China’s car culture can feel unfamiliar and quite closed off to outsiders. With the country’s internet being so isolated from the rest of the world, finding local car clubs or people with the same interests can be surprisingly difficult when you’re there.
I was lucky enough to get an introduction through a guy I met in Thailand who was originally from Shanghai. He showed me what the local scene looked like, introduced me to a few people, and from there I started exploring it on my own. I eventually discovered a few different car clubs and communities around China’s biggest city.
One of them was the JWRC Club. After attending one of their private meets, I picked two cars that immediately stood out to me for a shoot: a pair of McLaren 720Ss.
After speaking with many members, the McLaren owners were among the few who spoke at least a little English and were also young enough to be genuinely interested in collaborating on a film-based photo story. What started with these two McLarens quickly became an introduction to a much larger and more diverse scene
These two cars are really just the tip of the iceberg. Shanghai has a strong supercar and hypercar community, with owners who actually use their cars as intended, taking them to track days and driving them regularly. At the same time, there is a strong JDM scene, including Kanjo enthusiasts, a large Porsche community, and even RWB in China. One of Nakai-san’s widebody creations was actually being built while I was in Shanghai, and I was lucky enough to attend its reveal.
For me, what made Shanghai’s car culture particularly interesting was the combination of the people, the cars, and the locations you can find throughout the city. There is a side of China’s car scene that’s hard to see from the outside, and you really need to spend time here to understand it.
This story shows a small part of that world through the people and cars I encountered during my time in Shanghai. If you want to experience the scene properly, I’d definitely recommend coming here and immersing yourself in the city’s car culture.
