An old Chinese saying states that "close neighbors are dearer than distant relatives." Apparently that saying is no longer true, at least not in modern cities like Shanghai.

"Though my family have moved here for a whole year, I still have no idea about who's who in the neighborhood. I don't even know who is living next door," said Jiang Xiuying, a 78-year-old local retiree. In her old neighborhood, a typically crowded Shanghai-style stone gate complex, Jiang says she knew everyone.

"Children in the neighborhood always played together. Families sometimes shared what they cooked with their neighbors," recalled Liu Biqing, Jiang's daughter-in-law.

"I feel quite upset that neighbors are just like strangers now," said Jiang.

Jiang is not alone. According to a survey of 1,821 families in large cities - including Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou - conducted by Market-Expert (Shanghai) Consultant Corp, most people don't have any dealings with their neighbors at all.

The survey suggests that only 10 percent of urbanites stay in close contact with their neighbors, while 44 percent of those surveyed said they don't know the names of the people living next door, the report said.

"The fact reflects a change in society," said Wu Duo, a sociologist at East China Normal University.

In the past, most families lived in one place for decades. Neighbors were always familiar with each other as if they were relatives, said Wu.

"Different from previous generations, most people now live in independent apartments. With the high population mobility in modern cities, people have no chance to build a relationship with their neighbors," said Wu.

"Most people will choose to cut off unnecessary contact with strangers," he added.

While jiang said she misses the "good old days" when neighbors helped each other, younger generations appear to enjoy the privacy they have from not knowing the people next door .

"It's quite natural to shut my door immediately after returning home from work, which gives me the feeling of freedom and that I won't be interfered with by others," said 23-year-old Jenny Wang.

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