Shanghai at Night

Shanghai's Pudong skyline rises across the Huangpu River after dark. The pink-lit spheres of the Oriental Pearl Tower stand apart on the left, with the tiered Jin Mao Tower, open-topped World Financial Center and taller Shanghai Tower grouped farther right. Building lights carry into the river as long red, gold and blue reflections, while a small ferry crosses the foreground.

The pink spheres of the Oriental Pearl Tower are the easiest pieces to find. The other towers each have their own outline, from stepped tiers to a rectangular opening high above the river. On the water, the ferry is the only solid shape among the colored streaks, and the window rows along the waterfront stay crisp where the same colors on the river blur into ripples. The deep blue sky is the plainest part, so it makes sense to leave it for last.