#3: Livelihood and Life

Adjacent to this group portrait, a long strip of screen and a circular screen roll out more street snapshots. The long strip screen showcases the various livelihoods sought on the streets—carpenters, seal engravers, barbers, street food vendors—capturing fleeting moments of hard work and perseverance amidst societal freedom and openness. The circular screen, on the other hand, depicts people on wheels—bicycles, motorcycles, tricycles, disabled vehicles, buses, and cars. These wheels carry fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, friends, or even strangers, propelling the city forward in its relentless pace.

The subsequent two mutually perpendicular dark green walls present another vibrant tapestry of street life. Citizens engage in chess, dancing, and lounging in the open, while children play and even bathe at the alley entrances. These are the spillovers of daily life onto the streets, unique phenomena of urban living back then. A particularly striking photo from Daming Road, captured on one sweltering August day, shows people cooling off by the roadside, with an aunt leaning against a window, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief—a gesture reminiscent of Robert, who also carried a handkerchief on his belt to wipe away the sweat. Yet, what stands out most in Robert's memory is the friendliness of the Shanghainese people! They were unfazed by his camera and often willingly engaged in conversation, a factor that enabled him to swiftly fall in love with the city within 24 hours of his unprepared arrival.