Liang Wu

I don't know if all Westerners who have lived in Shanghai are as fascinated with its old architecture, much of which still survives, as I am. I have collected a number of books consisting of old photographs, and this one has recently joined the list. The photos are well selected and paint an interesting picture of life from the late 19th century to the 1940s. Images of Western buildings seem to predominate, and it is largely those buildings that remain icons of today's "Old Shanghai" under their new names. This book suffers a little from its standard size. Large format books can bring photos like these more to life, but most of these depictions of past times are sharp and can still speak to us. The text, at least in its English translation, is more than a bit loopy, but also poetic in its awkward, contradictory way, and the author's musings about the meaning and interpretation of these old images do put us in the proper frame of mind to contemplate them.… (més)