A guide to Shanghai's street life

Wang Xiaoying's latest novel, Song of a Long Street, follows the lives of residents in a winding street in downtown Shanghai. Writers and critics have hailed the book for its vivid portrayal of the city's people.

"Shanghai authors haven't written about the city's rapid changes over the past decades. Wang's work has largely filled in the blanks by looking at the lives of people at the bottom of the social ladder," said writer Sun Yong, at last year's discussion panel on the book, held at the China Writers' Association.

This is the sixth novel from Wang, who says it is difficult to write about the city.