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Loosing their home, 2


Loosing their home, 2
Information sur la photo
Copyright: Henrik Kloppenborg (kloppenborg) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 20 W: 0 N: 69] (300)
Genre: Gens
Média: Couleur
Date de prise de vue: 2006-05-04
Catégories: Vie quotidienne
Exposition: f/4.5, 1/160 secondes
More Photo Info: [view]
Versions: version originale
Date de soumission: 2008-06-29 16:38
Vue: 483
Points: 2
[Ligne directrice - Note] Note du photographe
Last picture in my series of portraits of a family, whose home in Shanghai's Huangpu District is designated for demolition in order to construct new high-rise residential apartment blocks.

---

One of the most prominent visual facts of Shanghai is the demolition of its old neighbourhoods and buildings in favor of construction of new high-risers. Soil is a scarce resource in Shanghai, and prices have been rising immensely, since reforms allowed for speculation in real-estate.
The result is what you see here - a typical picture of what is happening all over the city.
Old-style housing, such as the longtang, lilong and shikumen are being torn down and modern-style apartment and office block are constructed instead.
The residents in the old buildings receive a proportionally low compensation. With this money, they can only afford to move hours away into the suburbs, where they loose their old networks in the centre. Many people do not want to move, but are in the end forced by local government authorities. We heard horrible stories about people being harrassed for months to move - gas and water was shut down and in some cases, thugs even beat up the residents.

There are still two families living in this house, who refuse to move. They cannot afford a new residence with the compensation of 10.000 RMB, they are offered. They were a nice and optimistic bunch, though, and I came back there once in a while to take their portraits,

Those are just some of the contradictions of the "modernization" of Shanghai's cities. Some people gain from it, many others loose.
robertosalguero trouve(nt) cette note utile
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A ddrwx2: Are you insane??kloppenborg 1 06-30 03:50
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Critiques [Translate]

So far as I know, most of the Chinese peoples support the local government and move to other palces or rent and live into another house nearby for temporary,they support the government because they will come back again about one and a half year later and will live in a new and larger and comfortable house in that high rise building for them in low price, and they like to see their old and broken houses ( not historical cultural relic ) will become beautiful high rise building, they like to see and enjoy the new development of the city. Only few peoples refuse to move because they have deep feeling to their old house remained from generations to generations of their families.Anyway,all the old and broken houses, not including historical cultural relic, will surely be destroyed and to build them into new , large, high and comfortable for the peoples to live in, such kinds of modernization development constructions of the whole social are developing very fast in China , and will surely success in the whole country sooner or later, and the vastest majority of the Chinese people support the wise decision of the government certainly, only few people haven't realise the importance of the development of the society , they will realise it soon under the teaching and correctly guided under the government but not "end forced by local government authorities"as you say above (I realy don't know to be a foreigner why should you say so and what is your attempt to attackt ? Have you the right to intervene ? ) and will not become the 'stumbling block'of the social development.

Hi Henrik

Like the composition might have benefited from a tighter crop around the subjects of your shot. Good colours and use of Depth of field.

Andy

HK, nice capture on the innocence of both subjects. Unfortunately there's some related truth to your Analogy of the situation going on in Shanghai. I've traveled there a lot for business and it's a beautiful place. Human Rights Violations has been the ongoing and rising problem for China. As one famous Chinese person once said...."You can breakdown houses and buildings but you can never breadown the will of the People."
~dRu~

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