In China, red bricks have been used for over 2,000 years to build houses—yet they are slowly disappearing. The decline comes from multiple factors: pollution, the scarcity of their raw material (clay), geological risks caused by over-mining, their heavy weight (which increases transport and construction costs), and their poor insulation—leaving homes cold in winter and sweltering in summer.

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All the houses I remember from my childhood were made of red bricks. They are the backdrop of my memories, the texture of my upbringing. But now, they are vanishing, replaced by concrete high-rises and modern materials.

With both nostalgia and anticipation, I once built a wall out of red bricks—then took a hoe and smashed it apart. The act felt symbolic: that wall was strong yet fragile, enduring yet transient. Just as I yearned for a new life, society, too, has moved on—chasing convenience, efficiency, and sleek modernity.

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Red bricks were more than just material; they were history, labor, and identity. Their disappearance marks not just a change in architecture, but the erasure of a way of life.