On the Road: Shanghai

Shanghai is a city of contrasts: the old and the new, the tacky and the tasteful, the rich and the poor - a modern narrative wrestling with its extensive past. I came to the city hoping to find another New York in Asia, some kind of oasis of art and culture with an enlightened population, but reality hits and it didn't take long for me to realize I'm still in China after all. 

Interesting enough, one can easily compare the feel of Shanghai with that of Berlin, a swamp of unprecedented urban development still hung up on its historical landmarks. The cheap food. The bad art. The bikes. The never-ending struggle for identity and the artificial synthetic "cool" forced on the entire city. Add a newly rich population and a gazillion Louis Vuitton outlets and you'd get Shanghai. 

Shanghai is a huge city even for an urbanist like me. I was lucky to have my friend S to be my guide in the city. S is gutsy and impulsive, a seasoned traveler and a generous host, her life is anything but boring. Thanks to S, I had an eventful week and got to know Shanghai sans the superficiality of a tourist. From the French Concession to Xin Tian Di to The Bund, each area in the city has a distinctive character to it. I had a lot of fun walking the whole city and getting slices of the Shanghai experience.