I write this short Post from one of the most iconic spots in this city: The Bund.

Life in China is exciting and fast-paced. Sometimes it is nice to take some time to stay on your own.

I decided to enjoy this unexpectedly cool early June night to have a nice walk around the Huang Pu River.

Did you know that China has 24 seasons? I will write a post about that.

As usual, everywhere is packed with people. Compared to pre-Covid times, pedestrian traffic is more strictly controlled. An endless human river flows up to the promenade from dedicated long pedestrian slides (rùkǒu, 入口) and leaves it from other dedicated slides (chūkǒu, 出口).

Entrance points are the most crowded places. People enter the promenade and usually stop and start taking pictures blocking the crowd. Security continuously shouts and whistles to push these amateur photographers away. Everywhere is packed, and funny. Lots of old ladies posing for pictures everywhere, next to lots of teenagers posing for pictures everywhere, next to lots of middle-aged men posing for pictures everywhere… you know what I mean, crowd and smartphones everywhere.

The most crowded area is the one in front of East Nanjing Lu, probably the most famous pedestrian area in Shanghai. It brings from People’s Square to the Huang Pu River.

I left Metro Line 1 at People’s Square. I walked for around 1.5 km along East Nanjing Lu, where I also bought a huge mutton stick to eat for 35 rmb. It is around 4.5 €, quite expensive for Chinese standards… but this area is filled with tourists, so everything is usually overpriced.

There are also plenty of cheaters in this area, I will write a post about this too.

After reaching the Bund, I walked for a while towards north to find a less crowded area, sit down and try to write something.

I am trying a new set up, iPad Air 3rd gen + Portable Bluetooth Keyboard. If it works out, I will probably upgrade it.

Why? During work days, I travel almost 5 hours to reach the factory where I work near Changshu, Jiangsu.

My backpack is already heavy. Besides my working laptop, accessories and other stuff, I always bring with me my iPad to read non-fiction books (I use Kindle for novels). Before trying this setup I usually brought my personal MacBook Pro M1 2020 with me, adding extra weight and probably the 10th electronic device.

This setup should allow me to travel easily and be able to write on the go, when inspiration comes to me (like tonight). iPad and keyboard are small and I can bring them with me in a leather bag that I often use during non-working days to bring things around. I bought this bag long ago, and I love it even though many people told me it makes me look old. I don’t care, honestly. Handmade in my homeland, Tuscany, Italy.

I must say it is working well for now. I am here, enjoying the cool breeze (a couple of days ago it was 36°C and super humid, now it is around 21°C). Children play around me, cruise ships across the river and shout their loud Chinese-style music. Everywhere in China is noisy, a funny noise filled with life.

Here a short (non edited) video to try to share with you the atmosphere that I am feeling here. Real life is a different thing, sure, but I guess this is better than nothing.

The Bund, Shanghai – a Late Spring Night (June, 2023)

The area on the opposite side of the river is called Lujiazui, home to the tallest skyscrapers in Shanghai.

The view is totally different from there. You constantly feel excited and dwarfed, because everything is so huge around you. Shanghai Tower is 632 m tall, and is the 2nd tallest building in the world (as of now, June 2023).

I will talk about Lujiazui and its views in a future Post.

I will also dedicate another post to The Bund Architecture. A large area in Shanghai consists of former International Concessions, and this heavily influenced its architecture. I live in Xujiahui, near one French Concession corner.

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A Random Meeting

In pure Chinese style, I was approached by a random 20 years old guy who wanted to know me and practice English. I am at the end of this Post, so I guess I will talk a bit with him. This kind of things is very common in China, you receive a lot of attention everywhere (really a lot). He is telling me that he has an apartment here in front of the Bund (minimum value 2-3 million €, probably).

This is absolutely normal in China. Every time you step out of your apartment, it is an adventure.

He asked me what is the meaning of life for me. He does not know what meaning of life is for him.

This kind of questions is less common: China is a fast-paced place. It pushes people towards action, not towards introspection. I guess this is not true for everyone.

 

Alessio