The People of Shanghai's Old Alleys

Behind the glitz of modern Shanghai, is an old alley life soaked with tradition and color. There, in those narrow lanes, below masses of tangled electric wires, hanging laundry and meat hung out to dry, the slower paced life of the real people of Shanghai awaits to be discovered. A walk through those grungy streets is always filled with surprises, unexpected encounters and most importantly, curious and friendly faces. As the city grows exponentially, these lanes get demolished gradually, year after year, month after month. I walk there every week with my camera as I strive to capture a story that is about to join the archives of human history. The unstoppable onset of modernism in Shanghai is unable to make room for the existence of alley life, and very soon, more and more high rise structures will invade the old city streets.