PHOTOGRAPHS BY YULONG (宇龍)TEXT BY LIU JUE (劉玨)

ANCIENT APARTMENTS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY YULONG (宇龍)
TEXT BY LIU JUE (劉玨)

An apartment complex with nearly a century of history is doomed to disappear

即將消失的百年民國(guó)公寓

When Tang Xiangting, the founder of Lixin Cloth Factory, built these apartments in 1919 for his senior technicians, they were the talk of the town and envy of all. Located at the fl ourishing Lixin Road where the biggest textile factories of Wuxi bustled with activity, these two-f l oor wood and brick apartments could hold up to 270 families and were a symbol of modern, industrial life in the early Republic of China.

Today, these apartments remain distinct largely because of their ramshackle appearance, rendered wrecks by the mere passing of time, but this ancient apartment block still houses an active community. Consisting of the descendants of Lixin workers, now retired seniors and migrant workers seeking their fortune in the city, the Lixin apartments are home to many, including one famous 103-year-old resident. Any past glory is long gone now, with industrial upgrades and the migration of the manufacturing center in Wuxi. The low rent keeps residents here even if it means they have to walk the narrow alleys, use public conveniences, and sleep under crumbling roofs that are now almost a century old. To outsiders, life here is bleak and diff i cult, but walking among the people reveals a surprisingly lively and peaceful side to this ancient block: birds chirp, dogs bark, and the elderly idly chat under the sun with their grandchildren playing nearby; occasionally, a motorbike carefully passes through. At dinner time, families set up tables outside whenit's warm and talk to their neighbors—a lost community in this hurried age.

RESIDENTS MILL ABOUT THEIR NEAR-CENTURY-OLD NEIGHBORHOOD

Despite the optimism, danger lurks in the tranquility; these apartments are crumbling, with cracks spread across the walls, not to mention the broken windows and decayed wooden stairs. Not far away, the Grand Canal threatens to fl ood the whole area every rainy season. In 2012, the local government decided to relocate residents and renovate the area. This year, with all families having signed their relocation agreements, this near-century-old apartment area will be torn down. As the residents march toward their new life, future generations will be left with only photographs to understand the rise and fall of the Lixin apartments and the era of city history they represent.

A PHOTOGRAPHER WALKS THE CRUMBLING ROOFS OF THIS SOON TO BE DEMOLISHED AREA

FOR THOSE LIVING IN THESE ANCIENT APARTMENTS, LIFE IS STILL SIMPLE

MODERN SIGNAGE AND VEHICLES BELIE THE ANCIENT INTERIOR OF THESE ONCE HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER APARTMENTS

THE ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF THESE CRUMBLING APARTMENTS LEAD A LEISURELY LIFE

DRYING FISH OUTDOORS IS A COMMON PRACTICE HERE

CHARMING AS THEY ARE, THESE ONCE GREAT APARTMENTS ARE SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION

A LOCAL WOMAN RIDES DOWN THE NARROW ALLEYWAYS OF THESE APARTMENTS, ONCE THE PRIDE OF WUXI