At the beginning of this year I published a photo from my bedroom window where one day I happened to look down and the roof was missing from the administration building of the hospital across the street. Over the next several months, I kept an eye on the hospital. They gutted the entire building and then started putting it back together. When I thought of it, I snapped a picture, thinking that it may be interesting to see the progress of the build.
Then I went on vacation in May and forgot about it.
The original photo – no roof!
Putting it back together – March 2012
I thought this was nearing the end because of the red roof, but I was wrong (April 1)
Then they covered the beautiful red roof with what looked like concrete (Apr 7)
Then they sealed the roof – it wasn’t red anymore (April 17)
And the finished building (August 2012) – with the red roof
The hospital building is now completely finished and has flags fluttering on the flag pole in front. I can see people entering and exiting regularly which is more than I can say for the now over a year long construction on my office building.
Shanghai’s red room hospital (红房子医院） is a famous OB-GYN, maternity hospital in Shanghai. It has several branches and the one right out my window is one of the more centrally located ones. My friend who had the second baby also went to a branch for her delivery, though closer to her home, not the one across the street. It is traditional hospital setting for China, meaning that you have to wait in line and sometimes in the morning there will be a line of expectant mothers or their representatives stretching through the courtyard, waiting to get a number to see the doctor.
I like the counterpoint of the idea of hospitals as a place of birth and new beginnings as opposed to the end, with pain and suffering. Having a bright new red roofed building also helps.
Have you watched some place change – be renovated or renewed recently?
中国 Jumble 