Shanghai Tower Crane Operator Wins Photo Prize

A crane operator working on what will soon be China’s tallest building has won second prize in the Shanghai City photo contest, for his astonishing views of the city.

Wei Gensheng’s job swinging construction materials into place from atop the 121-storey Shanghai Tower has given him an unparalleled view of the city, which he has recorded in his series of prize-winning pictures.

The photo contest prize was announced in November, and while it may have helped Wei’s cause to be tracking the progress of one of the Shanghai government’s pet projects for his entry into the city photo contest, his views of the area from the months that he was perched in the crane give a rare glimpse of this fast growing community.

The Shanghai Tower topped out in August of this year, when the final beam was put in place 580 metres above ground. When the building’s crown is complete it will stand 632 metres tall, making it the second tallest building in the world, after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

No word as to whether Wei plans to apply for a crane operator gig at the Sky City project in Changsha, just in case he needs to get some very high level views of the Hunan countryside.

(Photos courtesy of Wei Gensheng)