City dreamers
城市上空追梦人
I am an enterprise manager at the Shanghai Construction Engineering Group, and photography is my biggest hobby, taking up most of my spare time. It has been dozens of years since I bought the Seagull DF1, the first camera in my life, with the six months of income I saved in 1984.
By chance, I participated in a photography activity on the theme of “Finding the Most Beautiful People”. During my exploration, I suddenly realized and discovered around me a group of such beautiful people - the construction builders in the city. As a member of the construction industry, it gives me an inbuilt advantage than outsiders, and I also have the responsibility and obligation to the public by record the worthwhile endeavor of these builders.
From then on, I began to focus on photographing urban construction and the builders, especially now that China’s development has attracted world attention and admiration. The era of great development has created space and potential for the art of photography, and it has also nurtured the public with lots of wonderful and touching moments.
In recent years, I have been mainly focused on photographing urban high-rise construction, as skyscrapers are the representatives of urban elements. In these buildings the spirit and wisdom of the modern builders are on full display, and all such fresh faces reveal the trajectory of urban development.
This group of photos is a selection of tens of thousands of photos I have taken over a period of more than four years taking advantage of various opportunities. It is also a representative work of my Architect series of documentary photography. In pursuit of the authenticity of the photos, I often get up earlier and return home later than the builders, greet the first ray of light in the city in the morning, and feel the splendor of urban neon in the night.
Of course, concentration alone is not the guarantee of quality photos, but sincerity and perseverance are needed to capture the simplicity and sincerity of these city builders. Among the selected photos, the photographing experience at the construction site of the Qiantan Center Building in Shanghai Pudong Free Trade Zone touched me very much deep.
At the beginning of the filming, the workers often asked me to leave for reasons such as affecting their work. I used my professional knowledge as a national registered supervision engineer with more than 20 years of experience to discuss with them the various issues encountered in construction and installation operations. They also provided reasonable suggestions many times to help solve some small problems on the spot.
Gradually, their attitude changed. Coupled with the habit of going to the construction site for many years, I always rushed to the construction site to take pictures for everyone during holiday, so that the builders can share it with their families. In this way, everyone began to accept me and I thus became the “director photographer” of the workers. Moreover, as time goes by, they all know my focus, and they would even take the initiative to call me at every key construction period and invite me to take photos.
Another time I was particularly moved was during the filming of Elevated Neon. I kept photographing from noon to evening. I always felt that the light was not in place, and I hadn’t caught the scene of the neon flow in the picture. After knowing my thoughts, they took the initiative to work overtime to accompany me to complete the shooting. Looking back on those days, I believe what I harvest most is not the work itself, but the friendship of thousands of builders.
Today, Shanghai has become one of the most dazzling cities on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. Modernization has made the city more attractive than ever, and the city has made people’s lives more and more exciting. For me, a person who witnesses and records the changes of the times is fortunate. As long as there is a spirit of perseverance and innovation, all efforts will be full of vitality. With the cloud as my company, I am looking for new landmarks in the city between the sky and the earth; together with the focus, I am seeking new memories of the times in every inch.
我是上海建工集团旗下的企业管理者，最大的兴趣爱好就是摄影。1984年，我用积蓄的半年工资买了人生中第一台相机海鸥DF-1。在一个偶然的机会，参加了“寻找最美的人”主题摄影活动。在拍摄过程中，我发现自己身边就有一群“最美的人”——工程建设者。作为建设行业的一员，我比业外人员有更好的拍摄条件，也有责任和义务向大众展现建设者的情怀。
从此，我开始专注于“城市建设与建设者”的拍摄，特别是如今的中国发展速度令人叹为观止，大发展时代为拍摄创造了良好空间，也孕育了许许多多的感动。近年来，我主要拍摄城市超高层建设，因为摩天大楼是城市价值观的代表，不仅能全面展示现代建设者的精神与智慧，也是城市发展的新形象、新轨迹。
本组照片是我历时四年多时间，利用各种机会拍摄的上万幅照片中精选出来的，也是我“筑”系列纪实摄影的代表作品。为了追求照片的真实性，我经常比建设者起得更早、归得更晚，在晨曦中迎接都市第一缕光芒，在黑夜中感受都市霓虹的绚烂。当然，光靠专注是远远不够的，还需要用真诚与执着，这样才能得到工友们满满的朴实与真情。
上海市浦东自由贸易区前滩中心大厦建设工地的拍摄经历就让我感触颇深。刚开始，工友们经常以影响他们工作等理由请我离开，我就利用我作为一名从业二十几年的国家注册监理工程师的专业知识经常和他们探讨施工安装作业中碰到的各种质量安全问题，也多次提供合理化建议，帮助解决一些现场小问题。
慢慢地，他们的态度改变了。再加上多年的走工地习惯，每逢节假日，我总会赶到工地给大家拍照，让建设者们可以分享给自己的家人。就这样，大家开始接受我，并变成工友们口中的“总监摄影师”。随着相处时间的推移，他们都知道我的关注点，每到关键建设环节都还会主动打电话给我，邀请我去拍摄。
特别感动的还有一次，在拍摄“高架霓虹”时，我从中午拍摄到傍晚，总觉得光线不到位，还未抓到画面有霓虹的流动感觉，工友们知道我的想法后，他们主动加班陪我一起完成拍摄。回首这些拍摄的经历，我强烈感受到：我收获最珍贵的不是作品本身，而是成千上万建设者的友情。
今天的上海已成为太平洋西岸最耀眼的城市之一，现代化建设让城市魅力前所未有，人们生活越来越精彩。对于我，一个专注时代变迁的亲历者、记录者是幸运的，只要有锲而不舍、勇于创新的专注精神，所有的努力一定会有生命力。以云彩作伴，在天地间寻找城市新地标；与专注为伍，在方寸间追寻时代的新记忆。
图一：Raffles City on the North Bund, Tilan Bridge area, Hongkou district, Shanghai (263 meters high, 50 floors). Structure installation workers hoist steel components.
上海市虹口区提篮桥北外滩来福士广场建设工地（高度263米50层），钢结构安装工人在吊装钢构件。（2017年1月15日摄）
图二：Tower crane standard section lifting on Suhewan Center (204 meters high, 43 floors), Jing’an district, Shanghai.
上海市静安区苏河湾中心大楼建设工地（高度204米43层），安装工人在准备进行塔吊标准节顶升。（2020年10月25日摄）
图三：The BRICS New Development Bank Headquarters Building (150 meters high, 30 floors) in Shanghai Pudong Free Trade Zone. The tower crane driver controls the boom over the Expo Park site.
上海市浦东自由贸易区金砖国家新开发银行总部大楼建设工地（高度150米30层），塔吊司机在世博园上空操控动臂塔吊。（2019年7月14日摄）
图四：Outer steel frame installation on Gao Shang Domain (51 storeys, 280 meters high), Tongchuan Road, Putuo district, Shanghai.
上海市普陀区铜川路高尚•领域建设工地（高度280米51层），工人在吊装外框钢结构主梁。（2018年10月13日摄）
图五： Workers coordinate steel components in place on Raffles City.
上海市虹口区提篮桥北外滩来福士广场建设工地，工人合力确保钢构件就位。（2017年1月15日摄）
图六：Steel structure hoisting on Qiantan Center (280 meters, 56 floors).
上海市浦东自由贸易区前滩中心大厦建设工地（高度280米56层），工人在进行大厦塔冠钢结构吊装。（2018年7月30日摄）
图七：Workers have lunch on top of Qiantan Center.
上海市浦东自由贸易区前滩中心大厦建设工地，工人就地午餐。（2019年4月13日摄）
图八：Hu Zhimin takes advantage of the work break to take pictures for the workers on Gao Shang Domain.
上海市普陀区铜川路高尚•领域建设工地，摄影师利用施工间隙为工友留影。（2020年9月24日摄）
