Shanghai Senses: Sights
The City at Night
By David Butow
Shanghai is a city that seems most energized at night. This view shows East Nanjing Road, one of the most distinctive streets in the heart of town and just a few minutes walk from the famous Bund. For decades it’s been a shopping mecca, originally being a center for hard-to-find luxury goods, but today it has more of a middle-class feel, as most of the newer designer shops have located to glitzier West Nanjing. But still, on any night, regardless of weather, you’ll find throngs seeking out new clothes, toys and electronics.
In the morning you can see dozens of Chinese doing Tai-Chi along the Bund, the famous walkway that follows the Huangpu River. But at night, it becomes a place for lovers who want a bit of public privacy with a view from the Puxi district of Pudong's ultra-modern, rapidly-changing skyline across the river. While the Bund side showcases early 20th Century European colonial architecture, the view of Puxi is a potent symbol that China has reclaimed the economic force of the city.
The growing professional class has more disposable income to flaunt in trendy nightclubs. This picture was taken on New Year’s Eve in 2006/7. The scene is very typical of contemporary Chinese nightclubs, lots of decoration, flashing lights, and a sense of people performing on the stage of newly-found freedoms and prosperity.
Along with new prosperity, there is an increased interest in fashion and art, with both foreigners and Chinese regularly attending openings like this one, where a catering employee carries wine in a new gallery in the upscale Three On the Bund building.
I’ve always felt going to contemporary China is like watching history unfold in slow motion. You can see the contrasts of the past and present not just superficially, but being lived every day and night. Much of the century-old European architecture has been preserved, but huge swaths of the city, like this section of classic Chinese-style housing along the South Bund, are being razed to make room for modern high-rises.
Not everyone hits the town at night. Like millions of others, this young couple moved to the city from another province, not for the glitz and glamour, but just to carve out a nice, middle-class life. Their small three-room apartment has modern internet access, but an antiquated heating system, which can’t quite ward off the damp winter chill, so they bundle up in layers at home.
David Butow is a California-based independent photographer who does assignments for magazines, corporations and non-profits. He has covered news, feature, and travel stories in many countries including Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, and Peru. His work has been featured in various books, magazines, and exhibitions around the world. He is a member of the Asian Art Museum, and Redux Pictures. To see more of his work, please visit www.davidbutow.com.
