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Shanghai's old lanes
The 石库门 lane houses Alex saw in lesson 57 were built from the 1870s to the 1930s, and at their peak most Shanghainese lived in them. Over the decades, single-family houses were divided among many households, often without private kitchens or bathrooms, and by the 1990s improving housing had become a major task for the city. Since then, many lanes have been cleared and their residents rehoused, mostly in new flats further out; others, especially in the former concession areas, have been protected or rebuilt as shops and restaurants. The city's policy has shifted over time, from large-scale clearance toward a mix of preserving, renovating and demolishing. Residents' views differ widely: many have waited years for a flat with a bathroom, while others are sorry to lose the neighbors and the street life. The lane in this year's story, 晴川里, is invented. The process it goes through, from consultation to compensation to the move, is real, and the lessons describe it without taking a side.