Depicting Shanghai through three generations of lenses

In a city defined by its ever-shifting skyline and timeless rhythm, the 17th Shanghai International Photography Festival brings residents back to its core: the people who live, breathe and immortalize its essence.

At the "Our City: Shanghai Through the Lenses of Three Generations of Photographers" exhibition, three artists from different eras — Qu Kailun, Xu Zhidong and Liu Xiaoling — reveal a Shanghai both familiar and foreign. Spanning decades of transformation, their works weave an intimate tapestry of urban memory and modernity, inviting us to see not only the city’s changing face but also the enduring spirit that lies within.

For Qu, photography is more than a medium — it’s a sensory connection to his city. Born in 1957 and raised in Hongkou District’s Liangcheng neighborhood, Qu's lens has long been tuned to Shanghai’s quieter, overlooked rhythms. Known for his unerring ability to distill everyday scenes into visceral memories, he brings to life the ephemeral Shanghai that hides in the city’s other side.

Awarded the "King of Street Photography" title at the 2016 "Street Photography China" competition, Qu’s work pulses with an authentic local flavor. His subjects often inhabit the intimate spaces of Shanghai life: laundry flapping on balcony rails, stray cats sunning themselves in alleys, or shadowy figures on lantern-lit streets.

Yet Qu’s images are more than snapshots — they are dialogues. He doesn’t merely capture the sights but channels the sounds and emotions that accompany them: the faint rustle of laundry, the languid hum of summer afternoons, or the sharp resonance of a passing remark, laced with the unmistakable cadence of the Shanghai dialect.

“I try to choose subjects that are inherently local,” Qu said. “Things that belong to Shanghai’s unique flavor. I used to take more black-and-white photos, but now I focus more on color — perhaps it makes the city look more vibrant and alive.”

Through Qu’s lens, the fantastical and the mundane collide. It’s a Shanghai that seems alive, its pulse synchronized with Qu’s camera shutter, a city in perpetual motion yet imbued with a timeless, almost cinematic stillness.

Xu, who was born in 1962 in Shanghai, is both a witness and a chronicler of Shanghai’s transformation. Since the 1980s, he has used his camera to document the subtle changes in the cityscape, capturing the widening of streets, the reconstruction of bridges, and the renewal of buildings. Through his lens, he preserves fleeting moments of the city’s evolution, creating a visual archive that resonates with those who share his connection to the city.

“Places and scenes we’ve personally experienced are the easiest to evoke strong emotions, especially those that retain their original flavor,” Xu said. “There’s always something lingering, something worth revisiting.”

This profound attachment stems from his deep understanding of life, particularly as a member of a generation that spent their youth in the 1980s — a period of burgeoning vitality in Shanghai.

It was an era when youth broke free from monotony and found inspiration in the city's dynamic energy. Xu's journey as a photographer began when Shanghai underwent significant changes. He turned his lens away from romanticized landscapes and toward the evolving urban fabric, focusing on the interactions between people and their surroundings.

His work often captures moments of everyday resilience and quiet grace. In 1996, his lens focused on a solitary figure battling with a coal stove, smoke enveloping the figure in a hazy shroud, while the steel frame of the old Shanghai TV Tower emerged above from the shikumen (stone-gate) buildings in the distance.

Xu’s work is marked by his methodical approach to memory. In 1985, he captured a black-and-white photograph of the Huangpu River from the rotating restaurant atop the Ocean Hotel in Hongkou. Decades later, in 2020, he returned to the same spot to take another shot.

The scene had completely transformed: A once-industrial shipyard had given way to a cruise terminal, and the iconic Magnolia Plaza obscured the Broadway Mansions Hotel in the distance. By juxtaposing old and new, Xu’s work acts as both a record and a correction, anchoring the viewer’s often-fragmented recollection of the city.

His photographs are not just records, but tools of introspection, questioning the fleeting nature of memory and the city’s ever-changing face. His deliberate use of the same locations, angles, and perspectives over time highlights photography’s ability to bridge gaps between past and present. His work reminds us that while the city continues to change, these captured moments offer a sense of stability and clarity in an otherwise transient world.

Born in 1987, Liu represents a new generation of Shanghai photographers, blending tradition with innovation. His work builds on the foundations laid by the likes of Qu and Xu. His journey, however, is marked by a deliberate, introspective approach, seeking to converse with the city rather than simply document it.

Liu’s creative process began in black-and-white film. Yet, as a child of the 1980s, he quickly developed his own perspective, moving toward large-format photography to capture the city's quieter, often overlooked moments.

His lens reveals an alternate Shanghai — the deserted alleys, the early morning stillness of the Bund, or the unexpected calm of main roads. These spaces, stripped of their usual bustle, offer a stark contrast to the city’s vibrant and chaotic reputation, challenging viewers to reconsider their understanding of Shanghai.

Liu’s Shanghai is a city of silence and secrets, viewed through the meditative lens of black-and-white film. His compositions possess a stillness that forces viewers to pause, compelling them to observe the city’s hidden details and confront its complex, layered beauty.

What lies beyond the city’s beautiful façade? This is the question Liu poses through his work, urging viewers to see beyond the surface and engage with the city’s deeper, more enigmatic essence.

This photography exhibition is held in the Liangcheng Community, Hongkou District, bringing art into the heart of local neighborhoods. By embedding art into the fabric of community life, the exhibition fosters a dialogue between the artists and the residents, bridging the gap between creativity and daily experience.

If you go:

Date: Through January 15, 2025

Address: Bldg 17, Lane 76, Guangyue Road, Hongkou District 虹口区广粤路76弄17号楼

Admission: Free