Shanghai

Last week was my solo adventure in Shanghai. This Chinese city is the largest in the world, sporting a population of 24,000,000 people. Even now, a week later, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the sheer scale of this place.

This was also a challenging city to photograph. It had a whole new feel and rhythm that I never quite felt in-tune with. Regardless, I tried my best to capture some pictures from around The Bund, Pudong and the French Concession.

If you want to follow along on this trip, I’m sharing photos on Instagram.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way up front: yes, the pollution in Shanghai was bad. But people tell me it’s been worse. And that it’s even worse in other cities like Beijing.

Every morning my hotel would have a sheet posted showing the Air Quality Index (AQI). The index runs from 0–500, with higher numbers being worse (learn more). For quick context: On January 29th, New York City’s index was 55. San Francisco was 74. The worst air quality in the US on January 29th was 110.

I didn’t see a day below 150 in Shanghai. For few days it was creeping dangerously close to 200, the range considered “very unhealthy” by the AQI.

What this means for this post is that I really struggled to capture any sort of crisp photo. The pollution adds a lot of noise and makes shooting at night particularly hard.

I tried my best!

Shanghai has a completely different feel and energy than any place I’ve ever been. Stores and apartment buildings would stretch for blocks on end, creating a beautiful maze of human life.

Yet despite the size and density, it didn’t take much wandering to find myself strangely alone...

Every nook and cranny was put to use on the streets. This busy aesthetic stands in stark contrast to the clean, orderly nature of Tokyo.

This next photo was taken along The Bund, an area of amazing architectural and cultural diversity. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Shanghai, noted for the stunning view of Pudong across the river (not pictured here) and the magnificent buildings which line the streets.

Here are a couple of my favorite buildings along The Bund.

Here we’re looking down the river along The Bund. This photo felt a bit apocalyptic to me; a lone ship sailing into the abyss.

In Pudong I took the short trip to the top of the Shanghai World Financial Center. This immense building houses the highest observation deck in the world, allowing for a 100-story view of the city. I didn’t catch the best day to take the trip; here was my view from the top:

It was still fun to hang out above the skyscrapers, but I found some of the views and stories on the ground much more interesting. Pictured below is the Shanghai Tower (still under construction). It stands at 121 stories and is a true testament to human engineering.

On my last day in Shanghai I took to the streets. Around every corner was something new and foreign.

Meat shops like this one were common. Butchers worked from the sidewalk, hacking and sawing their way through animals being handed off from the back of white vans.

I was taking photos of one meat stall when this man turned to look at me. For whatever reason, I pointed to my camera and gestured for his approval.

He smiled and nodded.

I wish I had done this more. The people of Shanghai made this week amazing. So many newfound-friends were willing to meet up for a drink or food and offer their advice, tips and guidance for navigating this metropolis. I wish I had captured more photos like this which highlight the beautiful people of this city.

One shop over, you’d find a small opening like this quite literally overflowing with shoes. Footwear flooded the sidewalks, often leaving a pair impossible to find among the piles of boots and sneakers.

I wish I had taken a better photo of this store, but some odd looks from the women trying on shoes at the curb kept me moving along.

I’m still trying to find out what to call this style of cooking — if you know, give a shout! From watching this process for a while, here’s what I gathered:

You would order your food inside. The ingredients would be prepared inside before being cooked out on the streets in these clay (?) pots heated with flaming coals. Watching these people tend to the food was an art — and of course, the smells were supreme.

Every few blocks in the city told a different story. For a while I meandered through restaurants and shops, packed with hungry people. But then you’d turn a corner and be in a whole new world.

Pictured below was a small fish vendor on the street. Each of these plastic bins contained live fish, squirming with their last minutes of life. Men would hurry in and out of the small building carrying fish to women inside who were cleaning and preparing the cuts for sale.

If fish isn’t your thing, just walk another block or two and find a thriving road overflowing with cars, shops and people.

Below is a view of Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping areas. This pedestrian mall swarmed with people making their way down the pathways, diving into stores or ordering food from shop windows.

One rule of thumb that I came away with from Shanghai: ignore anyone who approaches you speaking English. While this sounds unfriendly, it is truly one of the best ways to avoid being scammed or meddled with.

Very few Chinese people in Shanghai approached me. Those who did, however, were the ones trying to sell me something or lure me into getting a “massage.”

Ignore and press on.

There’s a reason people say that Shanghai often feels like a real-life Blade Runner. There’s an underlying aesthetic, most prominent at night, that makes you feel like an extra in a sci-fi film. Pictured below is the criss-cross of overpasses glowing neon-blue in the night.

For the last few hours of my week in Shanghai, I journeyed to the rooftop bar of the Hyatt just north of Pudong. I was there quite early, around 7:30pm. Arriving early meant a window seat with a breathtaking view of Pudong and the surrounding skyline.

There’s even a jacuzzi on top with a view of the city — just bring a towel!

Next stop: Singapore!