This is Very Shanghai | A “Spectacle” at the Doorstep, Embodying Daily Life
[Editor’s Note]
Those who love Shanghai can always find the most unique frames here, capturing their own sense of life.
On the fifth anniversary of the “People’s City” concept, The Paper, in collaboration with IP SHANGHAI (Shanghai City Image Resource Sharing Platform) and Xiaohongshu, jointly launched the “This is Very Shanghai” interactive collection.
The author of this article, @Yin Ming, a photographer for IP SHANGHAI, collected images of 12 “X”-shaped crosswalks and 18 “paper-thin” buildings. He said, “These seemingly magical urban landscapes are actually right on our doorstep, condensing the daily hustle and bustle of life.”
Perhaps the most urban intersections in Shanghai all feature “X”-shaped crosswalks.
There are 12 “X”-shaped crosswalks in Shanghai.
I have counted at least 12 “X”-shaped crosswalks in Shanghai. With separate lanes for pedestrians and vehicles in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions, pedestrians can cross the street in all directions.
If captured by drone aerial photography, these “X”-shaped crosswalks each have their own unique charm, some rectangular, some diamond-shaped, and some irregular quadrilaterals.
They are like fashion show venues in the city. After the vehicles pass by, pedestrians come and go. At the intersection, it’s like the opening scene of a movie, telling us that the story is about to begin.
The magical street scenes of Shanghai are not limited to this.
When the leaves of the “French wu” (a type of tree) fall, “paper-thin” buildings emerge from behind the foliage. The most famous one is located at 398 Ningbo Road, whose end tapers to a sharp angle, with the thinnest part being only about 20 centimeters, and has been named “the world’s thinnest building” by foreign media.
“Paper-thin” building at 398 Ningbo Road, Huangpu District. Photo by Yin Ming.
“Paper-thin” building at 177 Lane Chongqing Beilu, Huangpu District. Photo by Yin Ming.
“Paper-thin” building at 928 Sichuan Beilu, Hongkou District. Photo by Yin Ming.
There are at least 18 “paper-thin” buildings in Shanghai, most of which benefit from the ingenuity of architects, making the most of irregular plots of land while also considering daily functionality.
These “paper-thin” buildings represent the rich urban texture of Shanghai. Apart from the regular, boxy buildings, there are many others that exist in various corners in a very unique and clever way.
They may not be famous landmarks, and some are even right on our doorstep, but they all tell the story of the city’s uniqueness and create the daily hustle and bustle of life. Every time we pass by, we feel as if they have been waiting for us for a long time.
What is Shanghai like in your heart? Click the link or scan the QR code above to upload a picture, sharing a moment that touched you in this city. Quality content will be published in The Paper.
