shanghai's nail neighborhood

PowerPoint Show by Andrew

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In a corner of Shanghai, surrounded by a cement wall, lies one of the world’s most valuable fields of debris and garbage. On paper, the Guangfuli neighborhood is a real estate investor’s dream:

a plot in the middle of one of the world’s most expensive and fast-rising property markets. But the reality is more like a developer’s nightmare, thanks to hundreds of people living there who have refused to budge from their ramshackle homes for nearly 16 years as the local authority sought to clear the land for new construction

“Nail House” phenomenon: residents who refuse to accept the buyout offer and stay put, boarding up their homes to fend off attempts to remove them.

Li Guoqiang talks on his phone outside his house at Guangfuli neighborhood, in Shanghai, April 1. Li, 38, is a deliveryman who rents a place at Guangfuli.

A view of old houses surrounded by new apartment buildings in Guangfuli neighborhood in Shanghai, China, April 8.

A boy rides a tricycle in between semi demolished houses in Guangfuli neighborhood, in Shanghai, China, March 28.

A man shaves on the second floor of an old house in Guangfuli neighborhood in Shanghai, China, April 1.

A man surnamed Xu, 50, walks past a house carrying the Chinese character “Chai”, meaning “demolition,” although the paint has faded as the standoff between the residents and the developer drags on.

A man surnamed Zeng sits on his bed, in the Guangfuli neighborhood, April 18. Zeng, 89, lives alone and keeps all his belongings within reach on his bed as he has difficulty walking.

A sign board for a public toilet is seen attached to an electric pole in the Guangfuli neighborhood, March 28.

A Woman surnamed Xu watches TV at her eight-square-meter house where she lives with her husband at Guangfuli neighborhood.

A man surnamed Xu, 50, holds a family portrait, on April 8.

A dog runs on the remains of old houses covered with a green netting in the Guangfuli neighborhood, April 18.

A vendor selling pork takes a nap at a half-demolished house in the Guangfuli neighborhood, March 24.

A man sits in an alley in Guangfuli neighborhood, March 24.

A woman surnamed Li stands inside the house she shares with her husband as pictures of her mother-in-law and father-in-law are seen on the wall, April 8.

Electric wires hang above a demolished old house at Guangfuli neighborhood, in April 19.

A man walks between houses at Guangfuli neighborhood in Shanghai, China, April 19.

Women chat inside a store in Guangfuli neighborhood - April 1.

An old house is seen in front of new apartment buildings in Guangfuli neighborhood, April 18.

Yueyue is held by her grandfather in an empty area outside their house at Guangfuli neighborhood, in Shanghai, China, April 1.

A woman smokes as she starts her electric bike at Guangfuli neighborhood in Shanghai, China, March 28.

Jiang Wei cooks dinner outside a six-square-meter house he rents with a friend, at Guangfuli neighbourhood in Shanghai, China, March 28, 2016.

A women surnamed Li walks her dog in Guangfuli neighbourhood, in Shanghai, China, April 8, 2016.