Old China vs. New China | Neighborhood Communities | This is China

Let's talk about new China and old China for a minute. Now, when I say "old China," I guess I mean the 1970s or 1980s haha that's when most of the "old" buildings were built throughout most of this country.

There are so many facets of traditional Chinese life and culture, but one of the most apparent facets is the construction and orientation of neighborhood communities. The older, more traditional way of doing things is sooooo different from the newer, more modern way of doing things.

Older Chinese neighborhood communities are geared towards community - anyone can come and go how they please. Not so with the newer Chinese neighborhood communities. You have to punch in and out, so to speak, with keycards and buttons, etc. They are more oriented towards safety and security, and they lack the character and soul of older communities.

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Twitter: @LetChinaSleep
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[zhaoli]

I grew up in one of those old neighborhoods, it's the most amazing childhood one could possibly ask for.

[donnyli]

Austin, thanks for posting all of these videos! I've been showing them to students here in the US studying Chinese. Great little snippets of what the "feel" of China is like. Hope you can keep at it. Best of luck!

[zim-chan]

After living in "new" building for a long, I started to miss the old things. Like Felipe said, there is spirit.

[kelwang]

China has been undergoing a constant urbanisation in the last 2 decades. The so-called "old" China in the vid was actually the "new" China merely 20 years ago at a time, when those residential buildings were newly built. As the time went by, they've quickly been run down by the constant inflows of young residents and their families from the countryside to find works or retire in cities. So they suddenly appears "old" compared with nearby newer buildings which came only 10, 5 or just 2 years ago...

The point is that authetical residential old China is hard to find nowadays. They are all "new" in their own rights.

[jessiehorne]

Great video Austin once again. I like the quant look of the old neighborhoods in China a bit more than newer ones. With that being said I see both old and newer chinese communities as beautiful .

[XiaosChannel]

I never noticed this difference, but I did grew up in a old neighborhood and live (when i'm back in china) in a new neighborhood. either way i'm not sure people outside would just come in and hang out, and people need to come in can still come in. less street vendors in the new neighborhood -- except when they bribe the guards i guess. I can still hang out with others that live in the same neighborhood.

[IrishinAsia]

Shame about the microphone! But you are killing it with the videos lately! 加油！

[ThisIsJoe]

I love the older areas of China too. Even the modern areas of Chongqing and Xi'an aren't as vibrant to me as the older places!

[Dr.Pepper]

I would rather live in that older neighborhood than in some high-rise in a congested, noisy part of town. Great video!

[freddyjoe]

I love this video. Great work Austin. The school where I worked looked a lot like this as were most of the 'danwei' around us. Prior to that I lived in Kunming where there were still large town blocks of the 'old old China' ! it has all gone now.

[johnsamu]

I share your feeling about the difference between the old (open) and the new (gated) communities in China. But like everywhere on this world new replaces old and everything has its advantages and disadvantages. When something is less organised, open and more untidy it's often more "gezellig" (like we say here in the south of the Netherlands), which means hospitable/relaxed/inviting. But new world money has new world requirements nowadays.

[locksleynet]

I'm more of a fan of the newer apartments but with the older 'open plan' community feeling.

[IanInChengdu]

That place used to have my favorite Chuan Chuan unfortunately it got closed down.

[liontamer]

Thanks for posting the video. Can't agree with you more.  I love the old neighborhoods in China. I tell my wife this (she's from Zhanjiang) and she doesn't understand why I love the old China.  Lovely, homely and quit (sometimes) but feel so homely.

[layslifestyle]

Btw Austin, are you still uploading videos on youku?

[ying]

I thought the new gated communities are just a few apartment buildings together with a little park area and no other amenities.
Does your place have shops and restaurants at the floor level?

[森太翔]

I see these closed gated communities in every major city (on baidu maps), are they all private? Also, just curious, is the difference between 1st tier city vs 2nd or 3rd tier really visible and noticeable? What is the first thing you notice when you leave a 2nd or 3rd tier city and enter a 1st tier city? Is it just the clean and modern infrastructure, or is there something else?

[yuanzhengsun]

Imho, all the gates, walls and security guards in the newer neighborhoods are not mainly for the safety. None of those things can really keep out a determined criminal. Those things are for exclusion. People paid a lot for those apartments. The property owners don't like people who are "not good enough" in their neighborhoods.

[XiaosChannel]

but the "old" in "old china" is a bit confusing, before i watched the video. just saying. politically, the "old china" is the china before 1949.

[joshuabray]

You are making me home sick :)... Those little neighborhoods have the best restaurants. I'm glad to see that they are still around.