The photograph documents a traditional neighbourhood between Kong Jia Mu Qiao Road (孔家木桥路) and Shen Jia Zhai Road (沈家宅路), opposite Shanghai North Railway Station, shortly before its demolition. The street is filled with pedestrians, bicycles, roadside shops, and densely packed low-rise dwellings, capturing the everyday activity of a neighbourhood facing rapid urban change. Tung spent two weeks photographing the area and its residents after learning that the settlement was to be demolished as part of Shanghai’s urban renewal. The work records not only the physical character of the neighbourhood but also a way of life at a moment of transition, reflecting the disappearance of traditional urban environments amid modernisation.
A Shanty Town in Shanghai, China
Year of execution: 2008
Year of acquisition: 2024
Medium: Photographic prints
Dimension: 28.5 x 39 cm
Gift of the artist
Artist(s)
Tung Yue Nang 邓汝能
