I first visited Shanghai in early 2002, just after I had moved to live in Hong Kong. I had been to China a couple of times before, but this was my first business trip.
My memories of the meetings during that trip are hazy, but I do remember being overwhelmed by the vibrancy, the passion, and just the sheer number of people that we saw while we were in Shanghai. I also remember that everyone spoke incomprehensible Chinese, there was no restaurant within walking distance of our hotel that we could understand, and that there seemed to be building going on wherever we looked. It was still sinking in that not only had I moved to Asia, but I was now expected to work in this Chinese environment, which felt so different to growing up in London.
Fast forward to the end of 2008, just at the peak of the financial crisis, and I found myself moving to Shanghai. Moving to China? I had loved Hong Kong, but living there was fairly straightforward. This time I was on the mainland, managing a team of Chinese colleagues no less, and was going to be a big challenge.
Right away I realised things had changed. Big new gleaming apartment blocks were up everywhere. I was staying in the same hotel as in 2002, and now there were restaurants wherever I looked. Across the road was a brand new 100-storey skyscraper. And was that English that I heard being spoken in the shops? The vibrancy and the passion from before were still very much in evidence, but it felt that this had been channeled more, directed towards progress and rapid development. As the rest of the world shuddered to a halt, China was now the place to be.
Having arrived, I took the opportunity to explore the city, to find my way around and see how people really lived. I took photos of the brand new Lujiazui skyline, whilst standing in front of the historic buildings of the Bund, built in Shanghai’s original golden age in the 1920’s. I traipsed my way through Shanghai’s many markets – fakes, antiques, technology, fabrics, birds, flowers, you name it you can find it. And also I explored the food: I learned that Sichuan cuisine is spicy, Shanghainese is sweet, and that the Uighur guys on the street corner barbeque a good lamb. I became addicted to xiaolongbao dumplings, and toasted many a glass of baijiu rice wine.
The next big landmark was in 2010, when Shanghai hosted the World Expo. Hot on the heels of the Beijing Olympics less than two years before, visitors from around the world again came to China to see it in a global context. And again nothing was left to chance, as Shanghai went through a facelift, as pavements were relaid, buildings and streets lit up, and flower beds appeared wherever you looked. New underground lines were added and new facilities were established. The city proudly faced the world as a global city.
I live in Shanghai to this day, and I enjoy the dichotomy that I see all around me. I work in international finance, where China’s influence comes ever stronger on the global stage. If the Chinese economy sneezes, the world will catch a cold. The skyscraper I saw in 2008 has now been dwarfed by another next door, which climbs far higher and ranks second in the world. Famous chefs come to Shanghai to open their latest restaurants, where they host Formula 1 drivers or touring pop stars.
Yet another life co-exists alongside. Outside my air-conditioned, manicured apartment complex, I can go and order a huge bowl of tasty noodles for less than USD2. I walk through the back streets and see people being shaved in the street, cutting keys in tiny kiosks, or sitting on boxes as they play majiang with their friends. China is never just one thing, and Shanghai even more so. Rich live alongside poor, locals with foreigners, international companies next to one-man shops. A globally-recognised city that still has its roots in many years of culture, with all aspects of life to be explored down every side street. I enjoy living in Shanghai.
