Nights in the Suburbs
Yan Jiacheng

Last year, I moved to a new community located in a very remote suburb, which blends in with the surrounding rural areas, forming a unique landscape. In recent years, China has built many high-rise buildings, but due to the impact of the epidemic and economic downturn, the development of many areas has stagnated, and new houses often only serve the purpose of living, becoming “sleeping cities”.
Our community is the same. There are no public places, so people have nowhere to go. In the evening, everyone comes to the only riverside for a walk. People can do whatever they want here. They exercise, walk their dogs, set off fireworks, have picnics, and sometimes burn paper for the deceased (a Chinese custom). This place has become our public space. Several villages are next to our community, and it is very dark at night. The riverside looks like a stage from a distance because of the streetlights and the people are like actors in a drama. The scene looks beautiful under the streetlights.
Because it is far from the city center and lacks rules, this place is full of possibilities. People’s thoughts and consciousness are extremely relaxed here. Therefore, it accommodates all kinds of people and needs. It has become a sample of the interaction between urban and rural areas, people and the environment. It is like a utopia.

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