Shanghai Shines
Continental Inflight Magazine
Rob McKeown
Seductive, glamorous, captivating, and booming beyond belief, Shanghai is a showstopper, a surprising blend that mixes Eastern culture and traditions with foreign influences and 21st-century style. Dramatic changes have been driven by a serendipitous combination of state-fueled economic policy and foreign investment — and they’re helping to make Shanghai the new global face of China.
One curious fact: Shanghai has been here before. Back in the 1920s and ’30s, the city saw a surge in glamour as Westerners — mostly Europeans as well as a sprinkling of Americans — took over much of the old town and set about creating a sort-of Paris East, a city of European-influenced style, design, and culture.
What’s incredible about Shanghai’s current burst is the way the city is enjoying the same visual excitement and eclectic, China-meets-the-West allure that fueled its last glamour age. And the current boom stands a good chance of being more sustained than the last one. In the early 20th century, strict regulations confined foreign business to certain designated zones, and back then it was mostly foreigners leading the charge into new areas of style and taste. This time, many if not most of the trendsetters are Chinese. This emotional and human connection between East and West defines the real face of the future.
