So, what's Shanghai like?

This is of course the biggest question on the mind of those readers that have not personally traveled to Shanghai yet, and it may also be of interest to hear about a different perspective for those that have already experienced the city themselves.

Shanghai is truly the most multifaceted place I have had the pleasure to see in my lifetime; old meets new, change meets stagnation, east meets west, poor meets rich, excess meets abstinence, and chaos meets order. Shanghai is a truly bipolar place, a place of constant alteration coupled with a fast-lane way of life that is unique in essence and manifestation. The feeling you get when walking through the maze of streets in the hazy morning hours after a long night of bai jiu and street food looking for a taxi to finally get home and rest cannot be touched by anything you could possibly imagine. Smoking a cigarette whilst driving a few dozen kilometers for less than ten euros in a modern metropolis is something only Shanghai can really offer I think.

But that's of course not remotely everything the city has to offer; there are beautiful public gardens, breath-taking skyscrapers, an amazing countryside, and the most wonderful, weird, and interesting people you can meet! It is a growing hub of international relations and at the same time a monument to its past. And I know that this all sounds like taken straight from a tourism brochure of some kind, but the vibrating atmosphere in this gargantuan city cannot be described without resorting to some purple prose.

But the fact of the matter is that if you only go to the sight-seeing spots and follow those typical tours, you won't get to know the actual Shanghai. You will see the aspects described above of course, but you will not be able to fully grasp the awesomeness of the city. To do that, you have to immerse yourself much more, and don't you dare thinking you need to speak Chinese to do so; if you know a few words and are open enough, you will be able to convey what you want to say using your hands and feet. The people will always try to understand you, and you will be able to communicate! It is of course generally recommended to have someone with you that speaks the language, but if you don't try a little yourself and always stick to your translator, you won't experience much. There is also a growing disparity in mindset when looking at rural and urban population that cannot be ignored: whilst on the outskirts of the city, the lifestyle seems very chaotic to outsiders and the people are open, generous, and happy, the lifestyle in the city center is converging to that of the west, which means a much more ordered, individualized mindset that sadly does not include the values usually exhibit in Chinese culture.

So, bearing in mind that there are beautiful and amazing things to see and do in the city itself, it still need be said that to really grasp the fabric of what Shanghai and its people is and are made of you need to go where the tourist tour ends, you need to go where the shiny tourist attractions are nowhere to be seen, and just experience the way of life there, try and communicate with the people, enjoy the essence of what Chinese values are. Selah.

Mark.