Old Ningbo

Ningbo like any other Chinese city is constantly growing, adding new buildings and metro lines at breakneck speeds. The neighbourhood where I grew up as a child is such an example. The old houses have all been vacated, now a ghost town of the past. Brick and mud to be turned to glass and concrete.

The doors leading to lively courtyards housing multiple families are now shuttered.

The sun dappled streets silent and empty of any inhabitants, a rare sight in a populous city in China.

Stray cats peek from an old gate.

Those families who still live in the area make full use of their roofs to grow their own vegetables.

Soon all this will be gone. Until then, there is still a little corner available to enjoy the warm afternoon sun.