Continuous decreases in the number of people taking the ferry in the past few years worry him.

Wang still remembers the beginning of the 1990s, the heyday for the ferry service. With the development of Pudong, more and more residents and enterprises have moved to the new developed land.

In the '90s, the number of passengers was over 1.03 million a day through the 22 ferry stations. But now the number is less than half of that.

"With the construction of the tunnel, bridge and metro, the ferries have lost their attraction," said Wang. "There was a time when the ferry was the only means of crossing the Huangpu River which divides the city into two parts."

Wang began working on the ferries before China's liberation in 1949.

"At that time, few people lived in Pudong and most boats on the river were small rafts, eight people a raft swaying on the river, which was dangerous," said Wang.

"Only rich people could afford a ticket for the ferry which was two or three times as much as that for a small raft."

At that time, few people went to Pudong. Most were peddlers, workers or people with family across the waters.

"Rich people had big houses in Puxi and no one was willing to live on the isolated tract of land on the opposite side of the river," said Wang. "I rarely went there myself before I moved there in 1989 after the construction of the Nanpu Bridge."

But in 1989, Wang's family were still unwilling to move to Pudong.

"People still thought of Puxi as an urban city while Pudong seemed like a village," said Wang. "Inspired by the idea of supporting the city's construction, we finally moved to Pudong."

Now Wang is proud to have been among the first to make the move.

But during the first years living in Pudong, his life was not so convenient or cosy.

With no food market nearby and not so many alternative foods, Wang had to rely on a big refrigerator he bought. Every week, he travelled back to Puxi to buy food sufficient for one week.

Sanitation and cleanliness were also not very good. "Swarms of flies would fly around the house which really upset me," said Wang. "We missed the old house in Puxi so much at that time."

Pudong didn't disappoint Wang for too long.

A few years later, stores, markets and greenbelt arrived in his life again.

Today, in their spare time Wang and his wife like to stroll along Century Avenue and marvel at Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone's skyscrapers.

Life is comfortable again. Wang has only one more wish now - that his son who is in his 30s finds a wife and settles in Pudong. "If that happens, I think my life will be perfect," said Wang.