Photographer Xu Haifeng captures the bittersweet optimism of Shanghai, China’s commercial hub during the 1990s and 2000s.
For photographer Xu Haifeng and many others from the late ’60s generation, Shanghai in the 1990s was a city full of potential. As economic reforms propelled the city to the forefront of globalization, young people like him found themselves exposed to a new wave of fashion, business opportunities, and a greater sense of freedom to pursue their dreams.
As a budding photographer at that time, Xu was drawn to the remnants of the city’s rapid development, particularly the old neighborhoods being demolished to make way for new construction.
He then turned his lens towards those striving to catch up with the societal changes, as well as those weathering the storms in pursuit of a better life. Through this, he vividly reflects the portrait of the city and its people during a period of profound transformation.
In an interview with The Paper, the photographer, born in 1969, shared: “At that time, Shanghai felt like a construction site. Highways sprang up along my daily commute, while residents had to wait longer for buses due to traffic disruptions caused by construction.”
Through these artistic and time-stamped photographs, the author hopes to reflect, in part, the vibrant Shanghai of its golden decade, thereby helping viewers reminisce about their childhood.
Photo taken in 2000.
Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1994
Photo taken in August 1996.
Photo taken in March 1994
Suzhou Creek, March 1994
Photo taken in May 1994
Nanjing Road, 1998.
Suzhou in the 1990s
Photo taken in October 1994
Photo taken in March 2005
