The embankment
Life inside a piece of Shanghai history
This article was originally published on Neocha and is republished with permission.
Situated on North Suzhou Road, a stoneโs throw away from where the Suzhou River meets the Huangpu River, an aging building sits along the creekside. To the uninitiated, its drab exterior may seem far from inspiring, but for those privy to its history, thereโs a lot to be appreciated.
This is the Embankment Building, also known as the Hebin Building. It finished construction in 1932 and boasted 282 rooms across eight floors. With nine elevators and a swimming pool on the ground floor of the building, it wasโat the time of its completionโShanghaiโs largest residential building and the epitome of architectural decadence. In the late 70s, three additional floors were added to accommodate more residents.
Today, itโs become a city-level protected building. Originally built and owned by the Sassoons, a Baghdadi-Jewish family, the Embankment Building sheltered Jewish refugees who escaped to Shanghai during World War II. In the 1940s, it housed the China offices of United Artists, an American production company founded by Charlie Chaplin and other Western movie stars. Around the same period of time, the address also served as the China headquarters of the international relief agency UNRRA.
With its winding history and riverside location, the building has attracted artists and creative types from around the world. Today, the buildingโs popularity with creatives hasnโt waned. One of them isย Ye Zile, a photographer whoโs recently completed a photo series of the buildingโs residents. โThe Hebin Building isnโt just an ordinary apartment,โ he says. โThroughout Shanghaiโs history, itโs played an important role in the cityโs development. Its history makes it absolutely fascinating.โ
Ye is a Shanghai native who grew up in Hongkou District, where the building is located. But his appreciation of the landmark didnโt come about until much later in his life. โIn 2010, I was there quite often,โ he recalls. โMy friend lived in the building and threw a lot of parties, but even then, my impression of it at the time was just that it was old, a place with shoddy infrastructure. I canโt say that I liked it.โ After spending time overseas, this would change.
A decade later, the Shanghai government funded a billion RMB towards the buildingโs preservation and renovation, hoping to return it to the glory of its golden years. The exterior, its shared kitchens, elevators, and piping systems were all renovated. Despite all the changes, the spirit of old Shanghai can still very much be feltโin the spiral staircases, vintage mailboxes, and art-deco designs. Much of the interior still embodies the essence ofย haipai, a culture originating from Shanghai in the 20th and 21st centuriesโit can be best described as the embrace of both traditional Chinese and Western aesthetics. Yeโs curiosity and appreciation of the building have only grown, and in 2021, he pooled his life savings, purchased an apartment unit, and moved in.
In the past, the buildingsโ residents were largely composed of those from the upper echelons of society, but this is no longer the case in modern times. People from all walks of life now reside in the apartment, and with them, the building has taken on an unpretentious charm. โEveryone living in the building is interesting in their own right,โ Ye says. โThe place feels like society in miniature, being inhabited by people of diverse backgrounds: the kids of live-in nannies who used to work for the affluent families living here, an ex-member of the โsouthbound cadre,โ academic scholars, construction workers, and entrepreneurs from around the world and of all ages. In the elevator, you can encounter people from disparate cultures, of varying nationalities, and of unlikely backgrounds.โ
Shortly after moving into the building, Ye was invited to submit works to PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, an annual photography showcase. This was when the idea for the series was born. โThere are countless images of the building and its architectural features,โ Ye says. โBut for me, people are always the most fascinating part of a place. So I thought Iโd approach it from a different angle: to tell the story of the buildingโs history, Iโd take portraits of its current residents.โ
In Yeโs images, viewers are offered an intimate glimpse of the residentโs lifestyles and living spaces. Take, for example, Granny Jiang, whoโs lived in the building since the age of five and boasts the title of the buildingโs longest residing resident. In Yeโs portrait, sheโs shown in a crimson-red qipao standing in front of a photo of Mao Zedong. With a wide grin on her face, she fans out a deck of poker cards in her hands.
Then thereโs Lucy and Yam, a pair of musicians from the UK and the Philippines respectively. The couple teaches music at an international school in Shanghai and composes music for events around town. Theyโve lived in the building for six years. In their portrait, musical sheets, instruments, and framed photos of the two are shown scattered around their living space, giving Yeโs image a certain human warmth.
Thereโs also Julius, a Hong Kong-born designer whoโs found himself stuck in Shanghai since the pandemic. Heโs a night owl who enjoys staying up late. Living with him is Milou, an adorable cat whoโs more than happy to stay up into the late hours with his owner. In his portrait, Julius painted his face with black paint to match the pattern of his catโs fur.
Within these singular frames, Ye reveals the occupation, interests, and lifestyles of the buildingโs diverse inhabitants.
To photograph these people, Ye didnโt just go knocking on doors. Navigating bureaucratic hoops, he worked with the neighborhood committee and district officials to shoot the project. The series consists of 15 portraits, all of which were shot in a span of three weeks. โI talked at length with everyone I photographed,โ he says. โThe oldest person was born in the โ30s and the youngest was born in the โ80s. I did my best to learn their actual stories and learn about the objects significant to them in their homes. A lot of them asked me to rearrange their homes, and so, Iโd stage the scene based on their personal stories. Through the items that have meaning to them and their past experiences, I tried to capture their life in a single frame.โ
Ye also worked with writer Chen Zhongwei to complete the series. He met Chenโwho was a neighborโafter conceptualizing the project, and the two bonded over their shared interest in the buildingโs history. Chen is a history major who studied in the U.S., but after coming back to China, he found himself fascinated by Chinese history and the Embankment Building. A few years back, he even penned an article on the building for Chinese media outletย The Paperย titled โThe Tenants of the Embankment, a Piece of Shanghai History.โ
Working with Ye, Chen conducted interviews with the tenants who agreed to be photographed, and together, the writer-and-photographer duo wove together a compelling picture of the buildingโs history and the experiences of those residing within its walls.
โWith each interview, I realized that no one is ordinary,โ Ye recalls. โEvery story was fascinating. What you observed of each person was hardly scratching the surface, and if you took the time to learn their stories, their lives seemed wondrous.โ
In some ways, the Embankment Building is a microcosm of the current Shanghai zeitgeist. Itโs become a place where people around the world co-exist in harmony, learning from one another as they build a home together. โThe building, much like the city, is a place that welcomes people of all ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds; itโs a place that people can be proud to call home,โ Ye says. โI see Shanghai as a place of optimism. Itโs a place of dreams and aspirations, and my work captures thatโevery photo is rooted in daily life, but it also transcends that.โ
Weibo:ย @ๅถๅญไน_KimYe
Contributor:ย Pete Zhang
Images Courtesy of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai
Image Captions Courtesy of Chen Zhongwei
