Shanghai, the biggest city of one of the largest economies of the world. A little more than a decade ago, the city had no skyscrapers, not much growth either. Over the years, Shanghai has turned into one of the most popular international metropolitan cities.
A few years back, it was just another slow-paced area. However, it has transformed itself to such an extent that it is now setting a pace for other cities to follow. A few years back, the city's skyline was just a blur of nothingness. Now that has been replaced with shining monuments and skyscrapers.
According to Lonely Planet:
"Once a playground for foreign adventurers and socialites, the one-time whore of the Orient is now where home-grown tycoons build soaring monuments to capitalism and the locals party all night. But despite a past as evocative as it is notorious, Shanghai has dispensed with the rear-view mirror, pushed the pedal to the floor and is roaring towards its imagined future so fast that keeping up is almost impossible. New developments spring up weekly, while the rapidly growing middle classes work seven days a week in the hope of graduating to the big-time."
To document life in Shanghai, photographer Rob Whitworth and an urban identity expert, JT Singh, joined hands and created what several media reports are calling "the best time-lapse video of Shanghai". Apparently, the creative duo walked through the busy streets of Shanghai to capture vivid moments of the city. They also approached people on Weibo, the Chinese social networking site to share their opinions and ideas of using various vantage points to view the city.
But what was the whole concept behind the video? What did they want to portray?
"The over-riding reason we made this video was to creatively show the world visually how China is rising, in particular Chinese cities. Just as New York City exemplified the strengths and ambitions of emerging America in the 20th century, Shanghai, perhaps more than any old or emerging rival, will personify the power and dreams of rising Asia in the 21st century," JT Singh explains.
Check out the video below:
Time-lapse videos/photography has gained much popularity over the past few years. The creative concept has been used in parts and segments of various movies, series and short documentaries. More recently a time lapse video of New York City went viral on the internet. Check that out here.
