Is this really Shanghai? Your phone can capture the city’s magical night.

ShanghaiNot only the financial and economic hub of China but also an international metropolis offering cuisines from around the world. Of course, it also preserves many distinctive local Shanghainese dishes, and its snacks are highly appealing — such as the famous xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and more. These might be the common impressions people have of...ShanghaiBut what you might not expect is that...Shanghaiat night, under the lens of a smartphone, its colorful skyscrapers can transform into scenes straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The photographer behind this series “Magical Metropolis Shanghai” is a post-90s Chinese-American woman named Bin Xin. Over the past two years, her surreal photos have helped her Instagram following soar to nearly one million, making her an internet sensation.ShanghaiHer shooting locations aren’t complicated — they mainly feature...

Shanghailandmarks. For example, at Jing’an Temple in the evening, the traffic under Yan’an Elevated Road reaches its peak congestion of the day, and Bin Xin captures the scene at that moment. Later, she heads to People’s Square to document the bustling crowds on East Nanjing Road around 8 or 9 p.m.Of course, she doesn’t miss the sunrise either. To achieve the best effects, she goes to the rooftop of a building in Lujiazui to watch the sunrise, and even unexpectedly captures a sea of clouds, which delights her.

Shooting in such low-light conditions isn’t easy. Bin Xin shares that she asks a friend to help light up the scene with a phone, focus the shot, then turn off the light before taking the photo. In addition, she uses a mini tripod along with smartphone apps that allow extended exposure times to achieve these stunning results.

So, if you have the chance to visit...

Shanghaiin the future, would you be interested in capturing a magical...Shanghaiphoto series like Bin Xin does?Other Travel Stories

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