Shanghai by day, between concrete and history
Shanghai by day, from the riverside crane and concrete to Jing'an Temple and the canals of Qibao: old temples standing alongside the modern towers.
This is the daytime side of our ten days in Shanghai, the counterpart of the city at night. We walked the French Concession, the West Bund, Suzhou Creek, Jing'an and Nanjing West Road, and went to Qibao, the old water town.
Concrete and history
There are so many traditional temples and so much traditional architecture standing alongside the modern towers. That duality between concrete and history is what this album is about.
The riverside
On the Huangpu, an old orange harbour crane stands in front of the city towers lined up on the other side: Technical orange crane. Close up, its stairs, railings and beams turn into steel lines against the pale sky. Along the river, raw concrete takes over: a dark corridor of pillars leading to the light, rows of pillars under an old silo hopper, and in Metal meets concrete, smooth vaults meeting an old perforated structure, the light cutting through the arch. An old brick warehouse and its chimney stand on the water, the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai Tower right behind it: Different point of view.
The moment I remember most from these days is the Long Museum.
The streets
On Nanjing West Road, the Louis Vuitton ship is moored between the towers, its deck and red funnel in the afternoon sun. A street turns into an outdoor market, striped stalls and crowds in the golden light: Outdoor mega mall. Elsewhere, a flower shop hides behind a rusted steel door in a red brick building, white perforated arches cover another, and a turquoise electric tricycle is parked by a stack of crates in the exact same colour: Perfect match.
Jing'an Temple
Jing'an Temple is the duality in one frame. Golden lions sit on the roof, white marble balustrades below, and a glass skyscraper rises right behind them. Incense smoke climbs around the bronze burner with the towers in the background. Inside, there are stone lions on the balustrades against the yellow walls, rusty dragons on an iron incense burner, red ribbons tied in a tree and Buddhist prayer flags strung between the curved roofs.
Qibao
Qibao is the old water town: canals, stone bridges and boats. A stone arch bridge crosses the canal with boats moored below (Cool bridge), a wooden boat is rowed along the tree-lined banks, red vine leaves hang from the old houses, and a silhouette works in a small workshop at the end of a dark passage, the canal shining behind. Behind the restaurants of the main street, white sheets dry in the sun in front of an old inn.
There is a tea house too, and a refined garden, the Double Pavilion Garden. Its name is carved above the stone gate (Door to garden). Inside: a tall scholar's rock lit by the low sun, an octagonal doorway in a white wall, and a stone tea table under a wooden pavilion with a bonsai on top.
Photographer's notes
Most of this album was shot on the X-T5 with the 56mm, wide open at f/1.8 and ISO 125 to 200, with shutter speeds from 1/60s up to 1/51200s for the canal sparkling at golden hour. The 25mm came out for Nanjing West Road and Jing'an Temple, mostly at f/1.7, going down to 1/15s in the temple's white colonnade.
AlbumDaylight in Shanghai
Practical tips
- Go to Qibao: canals, a tea house and the Double Pavilion Garden.
- Look up at Jing'an Temple: the golden lions on the roof with the glass towers behind.
- Walk: the French Concession, the West Bund, Suzhou Creek and Nanjing West Road for the Louis Vuitton ship.
