Guangzhou's Nail City (Part 2 of 4)

Guangzhou's Nail City (Part 2 of 4)
airyk Sep 22, 2014 20:26

Like a thousand thorns stabbed in the side of lion, the nail city buried itself into the ribs of Guangzhou. I went inside, my friend trailing along. We wandered past buildings tumbled like dominos, stories collapsed onto one another, and markets teaming with vendors selling phones and clothes, food and drinks. We passed by homes full of laughing children and relaxing grandparents and former homes with the windows torn out leaving gaping wounds and buildings lacerated open, whole walls removed leaving the dead innards exposed.

 

Through the market, the homes, and the ruins, we followed makeshift paths built by careful hands and heavy feet. The path lead the way, up stairs made of former walls and floors, over mountains of sunbathed rubble where laundry hung out to dry, through moldy abandoned homes and down streets thick with fallen stones.

 

In the center of one of the markets, stood a short community center in traditional Chinese style. Grey brick walls, thick wooden doors, a shin-high threshold, and a clay shingled roof decorated with dragons.  My eyes stopped on the crimson poster that flanked it, running from the roof of a dead building down five floors. It shouted ‘Everyone will get a new house in your new village’.

Nail City Ruins

Inside the communal home, a group of grannies played cards, flicking their wrists, sending cards sailing to the table. Occasionally one shouted that she won, and they started over. They greeted us as we came in, and continued to play, adding that “we would be playing with money, but no one has any.”

 

I spoke with them, asking them why they hadn’t left, and the women took turns speaking, adding in their thoughts, wishes and trauma. They told me how this village was theirs that their roots were here, how they grown up here, how their ancestors had lived here and how they hoped their grandchildren would live here. They told me that four years ago they were ordered to leave, and offered a lump sum payment, which the village leader had embezzled, so they had never seen any over it. They had also been offered a meager monthly stipend help them make rent for an apartment elsewhere. The women laughed at this idea “A dog can’t even find a place on the street to sleep for that much. No one can leave this place and not be homeless.”

 

As the card game winded down, a woman, half submerged into shadows beckoned us over. Her silver hair glowed in the weak light of dusk. She introduced herself as Nai Nai and spoke with us until closing time, telling us to come back again, and she would tell us everything we want to know. Before we left we snapped photos and promised to bring her hard copied next time.

Tags:Health & Environment Travel Expat Tales

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