Yangpu during the Shanghai lockdown

Day 50 and I got a rare “临时出门单”, so I walked around the Yangpu district for a few hours, which is the hardest-hit area in Shanghai now.

 

Main roads have some traffic, but curbs are empty — except for around the area of two hospitals I passed. I saw many seniors who had to walk there, often an old lady pushing her husband or vice versa.

 

Everything is closed. I don’t know where delivery guys get their goods from. Some pharmacies are open but only hand out medicine through the door which is only slightly opened.

 

Many roads are fenced off on the sides or across. Some roads are only accessible through a police check. Trash or empty crates are stacking up on the curb.

 

I saw some tents and other people sleeping in their cars. In other places, underwear hung out to dry is one of the clearest signs of life.

 

The vaccine station in Wujiaochang isn’t open but once Yangpu starts opening up I’m sure many people will get their shots here.

 

Other places are deserted and it’s magical and sinister.

 

 

These words get often used but today it honestly felt post-apocalypse.

 

A yellow layer lays on everything after no steps here for a long time. Sometimes a stray cat jumped out and scared me.

 

Some people I met.

 

One of the thousands of permanent PCR testing stations across Shanghai, conveniently next to GoEast Mandarin.

 

This is where I took one of the shots during the outbreak in 2020, and I’ve always had that scary, cold & rainy-night association with it. It’s weird to be here again in a similar situation (day shot).

I love these streets. They’re home to me.


Some more photos here:

Latest

A summer’s day in autumn

A summer’s day in autumn

Set an alarm to 05:00, take a taxi to the train station, get onto the train, switch in Hangzhou, and get off in Tonglu (桐庐), take another taxi — to arrive 4 hours and 330 kilometers away from home. For a hike. Maybe it’s crazy, but the alternative is to stay home. You’ll have plenty […]
October 12, 2025
Mary in Qibao

Mary in Qibao

We’re in Qibao (七宝古镇) — an old water town swallowed by the city of Shanghai, now turned into a tourist attraction. In the center stands a moon bridge, surrounded by heavily renovated buildings that now house shops selling fridge magnets or bites such as ⁠tangyuan, scallion pancakes, red bean cake, and parts of pork or […]
October 11, 2025
Empty shops

Empty shops

If you squint your eyes, you can still see a busy little street here. The shops on Wangxin Road (王新街店铺) near Gaoqiao (高桥) in Pudong, were built in the late Qing Dynasty but now face an uncertain future. They’re not labeled for demolition (the character 拆 isn’t shown), but there are many tags of landlords […]
October 11, 2025
My favorite places in Shanghai (2025 update)

My favorite places in Shanghai (2025 update)

I saw this message from Curt about how difficult it is to love Shanghai, and there’s some truth in that. Maybe it’s too big a city to love, and I just love some specific locations of Shanghai. Let me have a go. Ye Garden Ye Garden (叶家花园), a ~100-year-old park in Yangpu, hidden behind a […]
October 10, 2025