Trash, rubble and bricks cover the street; dust left by the wall-demolishing crews quickly vanishes into the air; small advertisements touting the services of moving companies and home appliance recyclers are plastered over the walls, doors and even the windows along the street. 

These images give you a peek into the southern area of Nanjing's old city after the local government decided to go ahead with the demolition of many of the older residences earlier this year.

The work is part of a city reconstruction project that has been going on for years and involves the local government knocking down many old buildings - some dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties - and replacing them with modern residential and office buildings.

In October 2006, sixteen famous Chinese scholars jointly submitted a petition to the State Council, calling for a halt to the demolition of the old city. In late December that year, under pressure from central authorities in Beijing, the Nanjing municipal government agreed to  cease the demolition project.

In fact, pressure from Beijing only resulted in a temporary halt. Now, the south area of inner city, home to many of Nanjing's poorest citizens, faces its fate.

In April, twenty-nine local scholars jointly signed a petition calling for the protection for Nanjing's cultural heritage and delivered copies to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development, State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the provincial governor. At the time these images went to print, they were still waiting for an official response.