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Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Liwan District, Guangzhou, is one of the busiest commercial pedestrian streets in China. Located in the old town of Xiguan, the 1,218-meter-long street is lined with more than 300 shops. The street is also a mixed showcase of architecture, cuisine and folk customs. Its architecture features characteristics of both southern European and Cantonese styles.
 

Shanghai's dramatic transformation into a skyscraper-packed megalopolis with a population of around 23 million has been captured in two photographs taken just 26 years apart.从这两张时隔26年的新老照片可以看出，上海在短时间内从普通城镇华丽变身为拥有2300万人口、高楼林立的大型都市的过程。
The images, taken last week and in 1987, highlight the breakneck pace of development that has turned Shanghai into a futuristic mega-city and made Pudong, the area to the east of its Huangpu river, one of the most recognisable skylines on earth.这两张照片分别拍摄于上星期和1987年，清楚地向我们展示出中国的超高速发展将上海变成一座未来派的大型都市，黄浦江东部的浦东也成为拥有全球最具代表性建筑的地区之一。
The first image shows Pudong in 1987 when Shanghai's population was just 11 million: drab warehouses and factories dot the Huangpu's eastern bank across from the city's historic Bund.第一张照片是1987年的浦东，那时上海人口只有1100万。从照片中可见，上海老外滩对面的黄浦东岸四处分散着死气沉沉的仓库和工厂。
The second shows the same region today: an almost unrecognisable vista in which dozens of high-rises and skyscrapers jostle for space around the Shanghai Tower, a 2,073ft "vertical city", which became the world's second tallest building.第二张照片是现今同一区域的景象：世界第二高塔、2073英尺高的上海中心大厦四周尽是摩天大厦，共同造就出上海这一“垂直城市”。
Shanghai's multi-billion dollar facelift began in the 1980s, during the early stages of China's economic opening to the world.上海这一斥资数十亿改造行动开始于上世纪八十年代，中国经济对外开放的初始时期。
In 1990, Communist Party leaders in Beijing unveiled plans to develop the area to the east of the Huangpu into a "Special Economic Zone" and three years later "Pudong New Area" was officially founded.1990年，中国领导人计划将黄浦东部建设成为“经济特区”。三年之后，浦东新区正式成立。
At the heart of its blueprint was the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Area, a 12.27-square mile Chinese answer to Lower Manhattan.这一蓝图的中心是陆家嘴金融贸易区，占地面积12.27平方英里（约为31.77平方千米），堪称中国的曼哈顿下城区。
A trio of spectacular skyscrapers were planned for China's new financial hub: the 1,381ft Jin Mao Tower, which was completed in 1999, the 1,614ft Shanghai World Financial Center, which opened in 2008, and the Shanghai Tower, which held its "topping out" ceremony this weekend becoming China's tallest building.接下来中国新经济特区的三座摩天大厦相继建成：1999年1381英尺（约为420.9米）的金茂大厦建成；2008年1614英尺（约为491.9米）的上海环球金融中心落成；还有上周末刚刚封顶的中国最高建筑上海中心大厦。
Pudong, which just a few decades ago was little more than a patchwork of paddy fields, is now home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the city's international airport and the unmistakable, futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower.浦东在几十年前还只不过是一块块水稻农田，但现在却成了上海证券交易所、浦东国际机场和醒目又具有未来主义的上海东方明珠塔的所在地。

First built in 1905, the 2,138-meter street is one of the longest commercial pedestrian streets in China. Considered the birthplace of modern Tianjin business, Heping Road is home to lots of old and famous malls, like Tianxiang, Quanye and Taikang, and hotels, including Guomin, Huizhong and Jiaotong. The architecture,which combines elements of Chinese and Western styles, are also worth a look. At night, the street glitters with gold under the street lights, like a street without darkness.