Friday, September 07, 2012

Away from the crowds



A few yards away from the throng of visitors is a serene and idyllic part where the locals live. It is thoroughly modern and I can see myself living here and fitting in. I'd probably wouldn't miss anything that the West offer. Everything Western is available in modern Shanghai and its surburbs. Even in the early days of Shanghai, life was different from the rest of China. Here her foreign occupiers live a life not much different from theirs in the West. While the rest of China was still agrarian and the people were no than peasants, the Shanghainese were advanced in their lifestyle. Shanghai was known as the 'whore of the orient.' There were gangsters or mafia clans among the men. Their women learned from an early age to carouse with foreign men, to drink, swear, gamble and to fornicate. This was unheard of among Chinese women. Even as the Chinese left China for other parts of the world, those from Shanghai became more successful because they already have that can do attitude before leaving. Today's Shanghai is no different, there's a different vibe not seen in other Chinese cities even in Beijing.

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