Nostalgic trip charting 40 years of change
China embarked on a policy of economic reform and opening up to the outside world 40 years ago, ushering in a dramatic new era of change that touched every aspect of our life. To mark the 40th anniversary, Shanghai Daily photographers have taken a closer look at the evolution of the city in the past four decades. Special thanks to the photography magazine Shanghai Pictorial, which contributed the photos from the 1980s and 1990s.
Past: Shoppers carry the washing machines they purchased in Shanghai in 1986. Household commodities made in Shanghai were best-sellers across the country due to the high quality and modern design.
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Past: Shoppers carry the washing machines they purchased in Shanghai in 1986. Household commodities made in Shanghai were best-sellers across the country due to the high quality and modern design.
Shanghai Pictorial -
Present: A foreign tourist carries a new baby stroller he just bought from a Nanjing Road E. store. Shopping is an integral part of all the tourists visiting the city.
Wamg Rongjiang / SHINE
Past: Shanghai No.1 Department Store in the 1980s
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Past: Shanghai No.1 Department Store in the 1980s
Shanghai Pictorial -
Past: Shanghai No.1 Department Store in the 1980s
Shanghai Pictorial -
Present: Shanghai No.1 Department Store in 2018. Despite the decoration change and the disappearing overpass, the store is still an epitome of the city’s standing as a shopping heaven to all visitors.
Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE -
Present: Shanghai No.1 Department Store in 2018. Despite the decoration change and the disappearing overpass, the store is still an epitome of the city’s standing as a shopping heaven to all visitors.
Wang Rongjiang / SHINE
Past: Citizens make calls on the first-generation mobile phones in 1992. At the time, most people who used mobile phones were businessmen and the phone was nicknamed “big boss” in Chinese.
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Past: Citizens make calls on the first-generation mobile phones in 1992. At the time, most people who used mobile phones were businessmen and the phone was nicknamed “big boss” in Chinese.
Shanghai Pictorial -
Past: Citizens make calls on the first-generation mobile phones in 1992. At the time, most people who used mobile phones were businessmen and the phone was nicknamed “big boss” in Chinese.
Shanghai Pictorial -
Present: Citizens play games on their mobile phones by the roadside. According to a research by the Pew Research Center, more than 98 percent of the adults in China own a mobile phone and about 70 percent own a smartphone.
Wang Rongjiang / SHINE
