View from the very top

As a crane operator,Wei Gensheng has taken advantage of being at the highest point of construction sites to capture the beauty of Shanghai.迷你倉將軍澳He shares his passion withWu Ni. Having worked as a crane operator for nearly 40 years, Wei Gensheng rose to fame suddenly not as a construction worker but a photographer. The photos he took from his skyhigh working position has won much praise from professionals and the public. The 59yearold Shanghai native is a tower crane operator at the construction site of Shanghai Tower,whichwill beChina's tallest skyscraper when it is completed late this year, second only to the Burj Khalifa tower inDubai. Wei's job is to sit in the cabin 632 meters above ground, listening to instructions from the phone and operating the tower crane capable of lifting up to 100 tons. He enters the 1.2meterwide, 1.5meterlong cabin at about 6 am and stays there all byhimself for 12 hours. "A large part ofmy life has been spent in loneliness and boredom," says Wei, who will retire this September. "The camera is my best company." He leaves his camera in the cabin. Over the past three years, he has taken more than 10,000 photos from his skyhigh overlook. The best of them, about 50 photos, won him the silver award at the Shanghai International Photographic Art Exhibition in November. From his unique vantage point, Wei captured breathtaking images of thecity:endless rowsofhighrises poking through the fog, the golden skyline of the city secured by the beltlike Huangpu River basking under the glorious sunset.His photosmakethebustlingcitylooklikea magic kingdom. His crane hook often acts as a prop in photos.He has positioned it to look like the hook is lifting the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the 492metertall World Financial Center and the 420metertall Jin Mao Tower. Wei is most satisfied with the photos he called "the shadow of Shanghai Tower on clouds". "When it rained the previous day, the cloudswill be lowthe next morning, about 400 or 500meters high.While it is gloomy in the city, the sun shines brightly above the clouds. The Shanghai Tower, which is under construction, looks as if it is within the clouds and if I'm lucky enough, I can catch the rainbowlike halo on the clouds," he says. Because of his hobby,Weimonitors the weather forecasts and feels excited with every change in weather. "Photos taken during sunny days seldom produce surprises. It is the cloud, the fog, even the haze that make dramatic pictures," he says. His stunning photos drewpublic attention when W倉i's daughter postedthemin2013onSinaWeibo, a Chinabasedmicroblogging website. He now has more than 3,000 followers. His daughter, 29yearold Wei Yiming, admires her father's perseverancemost. "My father loves photography. For more than 20 years he never gave up thehobby.Hehas the same attitude at work — painstakingly working in one position for decades and keeping the passion for his job despite the loneliness," she says. Wei Centao,Wei Gensheng's colleague in Shanghai Construction Group, says he is dedicated to both hiswork and his hobby. "Hewould never sacrifice his work to take a beautiful photo," he says. InWei Centao's view,Wei Gensheng is a typical Shanghai man who is devoted to work and passionate about life. "He takes photos, collects rare stones and cooks nice meals for his family," he says. But Wei Gensheng is humble about his photography skills, saying thathe just "takes advantage of his uniqueworking position". "If there is anything special in me, I think I have an eye for beautiful scenes," he adds. There are a total of 16 tower crane operators working at that height.Many are also interested in photography."Youjust cannothelp taking out cameras—it is a natural responsewhenyouare inthemidst of amazing beauty," he says. But Wei Yiming says her father has a positive influence on his peers. "I once visited their dormitory and found many workers who have taken photos with their cameras or cellphones. They compared thephotos.Myfather ledthediscussion and now more workers have taken up photography as a hobby," she says. Wei joined Shanghai Construction Group as a crane operator in 1975. As his cranemoved fromone construction site to another, he has witnessed the birth of new heights in the city. "In 1999, my crane worked at the 60story shopping mall on Huaihai Road. The more than 200metertall building was then thehighest inwestHuangpuRiver region," he recalls. The record was broken four years later by the 333metertall Bailian Shimao shopping mall on East Nanjing Road, on which Wei alsoworked. "Every time I walk past the high rises I've participated in building, my heart beats faster.We construction workers have put in a lot of effort," he says. With a few months to retirement, Wei is satisfied with his achievements. "Life has given me the chance to work at the city's highest point. I seized the chance and took so many beautiful photos. I have no regrets," he says. Contact thewriter at wuni@chinadaily.com.cn. Online See more China Face stories by scanning the code. 24小時迷你倉