Zhang Xi
On the occasion of the 42-kilometer shoreline of Suzhou Creek, The Paper invited six photographers to spend a week observing the six reconstructed shorelines flowing through The Shanghai urban area, Huangpu, Hongkou, Jing'an, Changning, Putuo and Jiading. Through pictures and texts, we see the new and the old, change and perseverance, individuals and groups in Suzhou Creek.
Sailing boat on Suzhou Creek, 2020. Picture of this article Zhang Xi
Mine, Suzhou Creek
Zhang Xi/Jiading District Cultural Center full-time photography cadre
In Jiading, it seems that more people refer to Suzhou Creek as wusong river.
Shipping in the Shanghai area was originally based on the Wusong River, and merchant ships spoke and traveled frequently. With the continuous acceleration of the process of industrialization, Wusongjiang has experienced a difficult period of pollution, when I was a child, whenever I passed the river bridge by car, there would always be a gust of odor drilling into the nasal cavity, which once became a sign that I distinguished the distance between near and far, as long as I smelled this smell, it was not far from home.
My aunt's family lived under the Wusong River Bridge, and when I was a child, I would go to my aunt's house every summer vacation. The village dug a lot of ponds, the old people said that the ponds are life-saving water, because the rural roads are very narrow, fire trucks are difficult to enter, once a fire occurs, the water in the ponds will help a lot, and these ponds, connected to the Wusong River. In the past, these ponds always emitted a foul smell, and I always wondered if these stinky water could really put out fires. Now, the calm cistern has become a different scenery in the village.
The fireproof pond of the village is connected to the Wusong River, which looks very similar to Anhui Hongcun.
Enhancement Village under the Wusong River Bridge, 2020
Jiamin Elevated Crossing Suzhou Creek, 2020
Binjiang Aite Park, 2020
Binjiang Aite Park separates the stone factory from the residential area with stone cages piled up with construction waste, 2020
(Left) Binjiang Aite Park Fitness Trail (right) Stone cages piled up with construction waste in Binjiang Aite Park, 2020
The Wusong River was originally filled with all kinds of unlicensed steel factories, sand and gravel docks, concrete mixing plants, processing plants, and the rumble of dumping sand and gravel was accompanied by dust and stone chips flying in the sky, and the dust was flying all year round, the environment was dirty, and the sewage flowed.
With the development of the "five violations" rectification project on the north bank of the Wusong River, the area on the north bank of the Wusong River in Jiangqiao Town has ushered in a "rebirth" change.
Clean and designed factory buildings stand on both sides of the riverbank. The river has become clearer, and the transport function of the river has not retreated.
There are a number of green spaces along the river, binjiang Aite Park uses the discarded construction waste that people have talked about in the past to fill the stone cage, becoming a landmark landscape and erecting an environmental barrier between the residential area and the cement factory, and this special community park has also become a place for surrounding residents to rest and relax.
Along the road, the riverside trail under the Huajiang Road overpass is undergoing greening works. But children who are accustomed to spending happy time in the green areas along the river do not care whether it is renovated or not, for them, the yellow sand here is better than the sand of the Maldives, and the children crouch next to the sand to carry out their "environmental remediation" projects, this is their paradise.
During the day, young people go out to work, leaving elderly parents and young children at home. The sun is just right, grandparents invariably take their grandchildren to the green space along the river, although it is already winter, the green space along the river looks a little depressed, but this does not affect the children's happy play, the old people communicate happily.
Binjiang Aite Park attracts retired residents who love photography, 2020
Children's Area at Riverside Aite Park, 2020
The riverside is a paradise for children, 2020
A third bridge connecting Jiading and Minhang on the Suzhou Creek is under construction, 2020
Kids playing by the river, 2020
Wusongjiang also undertakes shipping functions, 2020
Water of the Wusong River, 2020
The warm winter sun makes people warm and dry, wandering in the green space by the river, or emptying or thinking about life, are all very comfortable.
Walking here, I saw the Huajiang Road Viaduct, which connected Jiading and Minhang together. The two-way, six-lane Huajiang Road is busy with vehicles.
Dirty and chaotic environment seriously affects the quality of life of residents, but also restricts the local economic development, with the continuous improvement of the environment along the Suzhou Creek, Jiangqiao will also usher in a new round of economic take-off.
Wusong River Bridge, 2020
Huajiang Road, 2020.
【Afterword】
Unlike the majestic river, Suzhou Creek was once closely related to the people living in the surrounding areas, it carried the function of a part of the living space in the residents' homes, and also undertook the buying and selling livelihood of many people, the residence of some people, and the outlet for the dumping of waste from the factory... Bustling, busy, cluttered and even dirty, but as the years passed, the city's functions improved, and she also had to change, trying to become a "living room" for more people to enter and understand Shanghai.
Some people are afraid that the smells that remain in time are destined to be taken away; some people think that her renewal will bring a new atmosphere; some people think through, and new things will eventually become old memories... Even if it is the same river, the same riverbank, in the eyes of everyone is different, the river contains this difference.
Editor-in-Charge: Liang Yanjia
Proofreader: Yan Zhang