DREAMS IN SHANGHA 【爱·在上海】

他们，来自全国各地，来自五湖四海，来自各行各业，现在，他们都在上海。他们是出租车司机、小店店主、家庭主妇、艺术家……他们是这座城市的面孔。中国最具活力的都市之一有什么吸引着他们，他们在上海的生活又有哪些甜酸苦辣，听听他们怎么说。

Some come from neighboring provinces, some from far-flung parts of China, others from countries around the world. All seem to share a common trait: They are seeking a better life in one of China’s most dynamic cities.

Three Shanghai Daily photographers Wang Rongjiang, Dong Jun and Zhang Suoqing set out to find people pursuing their own dreams in the city.

Whether they are taxi drivers, shop owners, housewives or artists, these faces of Shanghai are seizing their chance to live in a place that provides them with enjoyable activities, great diversity and a chance to move forward in life.

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Chen Xin, 36, supermarket owner, from Shanghai

Chen runs a small supermarket with her brother. The blind woman is also learning computer skills and zheng (a traditional Chinese instrument) in her spare time. “I hope zheng can help me be more patient,” she says.

She wants her 6-year-old son to grow up well, and has another dream: “In the future, I want to take blind people like me out for a trip, with the help of my guide dog.”

Zhu Yiwei, 92, retiree, from Shanghai

Zhu loves music and his accordion, so much so that he goes to the Xujiahui Park to play almost every day.

“I feel happy when playing for kids,” Zhu says. “Now is the happiest time of my whole life without any worries about food and living.”

“During the ‘cultural revolution’ (1966-76), I had to hide my accordion,” he recalls. “Now I come to the park every day, playing the instrument and chatting with people. I’m really gratified.”

His dreams? “Well, dreams for a 92-year-old ... I hope all is well for my children.”

Yuan Tianyi, 8, third grader, and her mother, Li Bo, from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province

Yuan is learning Peking Opera at the Pudong Children’s Activity Center, where she spends two hours a week. “My head hurts a lot when they do the hair,” she says. “However, I will feel excited once I get dressed up for a role in the opera.”

Ivan Marks, 19, student, from New York, USA

Asked why he came to study at NYU in Shanghai, Marks says, “I was born in New York and there is nothing new for me there.”

On learning Chinese, he says you need to love it first. “I would say Chinese culture is now in my blood,” he says, adding that he uses every chance he gets to learn, chatting with Chinese people and using his phone to put down new words.

He admits that, as a freshman, he lacks a clear Shanghai dream. Then he thinks for a moment and says, “I guess I would like to be an anchorman in a Chinese TV station.”

上海日报微信明日继续向你讲述生活在上海的这些人和他们的故事。

Click "Read more" at the bottom to see more stories about people in Shanghai.

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