Photographer Shijia Song is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Grandma’s Tongzi Lou’. To see Shijia’s body of work, click on any photograph.

This photograph is of Tongzi Lou where my grandmother lived alone. It is a rare form of architecture in today’s society and only a few Tongzi Lous are still in use, most of which are military property. When my grandfather was a young soldier, he moved with the army into Tongzi Lou, which was converted from a music hall. And when he died of illness, my grandmother was left alone to raise their three daughters. With all her daughters getting married and starting a family, she lived here alone.

I turned my camera on my grandmother to explore the unusual and unique way of life in which she lived here.

Building types like Tongzi Lou were born out of the socialist system and were designed to alleviate the housing problems of large numbers of people. Popular in China in the 1970s and 1980s, Tongzi Lou was modeled on the Soviet Khrushchyovka and was a coveted type of housing back then. Tongzi Lou has also brought about much discussion on the type of housing in film and television works in China.

Different Tongzi Lou appeared one after another in Beijing, the capital of China, at that particular time in history.

The main direction of my research is to explore how to express political ideology through art, especially how to closely integrate art and political ideology. Through varied and diverse approaches, including installations, public art, curatorial projects, and web-based works, I explore how the context of the work influences its relationship with the viewer. I believe that art can not only beautify life but also serve as a powerful tool to reflect and comment on social reality. I often seek out avenues of the unexpected, incorporating ironic twists into images or combinations that challenge conventional expectations. Through my work, I hope to inspire public attention and provoke thought about current political and social issues.

All images and text © Shijia Song