In Gulouzixiang, in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, the border between China and North Korea is not just a line on a map. It is made up of scattered villages, hills, rivers and small stone houses. One of these is the abandoned house I explored: rough walls, tiled roof, broken windows looking out over the valley.
Approaching the house
The house is not far from the other houses in the village, but it immediately looks different. The garden is overgrown with tall grass, branches cover part of the façade, and the windows are open or have no glass. The wooden door is peeling and crooked.
From the outside, you can see that it is a simple structure: stone at the bottom, small bricks and worn plaster at the top. A typical rural house in north-eastern China, built to withstand harsh winters and humid summers.
The family portrait room
Upon entering, I immediately find myself in front of a large family portrait hanging on the wall. A woman with two children, sitting outdoors, in black and white, with the edge of the photo now yellowed. The glass is cracked, the frame eaten away by damp.
Around it, the walls are marked by water stains and cracks. On the opposite side, a red poster with Chinese characters calling for good luck.
The brick bed and the main room
In another room is the classic kang, the brick bed typical of northern China: a raised platform covered with tiles decorated with lotus flowers and fish. Today it is covered with debris, earth and pieces of plaster. Above the bed, the ceiling has collapsed in several places, letting in light and dust.
The walls are bare, except for a few faded posters and a red thread that cuts across the room from corner to corner, perhaps part of old decorations. Walking on the wooden floor requires caution: some boards are rotten or missing.
Objects left behind
Throughout the house, there are small details that give an indication of the time that has passed. A sink full of dirt, glass shards and empty bottles. A rusty safe with a broken door, used as a base for a single black stiletto heel, was left there as a final decoration before leaving.
Calendars and colourful posters appear on the doors and walls, with traditional figures and auspicious writings. In one room, an old poster with smiling children posing, now faded and curled at the edges.
Bathrooms and kitchen
The bathroom reveals the other side of neglect. The white tiles are covered with mould, the mirror has disappeared, and the ceiling is peeling in layers that hang down. Above the shower is a large empty glass tank, perhaps used as an aquarium or reservoir, now just a container of air.
The sink, half-destroyed, is filled with sand and paper scraps, glass fragments scattered among them. The nearby window is broken, and dust and dry leaves enter through the frame.
A possible story
There are no documents or inscriptions that tell us precisely who lived here and why the house was abandoned. In many rural areas of Liaoning, however, the script repeats itself: young people moving to the cities, an ageing population, houses left empty when the last generation leaves or can no longer maintain them.
Looking at the family portrait, the brick bed, the festive posters and the sink full of dirt, it is easy to imagine a simple life, marked by the seasons and work in the fields. Now only the structure remains, open to the gaze of passers-by and those who, like me, enter to document what remains.
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