The Bund and the Century of Humiliation
Walking along the Bund, I saw stunning colonial architecture featuring neoclassical and Art Deco styles. It was beautiful—but unsettling. These buildings reminded me of the “Century of Humiliation”, when foreign powers took control after the Opium War and forced China into unequal treaties. The Bund was once dominated by British, French, and American banks and trade offices—symbols of foreign control in a city that wasn’t truly its own. And yet, today, Shanghai has reclaimed this space. The Bund is now a proud destination, reclaimed by a city that transformed its past into a platform for power. It reminded me of how history isn’t just something you inherit—it’s something you revise.
Nanjing Road: Where Commerce Meets Identity
Then we visited Nanjing Road, the shopping street where global luxury brands sit next to local street food vendors. Here, department stores like Wing On and Sincere, originally founded in the early 1900s, brought Western-style retail to China. The road reflects class, ambition, and consumer identity. You can see how people express themselves through fashion, technology, and lifestyle choices. What struck me most was the difference between collective living in the past and the individualism seen today. Wang Anyi’s short story Dark Alley made this even more clear. She describes the old lilong neighborhoods with their shared kitchens and intimate chaos—a lifestyle now replaced by apartment towers and shopping malls. That world feels fragile and almost lost.
Pudong and the Oriental Pearl Tower: Future in Sight
Across the river, the skyline of Pudong rises like a dream of tomorrow. In just 30 years, this area went from farmland to financial district, with landmarks like the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower. The Tower, completed in 1994, wasn’t just a building—it was a statement. China was no longer looking inward—it was entering the global stage. I was amazed at how digital life flows through the city: QR codes, electric bikes, eco-plates, and apps for everything. Shanghai isn’t just catching up—it’s redefining modern life.
Universal Reflections: What We Consume, We Become
Every culture tells a story through what it builds and buys. In China, that story is one of tension: between past and future, tradition and ambition, community and consumerism. In the U.S., we see similar shifts—malls replacing downtowns, phones replacing conversations. But Shanghai made me ask: when commerce becomes culture, what do we gain—and what gets left behind?
My Personal Takeaway
I loved Shanghai. It felt alive, fast, ambitious—but never completely severed from its roots. Even while sipping iced coffee in a renovated alley, I could sense the old city beneath my feet. This city taught me that modernization doesn’t erase memory—it repackages it. And the result is something uniquely Chinese, beautifully layered, and constantly evolving.