn't
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Sarah Schoenhaar 6 years ago
The juxtaposition of this photo is what really makes it stand out.
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
Yet they have withstood the forces of Mother Nature for over a century!
#5
Final score:
37points
Chris Miilu 6 years ago
Only an electrician could make a serious comment on all the wires strung on these homes. They look like unregulated dangerous wiring, tragic accidents waiting to happen.
Courtney Christelle 3 years ago
That's the first thing I noticed and funny enough my dad is an electrician.
Load More Replies... Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
Do many people die or loose their homes in fires due to the wiring? No, amazingly. Nor are they all without electricity very often, being confined to a few at a time.
RaroaRaroa 6 years ago
The wiring in Bangkok was like this. It's as if each building runs its own wire from the source to their house/building.
There is a distinct vibe walking through the lane house areas that are still inhabited. You hear the Shanghainese dialect pouring out of windows and many of the older people do not even leave the lane houses, everything they need is in the community. And for anything else, there are men who stand near the notice board who they can pay to go out to run errands. There is a sense of a time slip, which makes the scene of demolition more powerful. Some areas have become gentrified, cleaned up, and made into boutiques, all of which lose the essence of what these places really are.
#6
Final score:
35points
Janine Randall 6 years ago
I guess there's no preservation for Historic Buildings? Although 1928 is probably not very historical for them
Bored Fox 6 years ago (edited)
Same problem is in many European countries - there are just too many historical buildings so anything that is built in 1900's or later is modern enough to be demolished.
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#7
Final score:
31points
Chris Miilu 6 years ago
Is electrification in Shanghai unregulated? If you want electricity, you can wire your house in a DIY project? This is insane in a crowded street.
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
Generations of families have lived here together, supporting each other and the community. Where have they gone now, for they can no longer afford to live where they always have?
The history of the Shikumen lane houses is what really drew me to them. I remember walking along and seeing the year '1928' engraved above the entrance to a lane house and I reflected on all the things that had happened in the last 90 years. It was as if the lane house had soaked up all of that history into its worn stone walls. If I could only see what it had seen, I thought.
#8
Final score:
29points
Lyone Fein 6 years ago
That's exactly what I keep thinking about for all of these
Load More Replies... Darlene Michuk 6 years ago
That is a great pic, little scarey, but still great. LOVE LOVE the sidewalk
#9
Final score:
28points
Sterling Williams 6 years ago
I love this one. The roof will dump all the water directly down on the air conditioner !
Amr Mohamed 6 years ago
It looks like there's a gutter and piping routing down safely, but if it rains hard enough, might not be enough!
Load More Replies...I chose to photograph at night because by that time the true story of a building comes alive. In the rawness of daylight, the subtle hints of a place can be washed away but by night the details return and if you look closely you can kind of feel its true essence emerging. I carry my camera gear around me at night and somehow I feel like I can become more closely connected to the buildings when it is dark, there are usually fewer people around and the streetlights and ambiance lends itself to a more evocative scene.
#10
Final score:
27points
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
What happens to the people, businesses and families whose homes are being bulldozed for profit? How much are they paid for the loss of their livelihoods, family and community?
#11
Final score:
25points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
I love that. So much. The color of the wood. Color of the light under the awning. It makes it weirdly warm and cozy seeming even in such an open place.
It has been a while since I have been back to Shanghai and I often dream about that city. I have friends who tell me that the old parts of Shanghai in the Laoximen district are continuing to change. Though there are still plenty of the lane houses still standing, the real question is what will happen to the communal aspect of them which is really at the heart of the lane houses. The recent strict lockdowns in Shanghai appear to have left a dent in the culture of Shikumen and urban living in Shanghai. Only time will tell.
#12
Final score:
20points
Lynzi Oliver-Musto 6 years ago
It kind of makes my heart ache to think of somebody being so house proud, struggling against all that detritus and decay. Still, they have swept their "yard" and hung out lanterns making the place look like a proper home. Respect!
Load More Replies... #13
Final score:
20points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
Is that indeed someone's home?? Seems so weird to me. In a place that isn't really that isolated having your doors open like that just strikes me as odd. Honestly it is probably quite nice airflow wise and other than the photographer it doesn't look like many people are out.
KM 3 years ago
you'd be surprised at how many people all over the world live in the same manner, I've seen doors opening up to a public street in Europe as well, you walk by and pass someone watching TV or having dinner. Might seem strange if you are used to closed curtains and fences but my guess it's just a matter of habits
Load More Replies... #14
Final score:
17points
Dianna Slowey-Thomas 6 years ago
An excellent juxtaposition showing the cold blue lights and stark future on one inside of the wall, almost resembling a prison, with the warm colors and signs of freedom on the outside, soon to be destroyed.
Koalamonster 6 years ago
The color difference is really nice. That kind of red that seems to permeate many of these images set with the kind of cold blue behind it and encroaching on the red from the right and in the foreground.
#15
Final score:
17points
#16
Final score:
15points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
It looks kind of like someone hung a large piece of string art on the building on the right and it's just kind of deteriorated and crumbled under its own weight. How can you tell what wires go to what buildings?
Jon Wong 6 years ago
just scream, :" StellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!"
Load More Replies... #17
Final score:
14points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
Love these doors. I do wonder if they used to have glass or something else when they were first put up. Looks like they were just replaced one at a time which gives it a neat kind of patchwork.
Darlene Michuk 6 years ago
so wonderful to see an address and other signs like 271 ....172 who knows. Big question mark........
#18
Final score:
14points
Miranda Noble 6 years ago
i love this photo!! it took me a bit of staring to know that those are legs & feet that look so ghostly!! I love this!!
Darlene Michuk 6 years ago
What kind of theatre ? Where is it ? How do i get there...... How long does it take .
#19
Final score:
13points
#20
Final score:
12points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
That's a cool garage set up!! I mean, they have to work outside, but if they live behind it they'd have a lot more room in their house, and otherwise I imagine it saves on rent. And with the gate and the doors it's probably pretty secure.
#21
Final score:
11points
#22
Final score:
8points
Koalamonster 6 years ago
Aw, that one makes me weirdly sad. Their stuff is still on the wall but they're definitely not there anymore.
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What do you think ?
Kathy Prendergast 6 years ago
When I lived in Shanghai (I returned home 7 years ago) I loved walking around the increasingly rare old neighbourhoods in the city; even in the poorest and most rundown ones people seemed to live with a lot of dignity and you could tell they were friendly and safe communities. I would sometimes get some curious looks but never felt unwelcome there. People seemed to take pride in their homes and kept them clean and pleasant as possible. Lots of residents had small garden plots to grow flowers or vegetables. Entering them felt sometimes like stepping back in time, or entering a small rural village, where life proceeded at a slower and more natural pace.
Diver Driver 6 years ago
Yes, amazing Country. You just cannot describe China and give it justice to someone who has never been... I tell people it is over the top in so many ways. I was lucky enough to be in many cities and even country side.
Load More Replies...
Simon Kwan 6 years ago
Great photos for certain but having also lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and having been in some of these old homes, I can attest the reality is that most of these old buildings are health hazards and not up to modern standards for fire safety, plumbing, or general health such as heating and ventilation and certainly not mold. It's easy to romanticize these old neighborhoods but try actually living in them.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
Why not renovate them instead of just razing them? The neighborhoods sprang up organically just outside the downtown business and shopping district. Why not preserve at least the best of them, to give future generations some context of how the city grew. By just tearing them all down and replacing them with the same kind of skyscrapers you find everywhere around the world, you totally gut your city’s own, distinct, individual character. Who wants to live somewhere that looks like it came off some pre-packaged metropolitan city assembly line? It’s like a “McDonaldsization” of a place that used to be unique.
Load More Replies...
Lyone Fein 6 years ago
The lighting and composition is really great in these photos. Thank you for showing us this transition going on in this huge metro area of China.
Lynzi Oliver-Musto 6 years ago
Incredible pictures. So atmospheric and somehow tragic too. As I looked through, I kept thinking that they seem like some sort of cyberpunk dystopia. Then I realised what they were reminding me of. A few years ago, these pictures could easily have been mistaken as sets for the upcoming Bladerunner sequel.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
It’s not progress to break up established and historic neighborhoods, tear down housing that could have historic value, and scatter the residents to the four winds. For what? Common as dirt glitzy glass skyscrapers? No. Progress is preserving old and established neighborhoods—-improving them without falling into gentrification, which displaces residents—-and building high rises and skyscrapers where appropriate. Cities should have a flow from downtown business and shopping districts to residential areas and parks (we need more green spaces in cities), plus smaller local shops residents can easily walk to, all of which make the city liveable to everyone, not just the wealthy. Unless they’re utter slums, or just rows of abandoned buildings, then leave them be. City planners should learn how to keep the best of the old and blend it with the new. Gives a city real character. Otherwise it looks just like every other large city everywhere.
Koalamonster 6 years ago
These always make me sad in the fact that the people living there probably have very limited options for places to move to. Their homes aren't all the safest by the looks of it- but everything looks clean and like the occupants maintain them as well as they can. If we're honest though these places would already either be gone or have been extensively renovated if they were in a lot of other places.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 3 years ago
Eerily beautiful and haunting. I really like the juxtaposition between the old. I wonder where so many of these people who were pushed out of these homes end up.
Kathy Prendergast 6 years ago
When I lived in Shanghai (I returned home 7 years ago) I loved walking around the increasingly rare old neighbourhoods in the city; even in the poorest and most rundown ones people seemed to live with a lot of dignity and you could tell they were friendly and safe communities. I would sometimes get some curious looks but never felt unwelcome there. People seemed to take pride in their homes and kept them clean and pleasant as possible. Lots of residents had small garden plots to grow flowers or vegetables. Entering them felt sometimes like stepping back in time, or entering a small rural village, where life proceeded at a slower and more natural pace.
Diver Driver 6 years ago
Yes, amazing Country. You just cannot describe China and give it justice to someone who has never been... I tell people it is over the top in so many ways. I was lucky enough to be in many cities and even country side.
Load More Replies... Simon Kwan 6 years ago
Great photos for certain but having also lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and having been in some of these old homes, I can attest the reality is that most of these old buildings are health hazards and not up to modern standards for fire safety, plumbing, or general health such as heating and ventilation and certainly not mold. It's easy to romanticize these old neighborhoods but try actually living in them.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
Why not renovate them instead of just razing them? The neighborhoods sprang up organically just outside the downtown business and shopping district. Why not preserve at least the best of them, to give future generations some context of how the city grew. By just tearing them all down and replacing them with the same kind of skyscrapers you find everywhere around the world, you totally gut your city’s own, distinct, individual character. Who wants to live somewhere that looks like it came off some pre-packaged metropolitan city assembly line? It’s like a “McDonaldsization” of a place that used to be unique.
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 6 years ago
The lighting and composition is really great in these photos. Thank you for showing us this transition going on in this huge metro area of China.
Lynzi Oliver-Musto 6 years ago
Incredible pictures. So atmospheric and somehow tragic too. As I looked through, I kept thinking that they seem like some sort of cyberpunk dystopia. Then I realised what they were reminding me of. A few years ago, these pictures could easily have been mistaken as sets for the upcoming Bladerunner sequel.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
It’s not progress to break up established and historic neighborhoods, tear down housing that could have historic value, and scatter the residents to the four winds. For what? Common as dirt glitzy glass skyscrapers? No. Progress is preserving old and established neighborhoods—-improving them without falling into gentrification, which displaces residents—-and building high rises and skyscrapers where appropriate. Cities should have a flow from downtown business and shopping districts to residential areas and parks (we need more green spaces in cities), plus smaller local shops residents can easily walk to, all of which make the city liveable to everyone, not just the wealthy. Unless they’re utter slums, or just rows of abandoned buildings, then leave them be. City planners should learn how to keep the best of the old and blend it with the new. Gives a city real character. Otherwise it looks just like every other large city everywhere.
Koalamonster 6 years ago
These always make me sad in the fact that the people living there probably have very limited options for places to move to. Their homes aren't all the safest by the looks of it- but everything looks clean and like the occupants maintain them as well as they can. If we're honest though these places would already either be gone or have been extensively renovated if they were in a lot of other places.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 3 years ago
Eerily beautiful and haunting. I really like the juxtaposition between the old. I wonder where so many of these people who were pushed out of these homes end up.
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