To be honest, I've resisted writing about the Sinan Mansions development because it's a bittersweet area for me. On one hand, it contains a piece of history really dear to my family that's about to be torn down and redeveloped into a bastion of ostentatious Chinese wealth. On the other hand, I do like fine dining and fancy cocktails - both of which will be in abundance there - and what else were they going to do with it? more ›

It is not uncommon to bump into lone individuals surveying old longtangs that are undergoing demolition - the occasional photographer who quietly weaves in and out of shadowed lanes or curious passers-by wondering what once stood in the place of razed rubble. more ›