Shanghai New People Photography changed its name when it moved from Huaihai Road to Julu Road (above) in 2002.

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In 1959, on the 10th National Day of the People's Republic of China, the studio was relocated to Middle Huaihai Road and renamed Renmin (People) Photo Studio.

During the 1960s and 1970s, People Photo became famous for its unique Shanghai style photo shoots.

The photo studio became an attraction during the 1980s, as more and more Shanghainese came for photographs, especially for weddings and family pictures, says Zhang Jianjun, deputy general manager of the studio.

"The twice yearly changes of our display windows were big events, and people came from all over the city to see the new photos of celebrities, to see what were the latest trends in fashion, hairstyle and makeup," recalls Zhang, a 40-year veteran with the company.

Even ordinary people were willing to spend half their monthly salary to take a photo here. Studio sessions were given away as valuable wedding gifts.

One major draw was the fact that the studio used a special technique to process black-and-white photos to look like oil paintings.