China embarked on a policy of economic reform and opening up to the outside world 40 years ago, ushering in a dramatic new era of change that touched every aspect of our life. To mark the 40th anniversary, Shine photographers have taken a closer look at the evolution of the city in the past four decades. Special thanks to the photography magazine Shanghai Pictorial, which contributed the photos from the 1980s and 1990s.

Past: Under the system of a planned economy, apartments allocated by the government couldn’t be traded. The only way to upgrade living standards or conditions was to exchange. Therefore many citizens posted housing information on the street. In 1984, an apartment-exchange meeting in the People Square drew more than 20,000 people. The average living space per capita of Shanghai people in the 1980s was only 4 square meters.

Present: A couple attends a real estate exhibition. In 1991, the government set up a public housing fund and encouraged citizens to buy apartments. If someone wanted to buy the apartment they were living in, the average price was about 250 yuan (US$36) per square meter, which was about the average monthly salary at the time. Today, the average price of a new apartment in Shanghai has risen to 54,000 yuan per square meter and the average living space per capita is about 20 square meters.

Wang Rongjiang / SHINE

Past: Workers polish metal casting parts in an underground shelter in 1982. Shanghai has over 700,000 square meters of abandoned bomb shelters, mostly built in 1960s and 1970s as a defense system in case of war. In the 1980s the shelters were used as factories, hotels and even kindergartens.

Present: A bomb shelter at 883 Xietu Road in Huangpu was turned into a wine club, which stores 30,000 bottles of red wine. The local government has filled up some of the abandoned shelters which couldn’t be rescued, while the better preserved ones are being converted into activity centers, cafes and wine cellars.

Past: Caoxi Road N. in Xujiahui in 1983. At the time, the under-construction-17-story Shanghai Weather Bureau office building (on the left) was the tallest in the area.

Present: The four lanes of Caoxi Road N. have been expanded into 10. The building of Shanghai Weather Bureau is shadowed by other high-rise buildings.

Past: Soldiers patrol Yangshan Island in 1982.

Past: Fishing boats are docked at the seaside

Present: A bird’s-eye view of the Yangshan Deep-Water Port. Phase four of the port, the world’s biggest automated container terminal, started trial operations at the end of last year. The fourth phase of Yangshan Port was initially able to handle 4 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). The number will eventually expand to 6.3 million TEUs at a later stage.