Lena Scheen collected oral histories of one of Shanghai's traditional alleyway neighborhoods. Mixing personal experiences, historical facts and urban legends, the residents tell stories of a cosmopolitan neighborhood shaped by its colonial past. In their stories, each building forms the connection point between their own life story and the history of the city and the nation.
In the words of one of its residents: "All the houses in our neighborhood serve as evidence that recorded the development of Shanghai … together they tell the story of how Shanghai has become the Shanghai of today."