Advertising, Nanchang Style

In the city centre many residential building were built as very basic 7 to 8 storey concrete blocks, a stairway running up with 2 apartments on either side. These buildings are the epitome of Soviet-style architecture that pays attention to function only with absolutely no regard to form. Nanchang city centre is riddled with alley ways and narrow streets which are home to such buildings. To be honest they are bordering on being slums; poor sanitation, rats and 'roaches, garbage etc. Yet many people like living there and there is a sense of community and a certain character to such neighbourhoods that the new glitzy high-rise gated apartment complexes lack. When I first arrived in Nanchang I lived in such a neighbourhood and the people there were some of the best I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

This is a typical landing between two apartments in the stairwell of one of the apartment blocks in such a neighbourhood. What you see on the wall are advertisements. Basically someone comes along with a stencil, slaps it up then paints over it leaving the service being advertised and a contact phone number. Often the adverts are for people such as locksmiths, electricians, plumbers etc but there are also very often adverts for things like fake ID cards and fake college certificates. From time to time the walls are painted to get rid of these adverts but it's not long before they all re-appear.