The images of Shanghai’s Pudong district, which just decades ago was an area of farmland, document the formation of one of the world’s leading commercial hubs. A photograph of the city in 1987 (top) shows a land of low-rise factories- a far cry from the forest of skyscrapers jostling for space in the skyline today (bottom).
The city now boasts the world’s second tallest building, the Shanghai Tower. At a staggering 2,073ft, the skyscraper is a testament to the country’s position as a global economic leader.