A man performs tai chi on the Bund against the backdrop of Pudong New Area. [PHOTO BY ZHENG XIANZHANG FOR CHINA DAILY]

When Shanghai applied to become the host city of the 2010 World Expo, about 80 percent of the images in the application report were captured by Zheng. This historic report which won Shanghai the bid is now stored at the Shanghai City Planning Exhibition Hall.

Zheng's passion for the craft started when he was an adolescent in the 1970s. During those times, a film camera cost about 100 yuan ($14.8), a substantial sum considering that his family's average monthly salary was a meager 15 yuan. Unable to afford a camera, Zheng resorted to borrowing from friends and acquaintances to satiate his desire to capture the precious moments in life.

"Cameras were considered a luxury. They were not as pragmatic as bicycles used for commuting or televisions for entertainment. The printing of pictures also cost a fortune. The cost of developing a single film strip was the equivalent of several months of wages," recalls Zheng, who also sought to learn more about photography through magazines and books.