Li Guoqiang talks on his phone outside his house at Guangfuli neighbourhood, in Shanghai, China, April 1, 2016. Li, 38, is a deliveryman who rents a place at Guangfuli. In a corner of Shanghai, surrounded by a cement wall, lies one of the world's most valuable fields of debris and garbage. On paper, the Guangfuli neighbourhood is a real estate investor's dream: a plot in the middle of one of the world's most expensive and fast-rising property markets. But the reality is more like a developer's nightmare, thanks to hundreds of people living there who have refused to budge from their ramshackle homes for nearly 16 years as the local authority sought to clear the land for new construction. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Devotees of TikTok, Mona Swain, center, and her sister, Rachel Swain, right, both of Atlanta, monitor voting at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Wujiangzhai scenic spot in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 14, 2024. The Wujiangzhai scenic spot, with its natural landscape and local folk customs, offers a blend of sightseeing, leisure activities and exhibitions, making it a popular destination for tourists. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A waitress displays a plate of animal penises and testis at the Guolizhuang pen*s Restaurant on September 7, 2007 in Beijing, China. The restaurant offers more than 30 types of animal-pen*s dishes which can cost from 500 yuan (76.99 USD) up to 90,000 yuan (13,857.67 USD). It is believed that eating an animal's pen*s can strengthen a man's sexual ability. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

A Peugeot 408 car is displayed during the 2011 (15th) Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao International Auto Show at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on June 2, 2011 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. The 6-day Auto Show will be held from June 2 to 7 with total exhibition area of 110,000 square meters. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

The Temple of Heaven (The Qi Nian Temple) is illuminated as Beijing celebrates the New Year's Eve at the Temple of Heaven Park on December 31, 2011 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Reuters photographer Carlos Barria recently spent time in Shanghai, China, the fastest-growing city in the world. A week ago, he took this amazing shot, recreating the same framing and perspective as a photograph taken in 1987, showing what a difference 26 years can make. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters/Stringer via The Atlantic)

Rescuers work at the traffic accident site on April 1, 2011 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province of China. A truck collided with a bus at a cross on Friday morning. As the truck headed for the sidewalk, it collided into a pedestrian and 6 vehicles which were stopped nearby. As a result 16 people were injuried, one currently has severe injuries. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)