Ke seated on his bed in his one-room apartment on Nanchang Road in Shanghai, 2002, with a bed, chest, and light from a single window.

Ke sits inside his one-room home on Nanchang Road in Shanghai in 2002. His parents had originally owned the large building, which housed an extended family, before early 1950s housing policies reduced their living space.

In 1952, the Shanghai government determined that the home was too large for a single family, and six families moved in. Over time, Ke retained this one room, while the large kitchen on the first floor became a shared, communal space. He still lives here today. The Shanghai government designated the district as historically protected, preserving both its structure and its layered history.