Shanghai: More 'Mannequin' Than 'Metropolis'?
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Hey, recently I wandered around Shanghai! The reason is pretty simple: I'd never been there before and a friend of mine was interning in Shanghai, so we secured free accommodation, ha-ha.
Before the visit, Shanghai was like a vague yet fluid shadow floating around in my mind.
- In school, it was always a significant point in history and geography textbooks (the kind that appears on exams!).
- Then, there were various renowned landmarks as well as the romantic elegance of old Shanghai described by many writers (what we refer to as "haipai literature", specifically the blend of Eastern and Western cultural styles that is unique to Shanghai).
- To be honest, however, these representations didn't bring me much sense of reality; I felt distanced from Shanghai.
Once I arrived, I explored places with my friend, stopping here, there, and clicking pictures everywhere. Also, on my own, I spent hours wandering through museums.
- Shanghai is immense, too immense for anyone's footprint.
- Yet, it shrinks down to be small enough for me, my friend, and even a cat to all fit into one tiny room.
- Budget Traveler Alert: Probably because I'm still a college student who lacks money, I could only roam around and expand my horizons. The “paper-soaked-in-gold” (indicating extravagantly luxurious) Shanghai dream shattered into pieces with a mere glimpse of those pricy tags.
- Shanghai is magnificent, to the extent that I almost felt lost in awe.
One day, I took the subway to the Lujiazui area – the economic center of Shanghai teeming with skyscrapers along the Huangpu River, surely present in many photos you've seen!
- As we neared our station, a gentleman next to me dressed in a suit suddenly heaved a deep sigh.
- I followed him out into the sky bridge above Lujiazui, seeing the setting sun sliced into diamond-like lights by glassy buildings. Elevators turned continuously, while neon lights glittered endlessly in the shopping malls.
- Although everything about the city looked impeccable and precise as if programmed, seemingly lost within the city's noise were those who had written its very "codes."
I also ascended the Oriental Pearl – that iconic TV Tower!
- The scene from above the Huangpu River (the lifeline of Shanghai dividing the city into Puxi and Pudong) was resplendent. It truly symbolized an ever-lighted “Night Shanghai.”
- From the doorstep of Jing'anshi Temple near the city center, I stood there watching its golden roof shimmering against the light reflected off the modern skyscrapers behind it; those contrasting new and old were especially prominent.
- From a height of over 300 meters, the neon lights on the Huangpu River appeared melted, as though the entire city was gradually changing its skin.
Maybe, once all the "electronic eyes" (security cameras) break down temporarily among the mold spots left by the "Huai Mei Rain Season" (a season of excessive moisture and rain in spring and summer causing mildew growth), life “threads” (analogous to sprouting mushrooms) unique to a new generation would emerge.
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