A Different Kind of Metropolis: Shanghai

There’s a saying that goes, “It’s not your alarm clock that wakes you up every day, it’s your dreams.” That may be true, but for a chronic insomniac like me, the time between waking up and going to work feels like a battle. Getting up, washing my face, putting on makeup, and taking the bus – almost every time I’m running late. For this city, I’m more like a day laborer, never really taking the time to look at the city where I live. Today, I’m going to write about the Shanghai I see.

At five o’clock, you’re already restless, constantly checking the time in the bottom right corner of your computer, wondering if your computer has crashed. After all, how could it be so long since six o’clock? Finally, it’s almost six o’clock, and suddenly you’re told to attend a meeting. You walk into the conference room with a pale face, and when you return to your seat, you think to yourself why there are always new tasks assigned to you when it’s almost time to get off work. Working overtime until seven o’clock, you’re already starving, and then you have to take the subway for another half hour to get home. Even though you’ve told yourself countless times that the food you buy outside is not as healthy as what you cook yourself, you’re too exhausted from staring at the computer all day to convince yourself to go to the market to buy groceries and cook. You console yourself by saying, “It’s not that I don’t want to cook, it’s just that the market closes at eight o’clock.” You order takeout, which is a little oily. You can only eat half of it before you lose your appetite. You’ve lost interest in the prime-time TV dramas but can’t calm yourself down to read a book, so you pick up your phone and check your friends’ feeds and browse the latest news. It’s 10:30, and you should go to bed after showering. I think this is the evening of most people living in this city.

How long has it been since you’ve enjoyed the sunshine? How long has it been since you’ve really relaxed? How long has it been since you’ve really looked at this city?

You say it’s prosperous, but it’s also down-to-earth. You say it’s fast-paced, but it can also feel leisurely, as long as you slow down. Don’t believe me? Then let’s go see a different side of Shanghai in the light and shadow.

I like watching the sunshine filter through the gaps in the trees, shining down in beams. The things that make us feel warm are often the strongest. Following this beam of light, we can see things very far away, and it is this light that creates the world of light and shadow.

Green is like a magic-wielding elf, always possessing the power to make you feel better just by looking at it. Look, the spring that fills us with hope is also accompanied by the green that gradually comes to us.

The lush, straight trees on either side of the street are a perfect match for the red brick villas. How lucky the people living there are! They can open their windows every day and reach out to touch the vibrant green leaves. Does a leaf’s veins ever match your palm lines?



What was I talking about? Oh, right, green and red are the best combination. Then how could we leave out the phone booth by the side of the road? Have you ever fantasized about being on a quiet little road like this at night, with a sudden downpour of rain? The person walking beside you suddenly grabs your hesitant hand, unsure whether you should hold it or not. You run, taking shelter in the phone booth. You watch the raindrops from your hair fall on your face, and he doesn’t let go of your hand that he just grabbed. He tells you he’s grateful for this rain.


Have you ever stood under a station like this and waited for someone you love? Your mood must be as beautiful as the weather when you wait for him?



Shanghai is a place where every inch is valuable. The old neighborhoods all dry their clothes like this. When the weather is nice, even the clothes clamor to breathe in some fresh air and bask in the sun.





Just like people, cities need time to get to know each other and to blend. You’ll only discover her goodness after a while. You can’t just see her bright and prosperous side, everyone can see that. To truly understand her, you need to slowly walk to the places she doesn’t want others to know about, like her heart.

Stroll through the quiet streets of the old neighborhoods, looking up at the green that is everywhere and the old houses around you, you’re sure to love it here. These streets remind you of some little road in your hometown that you walked with someone.



When I was younger, I always loved amusement parks. I loved the laughter and excitement that filled the air. But these past few years, I’ve come to love parks, simple city parks. I love the grandfathers who play chess in them, the grandmothers who dance in them, and the persistence of the people who run in them. Parks are the best reflection of a city’s people’s leisure lifestyle. I love that kind of ease and freedom.



When I get to the point where I can’t walk anymore, I’m going to have my hubby push me out in the sun every day.

Shanghai is definitely a city for the discerning, even in the oldest neighborhoods, which reflect the lives of ordinary people, you’re bound to encounter these European-style buildings.

Shanghai is an inclusive city. She blends Chinese and Western culture, art, architecture, and cuisine, and she includes you and me, we foreigners.

The discerning Shanghai is best reflected in the area near Huaihai Road. Perhaps that’s the first impression Shanghai gave you. But now, let’s look at the down-to-earth Shanghai, the old Shanghai that few know about.

I was lucky enough to catch an old lady retrieving her clothes. She was wearing an apron and came out of the alley. For a moment, I could almost travel through time and see a young woman with two braids coming out of the hallway of the alley and smiling at you. She must have many stories in her life.

Maybe the kids today don’t even know there’s a profession called mending. Nowadays, when something breaks, people are used to just throwing it away and buying a new one. But in the past, when something broke, you could repair it and use it for many more years. I wonder if people today don’t know how to mend their feelings, either?



My parents learned to cut hair when they were young. When I was a kid, I never went to a barber shop. I always got my hair cut at home. Maybe it’s because of this that I have a special obsession with barber shops. Every time I go to a new place, I always like to find those very old, very down-to-earth barber shops in the alleys. It’s like only those places are the real places to get your hair cut. Will I be 20 again when I have gray hair and get a haircut from one of those shops?

Cities need to be explored. You may be used to living in a place, but that doesn’t mean you really understand it. Living, surviving, and then living a vibrant life requires you to constantly explore the unknown.

Take a sunny afternoon and slowly walk through a place you think you’re familiar with. Open your eyes and open your heart, discover a different city, and meet a better version of yourself.