This is the way we were: Shanghai 2017
Through the lens of Shanghai Daily photographer Jiang Xiaowei, Shanghai is a stage where stories unfold every day — happy, sad, beautiful, confronting. But always fascinating.
Growing pains
January 23: Heavy traffic on the ramp on Yan'an Elevated Road M.
Soaking up the sun
February 18: A man lies on the lawn, enjoying the winter sunshine in People's Park.
Snapping the Bund
March 14: Three tourists take photos on the Bund.
The end of M&S
March 15: A customer looks for bargains in the flagship store of Marks & Spencer on Jinling Road before it closed in April. Most of the shelves had already been emptied. The British-based retailer closed all 10 outlets on China’s mainland amid continuing losses in a competitive market.
Mysterious catch
March 21: Villagers take photos of a dead whale found in the sea near Laogang Town, Pudong New Area. The male baleen whale, about 22 meters long, was later preserved as a scientific specimen.
Of blossoms and buses
March 29: A woman takes photos of cherry blossoms at the bus station under the Nanpu Bridge — considered the most beautiful bus station in Shanghai.
Ribbons in Red Town
April 5: A girl swings ribbons on the lawn in the Red Town on Huaihai Road W. The creative park was closed in June but a new project called Red Town 166 is under construction in Changning District and will be managed by the original Red Town operator.
Paramount pleasure
April 11: Two hostesses in traditional clothing await customers at Paramount in Jing'an District. The iconic Paramount Hall, which was the "first dance hall in the Far East" reopened in April.
Expo museum
April 25: The World Expo Museum officially opened after more than three years of construction. It is the world’s first museum dedicated to the World Expo.
Bride on a bridge
April 25: Happy newlyweds are blissfully unaware of the workers behind them, who were checking a twisted truss on Waibaidu Bridge after it was hit by a truck.
Italians on patrol
May 2: A Shanghai policeman demonstrates equipment to Italian colleagues on the Bund. Four Italian officers patrolled in Shanghai from May 1 to May 5 at famous tourist attractions such as Lujiazui, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund and Xintiandi. Last year, Chinese police officers joined their Italian counterparts for two weeks of joint patrols in Rome and Milan.
International interest
May 11: A law school student from the University of Navarra in Spain takes photos in the conference hall of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee on its opening day for foreigners.
Cheering Team USA
May 18: Students from Zhabei Experimental Primary School prepare for a cheerleading performance for the visiting USA fencing team.
Disney anniversary
June 16: The sun sets at the Shanghai Disney Resort on the first anniversary of its opening.
Shared-bike shake-up
June 20: Rainbow-colored shared-bikes park on the roadside. Bike-sharing became so popular in 2017 that bikes illegally parked on sidewalks and roadsides became an administrative headache.
Yoga in the park
June 21: A boy practices his own moves as his parents do their yoga in Dongping Forest Park on World Yoga Day.
Building collapse
July 21: A firefighter searches for survivors in the ruins of a collapsed building on the Cao'an Highway.
Cyber buzz
July 27: A boy stands before a wall decorated with popular cyber buzzwords at Chinajoy, the country's biggest gaming fair. This year's fair drew more than 342,700 visitors.
Cool at Kerry
August 7: A girl cools off in the fountain at the Jing'an Kerry Center.
Paying to share
August 12: A girl peeps into a shared-umbrella machine in the Nanjing Road E. Metro station. The shared economy was one of the big winners in 2017.
Building boom
August 18: A Babylon-style building in Putuo District under construction.
Bikes in vines
August 23: A shared-bike is reclaimed by vines in a parking lot on Zhongxing Road, where thousands of illegally parked bikes were piled after being taken off the streets.
Charity children
September 5: A group of autistic children play music to mark China Charity Day.
The last hold-outs
September 8: An old photo of the Xu family in their isolated three-story house in the middle of a four-lane street in Jiuting Town. In the background is the iconic Park Hotel. Due to disagreements with the government on settlement deals, the Xus became the only household remaining there since 2011 while all their neighbors had been relocated to make way for a road. They finally agreed to move in 2017.
At the crossroads
September 21: An aerial view of the Yan’an and North-South elevated roads looks uncongested at night. Shanghai officials have made development of public transport and expansion of the Metro system high priorities to ease roadway congestion.
Classic romance
September 26: An actress in "The Romance of West Chamber", a traditional Kunqu Opera, in Guyi Garden.
A river stroll
October 20: Pink hairawn muhly grass planted along the banks of the Huangpu River in Yangpu District provides a soft environment for family outings. The projects of the 45-kilometer waterfront, which will be officially completed on December 31, have turned the riverfront into public greenbelts for walking, cycling, recreation and sightseeing.
Paddle power
October 25: Canoists on Suzhou Creek. Nearly 200 athletes from more than 10 countries, including the Netherlands and the UK, took part in an international competition on the creek.
Street games
November 23: A girl plays jianzi, a traditional Chinese game, on Menghua Street in Huangpu District.
Doggie wedding
December 3: Doggie bride and groom dressed up like their masters for a wedding.
Closing the book
December 24: A sleeping customer late at night in the only 24-hour bookstore in Shanghai, Popular Bookmall on Fuzhou Road. The store closed on Christmas Day because of lease issues, but is looking for a new location.
