In a modern Chinese city the old is dispersed amongst the new. Skyscrapers can be seen peaking out from between the roof tops in a Chinese garden, as a backdrop for a bridge that we have seen decorating Chinese crockery that is ancient, and from within the Forbidden city again the city impinges on the old palace.
The old, unless of historical significance, is quickly being replaced by new. To see what looks to be a shanty town in the middle of the city will soon be a thing of the past.
Areas like these are being razed to the ground and new apartment blocks are being erected in their place. The teams travel from site to site, living on the job and from destruction to end of construction is only a matter of weeks.
With most looking similar in appearance, putting me in mind of the old Malvina Reynolds song written about the housing that was being constructed in the 1960s.
For me, although I was awestruck by the high rise in Shanghai by both day and night
it is the old buildings that intrigue me most. The China that I read about as a child. The Grand canal, a feat of an early Sui emperor (604 – 609) – an amazing piece of engineering and linked major cities to each other for trade. The smaller canals all linked to it and here people lived in some ways as they had for years but on a close look some luxuries such as air conditioning exist. A great co-existence – the new with the old.
Thanks to Amy for creating The Old and New Challenge for Lens-Artists
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Great contrasts, Irene. You picked a perfect site. The old structures are fascinating, I agree.
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Thanks Patti. Yes they give you an idea of a life that is so far from what we are used to.
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Excellent choices for this theme, Irene. The old and new contrasts are all beautifully captured.
Thank you for joining in. 🙂
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Thanks Amy. I enjoyed the challenge immensely. 😀
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Excellent. I love antiquity, but I’d love to see Shanghai someday for it’s ‘tres moderno’. 🙂
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Shanghai is well worth a visit. I would return as we didn’t see half of what we could have seen.
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I enjoyed your variety of old and new. The photo with the ferris wheel really highlights the contrasts and plays into the circle shapes under the bridge. Really nice! I wonder how the people feel about all the changes.
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Thanks. They seem to have embraced the change. It was strange as I was expecting it to be noisy, dirty, polluted etc and if the trip hadn’t been cheap we probably would not have chosen to go to an Asian country – however, we were stunned at how clean, modern and ordered it was. Having flown out of Sydney it made us think Sydney was the third world city. I’m sure we would have seen differences if we had gone further west into the countryside.
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I think you’re right Irene, China offers the best possible place to see the contrast between old and new. When we were there I was happy to learn that they are preserving some of the old hutongs which have become very popular with tourists. It was one of my favorite places in Beijing. I also loved Shanghai which looked like something from future-world! Thanks for the very fond memory.
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Thanks Tina and glad to bring back memories of your visit. I’m glad they are preserving them as well – nice to see how it was and seeing what was the memories of stories from my childhood
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Amazing photos of lifestyles I can’t imagine – and in many cases, would never want to live. That warren of added on chicken coops balanced over nothing – nothing at all. Taking space from the sky – a strange twist on vertical real estate – maybe of a new skyscraper. You’ve really captured the contrast well.
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Thanks and second that: I am glad I don’t have to live like that but I do enjoy the contrasts and seeing things I would never see at home.
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