A new photo exhibition in New York's Rockefeller Center showcases the transformation of China's largest city.

In one of the busiest crossroads of the world, New York City's Rockefeller Center, a new photo exhibition, "Amazing Shanghai," has opened. Tourists and residents of the Big Apple have the chance to experience China's brightest metropolitan jewel with a multimedia series of photographs, paintings and video organized by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality, Asian Culture and Media Group, Shanghai Hongkou District People's Government, Shanghai International Culture Association and property developer Tishman Speyer.

On display from September 16 through September 21, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the free exhibit also tells the story of Shanghai's role as a safe haven for Jewish refugees during World War II. A number of the surviving refugees were on hand at the opening ceremony on September 19.

Life was very difficult for the Jewish refugees in Shanghai, but the hospitality they experienced created a "positive experience," said Inga Selomon-Wegner, who lived in Shanghai from 1940 to 1947 as a teenager.

"We had to start from scratch," she said, adding that her parents had to abandon their fancy apartment and learn to cook over a coal stove.

"We went back in the 1990s and had a wonderful trip to China," Selomon said. "This exhibit is very special. I wish China well."

A 360º Shanghai Rotunda photo shot earlier this year by a German photographer highlights the exhibition "Amazing Shanghai" (FILE)

"Shanghai has long shined a welcoming beacon to visitors," said Pan Guang, Dean of the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai, in a statement. "The history of the city as a refuge for those fleeing Nazi persecution during World War II is a little known, but important, part of the city's past. I hope this exhibit will help paint a richer picture of the Jewish experience."

The opening ceremony was attended by more than 100 diplomats, entrepreneurs, media and guests including Sun Guoxiang, Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, Zhu Yonglei, Director General of the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality, and Jerry I. Speyer, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Tishman Speyer. A letter from Yang Xiong, Mayor of Shanghai, was read expressing the hope that the event would offer the American public an opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture and promote the experience of "Amazing Shanghai."

Included in the exhibition was "A Century of Shanghai and Beyond in Pictures," a photo series illustrating the transformational changes of the Shanghai skyline from the low-rise classicism of the Bund to the towering skyscrapers in Lujiazui. Also featured are Shanghai-style Chinese paintings, featuring a contemporary ink painting technique unique to Shanghai. At the centerpiece of the exhibition was a 360º Shanghai Rotunda photo shot earlier this year by a German photographer.

"Shanghai's re-emergence as a global metropolis owes a lot to the deep ties the city has maintained with the world and nowhere is this better illustrated than the relationship it has with New York City," said Zhu Yonglei. "Many of the players that have shaped modern Shanghai, whether it is in high finance, art, real estate development or international trade, are the same ones that have made New York City the most exciting city in the world. We are delighted to share 'Amazing Shanghai' to this dynamic city."

Jerry I. Speyer, of Tishman Speyer, in a statement said both cities have "iconic skylines" that are instantly recognizable around the world.

"We are proud to help bring 'Amazing Shanghai' to New York City and showcase the incredible transformation the city has gone through," he said.

The author is a contributing writer to Beijing Review, living in New York City