The street the hospital was on had been a place for artists, and specifically performers, for hundreds of years. It was a noisy mess, full of shops, food on the street, and everything else. It smelled like food, and burning coal (the street food was cooked on coal cakes). I loved it. You could walk down some nondescript stairs, and find yourself in a crowded restaurant. Now, it's gone. It's just a wide street and a park with a median and evenly-spaced trees. I'm sure it looks and feels like improvement to a lot of people. But not to me. One thing that differs between China and the US: a poor neighborhood in China doesn't feel less safe than a rich one. For that reason, the comparison to Skid Row is way off.
Yeah. I get the same feeling. However, I do have relatives telling me to be extra cognizant of myself while out and about in China. There are a lot of petty theft in crowded places.
Sure, but I'll take a petty theft the barrel of a gun any day. :) A classmate in highschool was shot in his leg in Detroit becuase he only had $5. A couple of other friends I know have been robbed at gunpoint. (btw, sorry was logged into my computer and didn't log out again!)