Ke sits on his bed in his one-room apartment on Nanchang Road in Shanghai in 2002, surrounded by a bed, a chest, and light from a single window. His parents had once owned the large building, which housed an extended family, before early 1950s housing policies drastically reduced their living space.

In 1952, the Shanghai government determined that the home was too large for a single family, and six families were moved in. Over time, Ke retained this one room, while the large kitchen on the first floor became a shared communal space.

The district has since been designated a historic preservation zone, protecting both its physical structure and its layered history.