Chinese cities each have their own unique personalities.
If Beijing is the responsible older brother,
Shanghai is the Wall Street younger sibling.
Stylish,
sophisticated,
clean,
and modern.
In 1990, the government chose Shanghai to be the center of China’s commercial renaissance.
The result?
Shanghai now has a population of 25 million,
all dedicated to the personal pursuit of wealth
and happiness.
Visitors can now ride its outdoor escalators
and dedicated bikeways,
visit pristine parks
and tree lined neighborhoods.
Or shop its outdoor markets for the latest must-have gadgets,
and tasty treats.
Check out Nanjing Road’s neon extravaganza.
And, of course, Shanghai’s famous waterfront.
Where historic splendor meets Shanghai’s futuristic light show.
But there’s another side to Shanghai that tourists rarely see.
The city was once made up of Longtangs
narrow, working class neighborhoods that predate world war two.
Longtang's were shabby
often lacking electricity, sewage,
or even running water.
But they had a strong sense of community going back for generations.
Unfortunately they’re also taking up valuable real estate.
The government is bulldozing Shanghai’s longtangs at an enormous rate.
Rubbing out entire city blocks.
Displaced residents are given newer apartments in distant complexes
where they have working toilets
but no shared communal space.
If you want to wander Shanghai’s narrow alleyways, you’d better hurry.
The last few holdouts are already called “the Ghosts of Shanghai”.
But many of Shanghai’s residents miss their old village lives
and despite their modern surroundings,
the city’s newly emerging middle class are recreating some of the community they left behind.
Everything happens in the street
or on the sidewalk.
In full view.
They shop at tiny local stands run by neighbors and friends.
They know their vegetables are fresh from the earth
and eggs were laid this morning.
The broken ones are half price.
They can find the kind of ingredients that remind them of their country roots.
But if you really want to see the streets come alive
take a stroll around the block at breakfast time
and sample some of the local favorites.
The more popular stands always have a line.
It’s called Jianbing.
He starts with a gooey paste of wheat flour and water.
Adds an egg,
scallions and cilantro,
chili paste or pickled mustard tuber,
and garlic.
The fried cracker gives it crunchy center.
It’s cheap, fresh,
and takes less than a minute to make.
These are often family businesses with secret recipes handed down through generations.
Fried dumplings.
We call them pot stickers.
At 15 cents apiece – they’re cheap.
You can usually tell what part of China the cook is from just by looking at the ingredients.
Tea eggs are boiled for hours and are usually hard, dry, and salty – the perfect travel snack.
This is quintessential Chinese fast food.
Batter,
eggs,
spices.
For city dwellers who no longer have time to cook.
Despite three decades of breakneck development
Shanghai has found a way to blend the old and new
and get the best of both.