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nightlife.
The city's immutable spirit and soul,
temporarily subdued by Japanese aggression
and Communist orthodoxy, has been rekindled
by recent government policies and enacted by
a Shanghai public with a very distinctive
mind set.
Nightlife started again
since the early Nineties Shanghai has
experienced a frenzy of activity reminiscent
of the heady speculative years of the 1930s,
when the 'Paris of the Orient' came of age.
Shanghai is again in the throes of a
physical, economic and social revolution,
designed to restore the city's former status
as the Far Eastern centre of trade, finance
and culture. Billions of dollars are being
spent on infrastructure projects
transmogrifying the outdated fabric of
Shanghai, which had largely been untouched
since the 1940s.
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Five spectacular bridges and two tunnels
traverse the Huangpu River linking the Puxi
and Pudong districts. An elevated ring road
and an elevated light railway circle the
city and a sophisticated seven line metro
system
is still evolving. Huge green lungs - parks
and lakes have been inserted, replacing
block upon block of old housing and their
long term residents. The rattle of
construction is never far from earshot. |
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The former main streets of the International
Settlement and the French Concession have
changed beyond recognition and plenty of
nightlife is going on at that area. Former
department stores, such as the Sincere, have
returned to the main
Nanjing Road.
Colored and neon lights
create avenues of enticement
for the |
Shanghai Nightlife Nanjing
Road |
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wealthier modem Shanghaiese,
whilst modern skyscrapers
arise from the ashes of
the past at a hungry speed.
Shanghai has been evolving
at a pace unmatched by any
other city in China, or indeed the world,
challenging Hong Kong as the country's
international conduit to the future.
Despite the bodily change that the city
continues to bear there are unnerving
parallels to the days of the Thirties. |
The
gap between the rich and the poor
is
manifest, as the Shanghai elite garbed in
international designer clothes patronise
expensive private night clubs and consume the best
cognac with a passion. Gambling fever,
spurred by the novelty of the stock market,
molests the most innocent Shanghai citizen
and prostitution, officially denied until
recent years has returned. The Hongqiao
district, a favoured domicile for foreign
business people in the 1930s is again
sprouting luxurious private villas and
foreign estates.
The early 20th century European buildings of
the Bund remain the quintessential Shanghai
sight and are emblazoned at night with a
vignette of magical illuminations. The Bund,
often mistaken as a German expression, is in
fact an adaptation of the Hindustani word
'band,' meaning causeway or promenade. Each
and every night of the year the elevated
walkway is awash with camera-clicking
passers-by and amorous couples.
Designated as preserved buildings many of
the banks, trading houses and hotels have
been, in some fashion, restored to their
former magnificence. The Pudong Development
Bank, formerly the opulent Hong Kong &
Shanghai Bank building, displays a fine
Venetian mosaic under its domed hall, which
had long been forgotten. Outside its gates
replicas of two legendary bronze lions have
reappeared imitating the original. |
