Shanghai’s nongtang life（上海的弄堂生活）

郭庆

Shanghai’s nongtang life

Hu Yang began wandering the streets of Shanghai, especially the nongtang (the narrow alleyways of old Shanghai) , in the 1980s. He has taken a lot of photographs that capture the dramatic changes in nongtang life.

Viewers can glimpse the unique life of the nongtang, such as no clear-cut boundary between public and private space. In the past, when air-conditioning, refrigerators and television sets were not available and affordable, people had to share cooking and water facilities. Residents went about their many daily activities, such as doing the laundry, cooking, brushing, washing and even taking a shower, in the common space. Since the rooms in the homes were very small, residents would move many family activities from indoors to streets, such as having meals, taking a nap , reading and playing cheese.

The special features of the nongtang have profoundly shaped people’s manners, lifestyles and cultural habits. Unlike living in modern apartment buildings, life in the nongtang is far more transparent with very limited privacy. Yet, on the positive side, neighbors are more familiar with and intimately involved with each other.

There is neither worship for modern life, nor emotional reminiscing, in the Hu’s photos. They are just an invitation to a trip back in time.   

上海的弄堂生活

上世纪八十年代，胡阳就开始在上海的街道，特别是弄堂（旧上海狭窄的街道）上“闲逛”。他用照片记录了弄堂生活的巨大变化。

通过照片，我们能看到弄堂独特的生活，比如说公共场地和私人场地之间没有明显的界线。在人们买不起空调、冰箱和电视机的过去，他们不得不共用厨房和用水设施。洗衣服、做饭、刷牙、洗脸甚至洗澡等等这些日常活动，他们都不得不在公共场地进行。由于家里房间很小，吃饭、打盹、看书和下棋等等这些室内活动都从室内搬到了街上。

弄堂对人们的生活方式、生活风格和文化习惯产生了深远的影响。不像住在现代公寓大楼里，几乎没有隐私的弄堂生活是透明的。邻里之间都很熟悉而且很亲密。

在胡阳的照片里，既没有对现代生活的崇拜，也没有对过去生活的缅怀。他们只是邀请你对过去的生活进行一次及时的旅行。

Cinderella

在人们买不起空调、冰箱和电视机的过去——改成：过去，人们买不到也买不起空调、冰箱和电视机，

弄堂对人们的生活方式、生活风格和文化习惯产生了深远的影响——弄堂这些独特之处深刻的影响了人们的举止习惯、生活方式和文化取向。

他们只是邀请你对过去的生活进行一次及时的旅行。——这里，“及时的”是对“They are just an invitation to a trip back in time”的误译。是指过去的时光，而不是“及时”