Photos

As those of you, who have visited Shanghai or seen my previous posts from there will know, it is a city characterized by immense contrasts.
Most Chinese migrant workers live in rented rooms, dormitories or even construction sites, while less fortunate Shanghainese live in old ramshackle longtang structures. Other workers in the socialist State-owned enterprises (SOEs) live in xincun neighbourhoods; grey concrete buildings from the socialist era.

The city's emerging middle, and upper-classes, however, increasingly move into "gated communities", like the one depicted here. Newly constructed high-risers, which are usually surrounded by a wall, and guarded by security guards, (bao an). These walls segregate the fortunate residents from the "noisy" streetlife outside, so that they are able to live a comfortable lives excluded from the poverty, surrounding them. These gated communities are often marketed as "oases" of greenery, tranquility and leisure (I analyzed the marketing language of a series of housing commercials from Shanghainese magazines). They also often come with full packaged services, such as supermarkets, sports facilities, pharmacies - and in the case of the larger ones, kindergardens, schools, doctors and even golfcourses. In that way, these "oases" represent at least two tendencies in Shanghai: 1) The government's attempt (in cooperation with private companies) to construct an image of Shanghai as a "civilized" city characterized by prosperity. This takes focus away from social and political problems. 2) The construction of "insider" identities for those rich enough to be able to consume the new housing. These "insider" identities gain their meanings in relation to the "outsiders", they exclude.

Housing constitutes yet another area, where increasing differences between rich and poor are manifested in Shanghai - as well as the rest of China.