Angling for the best shot: Pot of tulips sparks photo frenzy
The flowers and the building
A man takes a photo of the Normandie Apartments from behind the pot of flower on Tuesday.
If you pass by the intersection near Wukang Road in Xuhui District and notice throngs of people squatting or circling around a pot of flowers, don't be surprised.
A pot of tulips had triggered both a photo craze offline and a buzz online. Now, it has been replaced by hydrangeas.
The district's greenery authorities said they will keep changing seasonal blossoms in the pot following the camera frenzy.
Recently, a photo featuring a "blooming" scene of tulips with the Normandie Apartments, an iconic century-old building on the road, in the background, posted on social networking site Xiaohongshu drew netizens' attention and many flocked to the street to take similar photos.
It was widely described online as a "romantic scene of Shanghai's spring."
However, those coming to the scene were left disappointed after they found that the "blossoming" scene was "fake," presented as such because of the photo's shooting angle. The real scene was only one pot with several tulips.
Many said they were "cheated" by the photo but others still kept visiting the street out of curiosity to have a look.
They were seen seeking the best shooting angle around the pot, some bringing professional cameras to the scene.
"I saw the post on social media last week. And although I knew it was 'photo cheating,' I think the process of looking for different photographing angle is very interesting in itself," said a resident surnamed Wang.
The tulips with the iconic Normandie Apartments in the background
The photo on Xiaohongshu that triggered the photo-taking craze
A resident of neighboring Zhejiang Province surnamed Wang who is traveling to Shanghai said she read the post and saw the flowers had been changed, so she shot some images for her Wechat Moments.
"I passed by the place and found the Normandie Apartments is beautiful," she added.
As the blooming period for tulips is over, Xuhui's greenery authorities have replaced the flowers with hydrangeas.
"We did not expect the abrupt photo craze triggered by the pot of flowers," said Zeng Jun, director of the green space management department of the Xuhui District Greenery Management Center.
He said that this was not the first time that tulips were planted. This year, they were planted in early January to beautify the street for the Spring Festival.
"Now, it has become a new wanghong (popular online) photo-taking spot," he noted.
"Following the popularity, we have decided to replace the flowers every month based on seasons, feedback from residents and tourists, and different holidays," Zeng told Shanghai Daily.
"Peach blossoms, roses and carnations are some potential options."
A woman takes photos of the Normandie Apartments.
People circle around the pot of flowers.
