It was not my first time visiting the town of Fengyi (凤仪) in Maoxian (茂县), but it sure felt like it was. The town has utterly transformed. Walking through the streets at night elicit the particular feelings of a neat and modern city: safe, clean, illuminated and convenient. But this is not strictly a celebration. As colorful as it can be, it feels slightly sterile, when reflecting on the past – although that’s certainly OK. But it’s shocking, the perceivable evolution in less than a generation.

When I first visited Fengyi more than 15 years ago, it more closely resembled a rural village with only the small pieces of being an official town, despite being the “county seat”. As if industrialization was taking its sweet time. While my memory from that visit is not clear, I really don’t recall the major signs of a city (even though technically speaking Maoxian is a county). It felt more like a natural place, defined by its environment more than any manmade infrastructure. Today, there are high-rise apartments, plenty of paved roads, designated parks, robust bridges, a fast train station nearby, and both municipal and commercial neighborhoods.

It was a devastating earthquake which had an interesting effect on the infrastructure and economy of the town. While China has experienced over the last decades, rather sweeping modernization, smaller cities like Maoxian can, on occasion, become a selected target of a special enrichment. Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Maoxian and neighboring areas were especially affected (Wenchuan County in particular).

What I’ve been told is that following the rebuilding phase, there were significant economic provisions delivered to the affected counties. Large and prosperous cities, think Shanghai or Shenzhen or Chongqing, were mandated to directly compensate Maoxian and other impacted locations with massive contributions. I believe that for each affected county, there was a “partner” city tasked with this role – like if NYC were commanded to specifically subsidize modernizing a random Appalachian town.

This transfer of wealth led to a noticeable urbanization. Allowing Maoxian, specifically Fengyi, to become rather modernized in very peculiar aspects. For example, Fengyi is home to an exquisite high school campus. Tall luxury apartments and hotels (and government buildings…). Some of the public and historical spaces are quite honestly spectacularly maintained. The somewhat little business district looks like it was lifted directly out of a Chengdu shopping spot.

Nonetheless, modernization takes time. Roots can be strong. People don’t change overnight. Many neighborhoods remain unaltered. Adjoining towns are still rural in almost all aspects. This place isn’t a quick trip down the road from the big city. And the power of identity is stubborn.

But lastly and seriously, memory is hardly ever a good tool of measurement.

I took a lot of pictures in Fengyi, so kind of dumping a bunch of the better ones here. Regrettably, many were taken by phone, which often failed to capture night scenes effectively. Lesson learned. Hopefully, this mini album still provides a glimpse into the variety of neighborhoods in town: commercial, historic, residential, etc. As well as the abundance of old alongside new.