Shanghai in Jin’’s Imagination

- Shanghai, painted by one of the most famous contemporary novelists in China

- Approximately 100 paintings and illustrations by bestseller Jin Yucheng

- Records 100 years of change in Shanghai, as well as Yucheng’s personal history

- Features works that have been exhibited in China to great acclaim

Shanghai, second largest city in the world, is a hub of humanity. Never sleeping, never quiet, it is a flourishing center of commerce, finance and art. To Jin Yucheng, bestselling author of Blossoms, Shanghai is home. His art is steeped in the city’s rhythms and quirks. The paintings in this volume compose a love poem to Shanghai, while acknowledging the lonely absurdity of modern urban life, and offering incisive commentary on traditional and modern China. From the famous Lujiazui skyline to the bustling crowds, from cosy corners to vibrant streetscapes, these pages capture the Shanghai of the present. Yucheng also delves into Shanghai’s history, paying particular attention to the 1960s-1990s. Later chapters focus on Chinese culture, the contrast between megacities and remote villages, and Yucheng’s favorite animal - the horse. While this book is the perfect companion piece to Blossoms, a novel set in late-20th-century Shanghai, it will also appeal to anyone interested in Chinese culture and art.

Jin Yucheng, born in 1952, is a Chinese writer and painter. In 2012, Jin Yucheng published Blossoms: a full-length novel about the life of Shanghai citizens that caused a global sensation. Blossoms will be adapted into a stage play directed by internationally renowned director Wong Kar-Wai. This outstanding novel has won several top literary awards in China, such as the 11th Chinese literature media award, the first Lu Xin cultural award for fiction, and the ninth Mao Dun literary award. It has been praised as ＂the Best Shanghai novel and the Best Chinese urban novel＂. Jin Yucheng loves art and has been fascinated with fine arts in recent years. His paintings focus on Shanghai and China, combining history and personal memories, and showing his unique sensibility and imagination.