He began to see their dilapidation as an advantage: Anything he painted on them inherited the patina of past centuries.

FORBES: Masterpieces For Everyone? The Case Of The Socialist Art Forger Tom Keating [Book Excerpt]

For now, however, part of the allure of Shanghai for Deco aficionados is the general dilapidation of many buildings, which can give explorers the feeling at times of unearthing architectural fossils.

WSJ: Touring Asia's Art Deco Gems in Shanghai and Napier, New Zealand

Amidst the glorious dilapidation of what was a great imperial capital till 1917, and Leningrad till 1991, six orchestras, four chamber orchestras, three opera houses, a world-class conservatory and some 40 other music schools operate, more or less, as they have since the 1920s.

ECONOMIST: Russian violinists