50 Photos Capture Street Scenes of Shanghai in the Mid-1970s

Shanghai is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People’s Republic of China, governed by the State Council. The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowing through it. It is the most populous urban area in China, the most populous city proper in the world and the only city in East Asia with GDP greater than its corresponding capitals.

Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, education, science and technology, manufacturing, tourism, culture and transportation, and the Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.

Shanghai has the largest metro network of any city in the world, the sixth-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, the fifth-largest scientific research output of any city in the world, and highly ranked educational institutions including four Project 985 universities: Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, and East China Normal University.

Shanghai is also known for its sugary cuisine, distinctive local language and vibrant international flair. It is the highest earning tourist city in the world, with the seventh most five-star hotels in the world, and the second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower.

These fascinating photos were taken by Michael Rank that show street scenes of Shanghai in 1976.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

TV shop on Nanjing Road, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road cinema. International Hotel in the background (formerly and once again known as the Park Hotel), Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road poster, Shanghai, 1976

Nanjing Road trishaw, Shanghai, 1976

Bicycle park, Fuzhou Lu, Shanghai, 1976

Cinema posters, Shanghai, 1976

Commune carrying benches to meeting, Shanghai, 1976

Commune dairy cows, Shanghai, 1976

Commune mother and child, Shanghai, 1976

Commune pigs, Shanghai, 1976

Commune youths, Shanghai, 1976

Fuzhou Road, Shanghai, 1976

Fuzhou/Xizang Lu, Shanghai, 1976

Hongfangzi, Shanghai, 1976

Huangpu ship, Shanghai, 1976

Huangpu ships, Shanghai, 1976

International Hotel statue, Shanghai, 1976

Photographer at park, Shanghai, 1976

Photographer at park, Shanghai, 1976

Retired performers, Shanghai, 1976

Shanghai anti-Deng, 1976

Shanghai at night, 1976

Shanghai boatmen ships, 1976

Shanghai Bund crowd, 1976

Shanghai Bund crowd, 1976

Shanghai Bund, 1976

Shanghai Club, 1976

Shanghai commune women, 1976

Shanghai Exhibition Hall, 1976

Shanghai former racecourse, 1976

Shanghai former racecourse, 1976

Shanghai Huangpu, 1976

Shanghai International Hotel (formerly and once again known as the Park Hotel), 1976

Shanghai International Hotel (formerly and once again known as the Park Hotel), 1976

Shanghai International Hotel (formerly and once again known as the Park Hotel), 1976

Shanghai Orthodox Church, 1976

Shanghai park cathedral, 1976

Shanghai Revolutionary Committee, 1976

Shanghai street from above, 1976

Sitting on Bund, Shanghai, 1976

Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, 1976

Tudor house, Shanghai, 1976

Wujiaochang, Shanghai, 1976

Wujiaochang, Shanghai, 1976