Guardhouse dismantled after photoshoot goes viral

Photos of two young women's spring outing in Shanghai went viral on lifestyle app Xiaohongshu (Red) and Twitter-like Weibo after the duo climbed a guardhouse and garnished it with picnic decorations to take photos.

The popularity of the photos took off when a passerby shared how the girls took the pictures.

However, Shanghai authorities deemed the activity unsafe and announced that they would dismantle and relocate the guardhouse, which was close to the Caohejing Metro station in Xuhui District.

While some people appreciated their creativity, some netizens found it incomprehensible, questioning the safety of their climbing the guardhouse in a location with a high traffic flow.

On Thursday, the "photo spot" was demolished near the Exit 1 of the Caohejing station on Yishan Road.

The guardhouse had originally been used by patrol officers seeking shelter from rain or snow during night duty.

The worker in charge of dismantling the building confirmed that the guardhouse had been closed during the day and was not intended for public use.

It is not uncommon for people to use trick photography to turn ordinary locations into striking photos.

For instance, photos of tulips in front of Shanghai's iconic Normandie Apartments were in reality held up specifically for the photograph.

In other trick photography, photos on social media that appear to be taken through an airplane window can be faked using the handle of a plastic milk jug.

Similarly, what appears to be a desert background could simply be a pile of sand at a construction site.

Furthermore, those iconic building backgrounds in Shanghai were in reality shot from atop an electrical box.

Because of the box so popular as a photography site in Pudong, management had to put a warning sign, cautioning against people climbing on it.