Demolition

Demolition in China is often a sensitive, political subject, touching on the relative powerlessness of local residents in the face of omnipotent local officials. And while Shanghai has retained more of its old architecture than many Chinese cities, the relentless pace of economic development has still swept large parts of it away. As the walls are being torn down around them, they are the "last-standers", a common site on Chinese demolition sites as a few die-hard residents hold on.

Often with red flags flying, they stay, either in protest over the homes they don't want to lose, or simply in the hope of winning better rates of compensation.