When we think of visiting Shanghai as a tourist, we might first think of seeing the historic sites, like the Bund or the City God Temple, or the Yu Garden. Even the extensive Lujiazui skyline is a sight to behold. But do these sites hold the heart and soul of the community itself? Like anywhere else in the world, to fully appreciate the real Shanghai, one must discover it, look beyond the posh tourist sites, explore the backstreets and alleys and look into the eyes of the local people. For it’s in the people that one will discover the untold stories that make a city a community full of life, more than a mere tourist destination.

Derek Muhs and Marisa Tarin have compiled a collection of stunning photographs in their book, Faces We Love Shanghai. The book, the photographs, reveal the true heart and soul of Shanghai. The book shares photographs of people: smiles, tears, their faces marking the breadth of time and the intensity of a life well-lived. These people are what makes a community come alive, but these people are also what so many ignore or miss. We often hear the profound words that a “picture is worth a thousand words.” This collection reveals a compendium of images that each, on their own, is worth more than a thousand words. This is a book to be savored and enjoyed many times over. Beautiful, heartwarming, compassionate photographs.

Faces We Love Shanghai is a work of non-fiction in the art and photography subgenres. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was compiled by creative team Derek Muhs and Marisa Tarin from contributions made by numerous photographers. The book is a collection of photographs taken of the people of Shanghai, focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people as they come together as a community to support each other through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book takes us on a journey of emotions to celebrate the people of Shanghai through the photography of their most authentic moments.

This collection of images is a beautiful look into the lives of real people captured during fascinating and mundane moments that demonstrate an understanding of the human experience that makes life such a beautiful and worthwhile experience. Derek Muhs and Marisa Tarin both have gifted eyes as photographers and curators to have sought out and recorded these moments in ordinary strangers' lives. The images are each familiar and yet unfamiliar, taking experiences and relationships that we recognize but showing us in the context of strangers to remind us that every perspective is different, every story unique. Overall, Faces We Love Shanghai is a powerful celebration of the real people who live their lives in the nooks and crannies of the world’s great cities, the individuals who make up the cultures we love and recognize around the world. An absolute essential for the photography fan and for students of the human condition.

上海我日日夜夜想你 ! As a Shanghai native who had not been back for many years, this book brought a tear to my eyes. Normally when I mention Shanghai to people, they think skyscrapers, bright lights and traffic, OR cramped back alleys with steamy noodle shops. Now, they may think of serious pandemic lockdowns and just what they see in the news recently. The pictures here are a reminder of all the humanity in between. I love to see those smiling faces, the people at work, the children playing, just normal human life. 谢谢 to the photographers for capturing my home town so well!