Shanghai’s highest standard for measuring success: being street-snapped on Anfu Road.

She is known as the “Anfu Road Little Princess” by everyone, even though she is over 50 years old, with a crew cut, a princess headband, a Lolita dress, and a round figure.

In addition to the “Little Princess,” there are many people of various styles and body shapes on Anfu Road. They walk with a pace that doesn’t require everyone to understand.

Shanghai street photography is quietly refreshing your aesthetics: it’s not just about looking good, but also having a sense of style.

Some even say that one of the important signs of doing well in Shanghai is being photographed on Anfu Road: being affirmed by a lens with Shanghai aesthetics means you have been accepted by Shanghai.

But it’s not that easy to leave a mark on a self-media account that captures street shots on Anfu Road…

In 2022, cycling, an outdoor activity, has made a comeback, awakening people in various cities who have been cooped up.

However, cycling in Shanghai and Beijing cannot be compared.

Among the Shanghai residents who cycle for fitness, it is rare to see them wearing baggy one-piece cycling suits. Instead, they are more likely to wear sports bras and tight leggings.

They do not have the exhaustion of panting, but rather, they seem to be on their way to the gym, enjoying the breeze and the shadows of the trees.

Riding the old Phoenix’s 28-inch high bar bicycle, or a Japanese cream-yellow retro bicycle, they are all leisurely, wearing French straw hats and sunglasses, with a bunch of flowers, a bag of fruit, a bag of bread, a dog, or a rope – pulling the boyfriend who is playing landboarding in the front basket and rear seat.

Explore the Exquisite Shanghai by Bike

Unlike other cities, in Shanghai, there is a group of people known as “Baobao Dads and Moms” who ride bicycles with a peculiar attachment to carry their children.

The “Cargo Bike,” a modified version of the traditional “backwards donkey” ride, has become popular among Shanghai locals. Not only can children be placed in the front basket, but a second child or even a dog can also be accommodated, along with a set of camping equipment.

In Shanghai street photography, raising children seems to be an easy and fashionable endeavor.

Wearing a leather jacket with a child safety seat on the outside, strapping the child to the front and back, and riding with a pouting buttocks; a 100,000 yuan handmade steel frame bicycle, welded with a child seat of the same color; there are also those who directly stuff the child into a down jacket… (Dangerous behavior, do not imitate)

Of course, Shanghai is still competitive and not easy to get by, but I don’t want to say that Shanghai street photography is fake or pretentious.

Because showing the side of enjoying life is not easy in itself.

In Shanghai street photography, even dogs have a hierarchy of contempt.

Greyhounds and Afghan hounds stand side by side at the top of the pyramid of dogs in Shanghai street photography.

Walking a large dog also has an implicit meaning, this person must not be a transient living in a 20 square meter single room in the old alleys of Shanghai.

Dobermann, Giant Poodle, Dalmatian… These large dogs firmly stand in the second echelon. The energy and financial resources required to raise a large dog can allow any young person with thinning hair in a large factory or a tightly wound financial person in Lujiazui to regain a moment of dignity while walking their dog.

To rely on dogs for street photography, “uniqueness” is the key. If you can’t afford the largest, then raise the smallest.

A Maltese the size of two fists, hidden in the light and shadow of Anfu Road. “American retro spicy girls” like to put it on the ground to frolic, “rich family daughter style” prefers to place it in a bag, and “noble sisters” favor holding it in their arms.

There is a hierarchy of disdain among pet dogs in Shanghai

Italian Greyhounds, if they appear in other cities, might be commented on with: “This dog, its face looks like a bicycle seat.”

However, in Shanghai, they wear pullover jumpsuits, only adding a touch of agility and playfulness to their owners.

Akitas and Shiba Inus are probably at the bottom of the contempt chain.

Even for independent photographers with tight budgets or cultural industry workers who work late into the night, taking a small Shiba Inu out for a walk can transform even the most tired dark circles and stubble into the image of a tender Japanese boyfriend.

Dogs are not only a must-have fashion item in street snaps but also a symbol of life for the “Shanghai drifters” beyond just surviving.

To appear successful in Shanghai, one must first own a dog of an unnameable breed.

Xiaoyanglou and Wutong trees, the grand background sets the tone for elegance, but the essence of Shanghai-style street photography lies in the lifelikeness.

You should not just appear to be walking, but rather look like you are on your way to a restaurant, en route to a bookstore, or in the process of having just bought a baguette.

A baguette tucked under the arm, tied with a checkered cloth on the back, the flavor of Shanghai is immediately infused.

Holding a cup of coffee in hand while walking is a basic operation, and some even adopt a juggling posture – while riding a bicycle, one hand holds the handle, and the other holds the cup.

Even when eating a large sesame seed pancake, they still bite into it with a natural and casual feeling.

The exquisite bouquet wrapped in Prada newspaper has exited the history stage of Shanghai street snaps. After all, the more delicate the flowers, the more people appear artificial and pretentious. A bunch of green plants wrapped in kraft paper is just right.

The term “老法师” (Lao Fa Shi) in Shanghai dialect refers to someone who is highly skilled or proficient in a particular field, similar to the meaning of an “old expert.”

However, the term “老法师” is now more commonly known to refer to a group of elderly photography enthusiasts who gather on the streets, carrying long and short lenses.

On Anfu Road, whether you are being photographed by others or taking photos of others, the “The Old Master” (Lao Fa Shi) will not let you go unnoticed.

The arm-clamping method is the essence of Shanghai’s fashionable street snaps

Stereotypical old masters are often thought to only point their lenses at young girls in revealing clothing, which is quite annoying.

There is also a group of self-appointed mentors among the old masters who love to chase after young photography enthusiasts, following them from Anfu Road to Huashan Road, just to argue with them about the “correct use of light ratios.”

However, the exquisite street shots of Shanghai on the internet are mostly taken by middle-aged and young masters, who are mostly freelance photographers with their own professions.

But there is also a hierarchy of contempt in their fashion street photography “sorcerer” circle.

The old ones look down on the middle-aged: When I was developing film in the darkroom, you were still nowhere to be found.

The middle-aged look down on the young: Without a Hasselblad, can your photos have a sense of texture?

“Disrespecting the elderly”: Slapping one’s thigh and asking, “Do you even understand aesthetics?”

Shanghai’s fashionable middle-aged and elderly people may outnumber those in any other city in the country.

Whether they are considered the so-called real or fake Shanghai elderly, most of them have an upright posture and wear clean and tidy clothes.

Being fashionable in clothing is not considered fashionable. It is the Shanghai people’s emphasis on dignity and their unyielding attitude, “I am very determined,” that is truly fashionable.

Fashion photographers of different ages gather together on Anfu Road

Suddenly thought of the title of Eileen Chang’s essay: “In the End, It’s the People of Shanghai.”

Elderly men dressed up just to go downstairs and take out the trash, and young people also put on full makeup when going out for a walk – being exquisite is the character of Shanghai people, as well as the character of the city of Shanghai.

(*Old Kler: Middle-aged and elderly men who pay attention to their attire and have pursuits in leisure life and culture.)

Even if Shanghai street fashion is said to be a “fake Shanghai”, the fancy life of Shanghai people continues.

Despite the intense competition and hard work in Shanghai, the relaxed and carefree individuals captured in street photography form a complete image of the city.

Shanghai is already so tired, isn’t it allowed for the people of Shanghai to leave a moment of tranquility in street photography?