The ‘pearl of the Orient’ is wrapped up in layers and ‘unboxing’ is as pleasant as it is full of surprises.
The foreground seems familiar to the sub-continental traveler, yet the skyscrapers pass on the message that one is present in a city of global dominance.
The discerning visitor finds oneself at the center of the city- opposite People’s Square. The center stands proof of the changes that have swept over the city since the Revolution.
Yet, there is a conscious effort at holding on to past layers , through silverware and preserved decor with a gramophone in tow.
The lanes and by lanes still carry the smell of the Orient, of thoughts which are Asian , of lifestyle and decor which are unique to the continent.
The city displays its colonial past unabashedly , yet the fine print in the ads lay bare the use of AI for cosmesis.
At the unboxing, the city comes through as a new planet , with a new language, a novel cuisine , an unknown palate-
Despite all this , emotions which are timeless and human shine through-
A century old school reassures the new comer of the presence of the human in the city – of children – of spring eternal- (till the machines take over!)
Shanghai shines through the unraveling , the effort of ‘unboxing’ – a promise of ‘life’ ahead – as the poet wrote এলেম নতুন দেশে– – in a new land.
Stay tuned for a journey of discovery and exploration.
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