My Neighborhood: Hongkou, Shanghai
the tree lined promenades of hongkou
Recently, my friend Lara came to visit me here in Shanghai. I acted like a gentleman and offered her the chance to sleep in my bed whilst I sacrificed and slept on the couch. Unfortunately, she saw right through my chivalrous ploy and realized that the couch was the more comfortable of the two. Whatever. Now that she is gone I can once again take up my rightful spot on the couch.
a starbucks and a pirate ship bookend an intersection
Her visit wasn’t all bad though, I got a chance to clean up the bathroom a bit and bought a second blanket for her to use; now that she is gone I can use it when I sleep because I am too much of a princess to sleep with only one blanket.
Hongkou Football Stadium, the beacon of light in the dark of the night, a modern noah's ark
She also reminded me how cool it is to live pretty deep down the rabbit hole here in Hongkou, Shanghai, China, and I took my camera out for a nice bike ride, or I took my bike out for a nice camera tour, right after her visit. This is real, modern, China.
I am actually a local here. I remembered how pretty my neighborhood was and how much China was hanging out right under my nose. My neighborhood at night is a pretty sweet place.
the street corner restaurants
My district, Hongkou, is a cool area with a lot of history. It is a former international settlement and just south of me was the Area for Stateless Refugees which offered asylum for Jews from the late 1800s, through WWII, up to the cultural revolution of the 1950s when the communists kicked them out again.
my trusty steed showing off under lamplights
Every night, BBQers come out and set up shop on street corners to grill meat, veggies, and breads to sell to hungry passersby. They raise mini-tables with stools next to carts full of raw ingredients to be chosen and cooked right then. The streets fill with smoke on busy nights and the smells fill lungs, and eyes, as people walk by. On rainy nights they set up tarps and hide out under makeshift tents.
I pass these places everyday and, after three months of living here, I have begun to take them for granted. The smells of morning markets full of meats and old people still linger deep into the night. When I pass by I can tell where the fish were sold and cut up right on the streets. It took a friend’s visit to reawaken my sense of adventure and wonder and interest in these places.
a house number and an alleyway
Just below my building is a rather nice looking brothel. From around 2pm to 11pm ladies sit in a front hall, dressed nicely under red lights on a couch, watching an LCD tv and waiting for customers. I look in and smile every time I walk by but they seem jaded and listless, weary faces full of ennui, eyes gazing with 1000 yard stares.
Welcome to Hongkou, my home sweet home.
