Just before dusk, I walked to the Three Streets and Two Alleys. After two years, the scene was far from the prosperity I remembered. The pedestrian street was sparsely populated. The once-dazzling light decorations were either gone or old and broken, giving off a sense of desolation. Only the newly painted Nezha on the wall seemed to be trying to prove that this place was still keeping up with the times.

Crossing the street to the Zhongshan Road food street, I found it undergoing extensive renovations. The iconic gate entrance was gone, replaced by a newly built ancient-style tower and a cluster of imitation old buildings. Following a construction path to the back street, the barbecue stalls that used to be bustling were now deserted, with far less traffic than before. In stark contrast, the newly built MIXC mall next door was thriving. Those old buildings captured in photos may now only serve as footnotes in history.

As night fell, I returned to the Three Streets and Two Alleys. In front of the Chenghuang Temple, a band was performing enthusiastically, but the entire area was still dominated by businesses over tourists, feeling cold and quiet. I then went to Minsheng Square by the Yongjiang River, where the observation deck had been transformed into a bar street. A performance of “Karaoke Forever OK” on stage was rocking the whole place, and the atmosphere was noticeably better than at the Three Streets and Two Alleys. By the river, the elderly women were still dancing by the huge Yong character stone. The lights of North Bridge, Yongjiang Bridge, and the Changyou Pavilion were as brilliant as ever, and the cute “Sleeping Bear” in the river added a touch of novelty to the familiar nightscape.

An unexpected surprise came on the way back. Wandering north, I stumbled upon the Xiguan Night Market. It was full of life and bustling with people. It was here that I seemed to find the prosperity and buzz of the old Zhongshan Road food street. Nanning’s night market culture is so deeply ingrained that even KFC sells skewers for late-night snacks, a unique blend that I have never seen in any other city.