"Bund Kiss" by French journalist-cumphotographer Jordan Pouille is among the works on display at Room with a View.

Whether they are sophisticated, naughty, glamorous, ostentatious, shy, sexy or geeks, Shanghai teenagers are, above all, surprising. They reflect perfectly the "moving China" that the entire world is talking about.

Now, French journalist-cum-photographer Jordan Pouille has photographed these colorful youths and presents 30 portraits in his first exhibition, "Shanghai Youth Photography."

The one-day exhibition at Room with a View gallery offers a glimpse into the transience, individuality and dynamism of youth.

You will meet Lucia: She is only 18 but is mad about Harry Potter and has created a fan club in Shanghai. There's Wang Chao, 24, who designs crazy videogames at Ubisoft. "They all have a lot of things to teach us," says Pouille, who moved to Shanghai in January.

"Shanghainese teenagers are very narcissistic and pay a lot of attention to their style," he continues. "However, they are very friendly and always delighted to be photographed."

In their diversity, Shanghai youth are a great expression of the "moving China" that everybody is talking about, says Pouille. He came to China because he was getting "fed up with all the stereotypes Western people have about this country and its people."

Originally from Saint-Tropez, Pouille worked as a reporter for the regional newspaper Nice-Matin before moving to Shanghai. When the paper's professional photographer was busy, Pouille had to take photos himself.

He also took pictures for European magazines to accompany his freelance stories for publications such as The Guardian in Britain, VSD in France, and Le Soir in Belgium.

"The pictures added color and emotion to my text. They gave a second dimension to a subject," says Pouille.

As a freelancer in Shanghai, he easily finds subjects to photograph. He can now devote himself to his twin passions, writing and taking pictures.

"I hope to establish myself as a photojournalist. I will never stop writing and selling news stories to French national papers but I care too much about pictures. As you know, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words."

"Shanghai is like heaven for me as there are so many faces and colorful people to shoot, especially the young people."

As a journalist, he says, he needed to form his own opinion on Chinese society and communicate it. "French people have to know that Shanghai is not only a place to make money but also a place to express your creativity."

Pouille says he is able to capture a China beyond stereotypes.

"They (some Westerners) fear China because more and more international companies relocate their factories here to reduce their costs ... Sure, China is bound to succeed because of its economic assets but also because Chinese people have lots of ideas, ambitions and motivation. They are not just submissive low-paid hard-workers as some Western people sometimes choose to see."

Pouille's choice is portrait photography. "I am always trying to capture human emotion, which is why I like using digital photography. With this medium you can take many pictures until you get the right one."

Usually taking the pictures from a lower level than his subject, on his knees, he says, "This gives the person I am photographing more confidence. I always try to be quiet and modest and this helps me to take very interesting pictures."

"With this exhibition, I hope my foreign guests will be more tempted to mix with Shanghai people and communicate with them. We have lots of things to learn from each other and the language difference shouldn't prevent us from socializing."

This is the message Pouille is trying to get across with his portraits of young dynamic Shanghainese.

"They are the New China that Western countries have to cope with."

Date: March 5, 6pm
Address: 12/F, 479 Nanjing Rd E.
Tel: 139-1853-4271