The sun at three or four o'clock is in Foley, Foley.

"Beijing Siheyuan, Shanghai Shikumen", the daily life of Shikumen was once the warmest memory of Shanghai people. Nowadays, there are many high-rise buildings, and the life in the old Shikumen alley is drifting away, but the memory can't be erased. So photographer Jiang Qing and Zi made a special trip to visit the alley in Shanghai and made it into a "cultural map". In this issue of Disappearing and Rebirth, the reporter of Life Weekly will walk into a representative alley with happiness under the introduction of two photographers, and deconstruct the warmth and sadness of this alley life.

Text/Tang Chenghua

Shikumen

The most distinctive residential building in Shanghai. It is named after two heavy wooden and black painted doors and a stone door frame. The diversity and complexity of Shikumen folk houses have formed a unique Shanghai lifestyle, laid a unique alley culture in modern Shanghai and become a unique lifestyle different from other regions.

There are many time-honored alleys in Shanghai, which should be properly protected as Shanghai's characteristic resources and brands. But protection doesn't mean refusing to transform. It doesn't mean that we still have to live in shabby places. In my opinion, dilapidated places should be eliminated to give residents a better living environment, but Shikumen itself cannot be eliminated.

-Ruan Yisan

Crush the sun, empty the toilet, and take a bath in the public bathroom.

At eight or nine o'clock in the morning, the sun can't shine into Tongfu. Therefore, Shen Jia's grandmother often waits until noon to move out of the stool and sit in the alley to "incubate the sun". The sunshine in early spring is lazy and comfortable, and Shen Jia's grandmother squints and listens to the Shanghai Opera, Yue Opera or Huangmei Opera from Semiconductor. It's always those arias, the same old tricks over and over again. "The habit of living in an old house for decades cannot be changed." Her son Shen Zhenqing said with a smile.

Shen Jiayu moved into Tongfuli on 1973. At that time, there were 33 buildings and more than 400 families living in the alley. Squeezing around, but it belongs to the "upper corner." Tongfuli is backed by the "First Cinema in the Far East" and next to the International Hotel. "Cross the road, walk to the People's Park, and then walk a few steps, which is Nanjing East Road."

The view is also very wide, and you can see the big clock on the roof of Shanghai Art Museum diagonally opposite. For the residents of Tongfuli, this big clock represents "Beijing time" and a stable pace of life. Days, just follow the never-ending sewing. It's not easy to make a living, but at least it's sunny and the warmth between neighbors lasts for a long time.

In a blink of an eye, the Shenyang family will be 40 years old, and the Shenyang grandmother will be 90 years old.

Since the 1980s, the surrounding areas of Tongfuli have begun a process of transformation. Huanghe road has become a lively food street, with the subway 1 line passing in front of the door, the ticket price of Daguangming has increased year by year, and Nanjing Road is even more prosperous. Related to the immediate interests of residents, high-rise buildings have sprung up like mushrooms after rain-Hongxiang Building in the east, World Trade Center Building in the south, Chong Hing Financial Building in the west and Huangpu Building in the north. Their shadows came from all directions, and the sunshine squeezed out from the living room, patio and corridor, and finally dispersed and dispersed.

"Tongfuli has become a veritable low-lying basin." Shen Zhenqing said. There is no rising sun in his sight.

In the shadow of tall buildings, life has not improved. "As usual, I empty the toilet every morning and ride an old tank to work after breakfast." Because there is no independent kitchen and bathroom, cooking has to be done in the public kitchen; As for personal hygiene, either wipe your body with hot water in the basin or go to the public bathroom. "A quarter of an hour's walk. When I came back from a bath in summer, I was sweating again. " Shen Zhenqing felt that everything around him was changing rapidly, except the clock in Shanghai Art Museum and himself who had watched it for several days.

Single house, 72 tenants, colorful days.

Tongfuli has a history of more than 90 years since its completion. At that time, as a new residential style, it was still "platformized". "The structure of God is called' Three Up and Three Down'." Shen Zhenqing introduced that the so-called "three up and three down" means a living room with two wings, minus one wing called "two up and two down" and minus the living room, there is only "one up and one down".

"Of course, it is the most real and typical." Speaking of which, he is a little proud. In tongfuli, the three people were originally single-family houses, and most of them lived in gentry and wealthy businessmen. "The entrance is a patio, which is not big, but there are always bonsai such as pines, cypresses and orchids, and several plums are planted in the corner." Opposite the patio, through the partition wall standing side by side with indomitable spirit, is the living room, where people eat and receive guests, with wings and pavilions on both sides.

Tongfuli is not equipped with a separate bathroom. "Anyway, the rich have servants to serve. If you take a shower, you can go to the mixed hall, so you don't care much. "

Unexpectedly, the situation in Shanghai was turbulent in 1960s and 1930s, especially after the full-scale outbreak of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, a large number of people poured into the concession. The owner of Shikumen also accepted many relatives and friends, and the residents gradually changed from wealthy businessmen to middle class and even the bottom people. With more and more people crowded in, the appearance of a single-family house can no longer be maintained, so the interior of the house is divided, divided and subdivided, and the independent kitchen and bathroom covers are shared by several families. The pattern of "seventy-two tenants" was thus formed. After 1949, in order to alleviate the housing problem of ordinary citizens, Shikumen welcomed a large number of households. Up to now, only Tongfuli No.22 has crowded 17 households.

Despite this, people with worse living conditions are still full of yearning for Shikumen. When I was a child, Shen Zhenqing lived in my grandmother's house on Tanggu Road, located at the junction of Hongkou District and Zhabei District, near shanty towns. He dreams of living in Shikumen one day.

1964, 19-year-old Shen Zhenqing was sent to the annual oilfield as a construction worker. In the northeast, the house they live in is called "Ganji". "Put up two boards and fill them with clay, yellow sand, lime and concrete, and one wall will be completed." Later, Shen Zhenqing lived in a quadrangle in Beijing and learned to speak fluent Beijing films.

There are many places to live, so there are comparisons. Because of the different climate, the residential design in different places also has its own reasons. "Daqing is MINUS 38 degrees Celsius in winter and 39 degrees Celsius in summer. The dry base is warm in winter and cool in summer. Shikumen? That's impossible to live! " However, Shikumen is still troubled by Shen Zhenqing. He believes that living behind beautiful and elegant carved lintels and stone doorframes will bring some colors no matter how difficult the life is.

At the age of 27, the Shen family moved into Tongfuli. "I lived on the second floor at first, because my mother was in poor health and it was inconvenient to go up and down the stairs. I moved to the first floor after discussing with my neighbors. " Since then, because the unit has an office, Shen Zhenqing spent most of his time in Shanghai. After his daughter was born, he also built an attic.

Difficult rainy season, accustomed to life.

Soon entered the 1980 s. On weekdays, after dinner, Shen Zhenqing often went to the People's Park. If he has enough money, he will go to the big light to see a movie. He likes to translate movies. Those foreigners with curly hair and high nose can make him smell the "ten-mile foreign exchange". That's what my parents and grandparents call old Shanghai.

Of course, more often, he and his neighbors will surround a black-and-white TV. "Now it is often used to describe the scene when" Shanghai Beach "is broadcast, which is actually not accurate enough." Shen Zhenqing said, "Some people took out their TV sets for everyone to enjoy, so as soon as Shanghai started broadcasting, the alley was crowded with onlookers." Soon, color TV began to spread to ordinary people. Life is becoming more and more colorful.

However, Shen Zhenqing suddenly felt that life was bleak. 1992 officially moved the registered permanent residence and working relationship from Beijing to Shanghai. "Calculate, give up a lot of things, and the loss is quite big." But after all, you have to return to your hometown. At that time, Shanghai's economy developed at a high speed, and the surrounding areas of Tongfuli were earth-shaking. However, Tongfuli itself shows no signs of taking off. "The only change is probably that the interior of the building is more dilapidated."

Shen Zhenqing told reporters that the surrounding high-rise buildings had a great impact and vibration on the old house in Tongfuli during the construction process, so that the roof sank, the room tilted, the walls cracked and the doors and windows were deformed. Due to the destruction of the mildew-proof layer, every rainy season, this day has become an out-and-out "torment." Shen Zhenqing really can't feel the word "fu" in Tongfu.

But after so many years, only 1 No.-9 was demolished, and everything else remained the same. Affordable housing may be a way out. However, Shen Zhenqing and his wife have retired and do not meet the conditions for applying for a loan. Their daughter has just worked and can't afford the loan. I can't make up my mind because of another worry: even if I move to a new house, can my mother adapt to the lifestyle outside the alley? He's ambivalent.

As one of the few time-honored hutongs in Shanghai, people go to Tongfuli every day. Living in a house that others regard as poetic, Shen Zhenqing sighed rather sadly: "The wonderful world seems to have nothing to do with us." Towards noon, Shen Jia's grandmother climbed out of the stool to bask in the sun as usual. This time, Shanghai Opera comes from Semiconductor: "Open a window for you ..."

Discover Shikumen map

Jiang Qing and Xi Lei Wen spent about five years visiting hundreds of alleys and taking countless photos. In March this year, Tongji University Press published the book "Shanghai Lane Cultural Map: Shikumen".

The idea of making this book came into being in 2006. Previously, as a designer, Jiang Qing and a photographer's mat shuttled through the alleys of Shanghai and took valuable shots. After a long time, they want to find a guide book for Shikumen. "It turned out to be professional, and there is nothing to understand." So the two decided to compile a "Shikumen map" by themselves.

During so many visits, Shenyang left the deepest impression on them. "From the beginning of the alley, Mr. Shen introduced the houses in Tongfuli one by one." Jiang Qing said. Shen Zhenqing's enthusiasm and memory impressed him deeply. Tong Fuli's authentic life in Shanghai Lane also made him feel quite excited.

Tongfuli was built more than 90 years ago and now belongs to the second-class old lane. The reporter was informed that this standard was determined in the 1990 s. At that time, the dwellings were divided into six categories: apartments, garden houses, staff houses, new alleys, old alleys and simple houses. "Second-class old alley" is a kind of old alley, which is slightly better than "first-class old alley".

However, Jiang Qing and Xi Zi are more focused on beautiful things. Their photos fully highlight the external structure and details of Shikumen, as well as the clean and lively scene inside, which is bright and lively on the whole. "We want to leave a memory for Shikumen in old Shanghai. These are the most daily life in Shanghai. " Jiang Qing said.

Interaction: looking for the disappearance and rebirth in life

When I was a child, every township had projectors and generators. Villages and production teams take turns showing movies with the same title, and it is a production team once a year, just like the Spring Festival. The fare is very cheap, 50 cents a game.

Yaya: Going to the theatre is the main cultural activity in our place, and it is a good memory of my childhood. The children in the village are always happy to fart around the stage. Although they don't fully understand it, they can pretend to take two steps and hum.

Empty Valley Youlan: Every New Year, there is always a long queue to fry popcorn. The fragrant and sweet taste is unforgettable so far, but it is not easy to fry popcorn now. It's hard to see people frying popcorn again. The popcorn left us.

@ Yiping Qingshui: Now speaking of Shikumen, only yellow wine bottles are attached.

@NightLing: Shikumen is like a romantic past.