Portes murées, façades en ruine et quelques habitants décidés à rester jusqu’au bout: l’un des plus anciens quartiers de Shanghai vit ses derniers instants, bientôt emporté par le programme de réaménagement de la métropole.
Laoximen (« la Vieille Porte de l’Ouest »), ainsi nommé en raison de sa localisation au niveau des anciens murs d’enceinte du 16e siècle, était jadis le centre culturel de la ville. Construits autour d’un temple confucéen, les bâtiments de deux voire trois niveaux, en pierre ou en bois, semblent anachroniques au milieu des immeubles modernes et étincelants de Shanghai. Le quartier est habité par de vieilles familles shanghaïennes ou des travailleurs migrants venus des campagnes et attirés par les loyers bas. Tous avaient reçu l’ordre de quitter leur logement d’ici la fin 2017.
Mais plusieurs années après l’échéance, certains s’accrochent encore à leurs maisons malgré les indemnisations offertes par la municipalité pour déménager ailleurs. Monsieur Yang, qui ne souhaite pas révéler son prénom, est l’un d’eux. Pour lui, pas question de quitter son logement de Laoximen, labyrinthe humide de longs couloirs encombrés de vieux meubles et appareils électroménagers.
« Ce terrain, c’est mon grand-père qui l’a acheté », explique à l’AFP M. Yang, dont la famille vit ici depuis plusieurs décennies, avant même l’arrivée au pouvoir du Parti communiste en 1949. La plupart de ses voisins ont accepté de déménager. Mais lui dit attendre une compensation à la hauteur de « la valeur de la maison ».
Banderole
Selon la municipalité, les habitants peuvent recevoir au moins 20.000 yuans (2.900 euros) par mètre carré. Le prix moyen d’un appartement d’occasion à Shanghai dépasse toutefois les 55.000 yuans (8.000 euros) par mètre carré, avec évidement de grandes variations suivant les quartiers, selon le groupe d’agences immobilières Anjuke.
La dernière phase de démolition avait été reportée en raison de la pandémie. Mais les pelleteuses ont repris leur travail après la fin, début juin, du long confinement de Shanghai. A l’endroit où de populaires petits restaurants accueillaient les clients du quartier, de larges bannières appellent les derniers récalcitrants à coopérer. « Transparente, juste, équitable: promouvons la rénovation de la vieille ville », exhorte l’une d’entre elles, en caractères blancs sur fond rouge. Dans les rues sinueuses du quartier, encombrées de vieilles chaises et de planches, des portes et des fenêtres sont déjà scellées.
Laoximen est l’un des milliers de quartiers vieillissants du pays, où les habitants sont progressivement expropriés afin de laisser la place à des bâtiments plus modernes et plus grands. De nombreux logements de ce quartier de Shanghai sont vétustes et ne disposent par exemple pas de système de chauffage.
Dans une Chine en développement constant, les expropriations sont monnaie courante. Les habitants se voient généralement proposer de nouveaux appartements ou de l’argent afin de quitter les lieux.
« Feux d’artifice »
Les compensations parfois trop faibles, peuvent susciter la colère des personnes délogées voire des affrontements avec les autorités locales. Ancien habitant de Laoximen, Wu Weigang a déjà déménagé dans un autre district de Shanghai. Mais ce retraité retourne régulièrement dans le quartier, où il a passé son enfance et garde un souvenir ému des fêtes d’antan.
« Tout le monde allumait des feux d’artifice et accrochait des lanternes en forme de lapin pendant la Fête des lanternes », qui clôt les festivités du Nouvel an chinois, raconte-t-il à l’AFP. La plupart des bâtiments de Laoximen ont été construits au 20e siècle dans le style « shikumen »: c’est-à-dire des maisons mêlant éléments chinois et occidentaux, édifiées en rangées dans des venelles de Shanghai.
La nuit, la lueur jaune des réverbères enveloppe les ruelles presque vides du quartier, tandis que la « Perle de l’Orient », la tour de télévision emblématique de la ville, resplendit au loin. Cette zone de Laoximen est réaménagée afin de répondre à « l’intérêt public », a indiqué la municipalité. Mais Wu Weigang espère que le charme de l’ancien quartier survivra aux travaux. « Ils m’ont dit que ma maison sera conservée », se félicite-t-il, avant d’ajouter: « Si elle n’était plus là, je ne viendrais pas la voir. Et ça me ferait mal au coeur ».
1/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows people cycling and walking past a sealed building marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
2/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows people on a street with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
3/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows people walking along a street lined with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
4/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows a collector, who buys antique furniture and other household items from relocating residents, stacking items on a cart as people walk past in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
5/22
This photo taken on July 6, 2022 shows timber and debris from demolished houses in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
6/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows children playing in an alleyway in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
7/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man walking past a truck loaded with timber from demolished houses in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
8/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a man walking down on a street in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
9/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a man looking on in an alley while other residents move furniture out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
10/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
11/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows residents sitting on a kerb in front of sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
12/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a man walking along a street past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
13/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a woman walks past a sealed building marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
14/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a resident disinfecting his shoes before entering his home, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
15/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a woman riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
16/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows residents removing furniture from a home, to be demolished for new development, as they prepare to move out from the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
17/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows residents moving belongings out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, as they prepare to relocate from the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
18/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a street with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
19/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows a man walking along a street past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
20/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows residents moving furniture out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
21/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a deliveryman in his room in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
22/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
1/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows people cycling and walking past a sealed building marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
2/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows people on a street with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
3/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows people walking along a street lined with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
4/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows a collector, who buys antique furniture and other household items from relocating residents, stacking items on a cart as people walk past in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
5/22
This photo taken on July 6, 2022 shows timber and debris from demolished houses in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
6/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows children playing in an alleyway in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
7/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man walking past a truck loaded with timber from demolished houses in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
8/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a man walking down on a street in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
9/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a man looking on in an alley while other residents move furniture out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
10/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
11/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows residents sitting on a kerb in front of sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
12/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a man walking along a street past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
13/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a woman walks past a sealed building marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
14/22
This photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a resident disinfecting his shoes before entering his home, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
15/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a woman riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
16/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows residents removing furniture from a home, to be demolished for new development, as they prepare to move out from the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
17/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows residents moving belongings out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, as they prepare to relocate from the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
18/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a street with sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
19/22
This photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows a man walking along a street past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
20/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows residents moving furniture out of their homes, to be demolished for new development, in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
21/22
This photo taken on June 21, 2022 shows a deliveryman in his room in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
22/22
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a man riding a bicycle past sealed buildings marked for demolition in the Laoximen neighbourhood of Shanghai’s Huangpu district. – Bricked-up doorways, crumbling facades, and a small group of defiant locals: one of Shanghai’s oldest neighbourhoods is barely clinging to life as the city presses ahead with demolition and redevelopment plans. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)
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