(Order)
This Shanghai trip was unexpected things. The original application for overseas work, I have chosen is familiar with Beijing. After the announcement of official results, I became a destination in Shanghai, no one told me why.
"I'm going to Shanghai after." Repeatedly told myself, I suddenly found that intentionally or unintentionally and had been watching this legendary city. I have worked in Hong Kong, praise her as a continuation of the legendary Shanghai, also in the southern trip of their dreams from the Huangpu River boat, watching her from the dawn to wake up. Did not stop, because I know that Shanghai is a place where there are too many stories, in the not ready, I can not rush to visit.
I began to search for memory, the shadow of Shanghai: the Bund Ambilight; dense cover over London plane trees is not high, the external walls of houses and wide streets, the streets of old cars, hear the sound of rickshaws in Dingdang; Stone Koomen, many people along a narrow alley, on both sides festooned with drying clothes, blocked inadequate sun. . .
Shanghai thirties, I find out the songs CD, opened a record scenes of old photographs of old Shanghai, in the singing of the photogenic powder imagine themselves in that ten-mile foreign market, in the crowd milling around the Nanjing Road, the four companies TOURS , in the Rose and Evening Primrose Lane in full bloom Paramount dance.
I asked a friend in Shanghai, read the book, today's Shanghai is still left Yihen thirties, she thought for a while, said: Zhang Ailing's what the times are almost gone. What kind of Shanghai's waiting for me? Like without the walls of Beijing, already the sound of a split into a different kind of city?
The other one went to Shanghai many times, and admired the long-standing friend told me: Today, in Shanghai has its own romantic, a bar, a gallery, and even a street lighting embodies meticulous and chic, not to mention a modern new building exude urban style.
After all, Shanghai is a great city, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to go short with a non-person insight on her presence.
(A)
A friend in Shanghai to participate in the rush to set up Jiefeng feast in the city center. When you drive through the Bund, those old buildings alive when presented in front of the minds about the joy together. Out of the car, tight suck a few mouthfuls of the summer rains of the humid air, I think: This is the air and a few decades ago that the difference is nothing.
The hotel lobby Sazhuo milk yellow light, not like a restaurant in Shenzhen as well-illuminated, After the introduction, about two staircases leading to the second floor, some of the layout of the Opera category. Hotels in the Wind from start to finish with songs of Angus Tung. What to eat down that night did not leave a special impression, but I remember the music and lighting.
(B)
After work one day sightseeing in Lujiazui. Here high-rises, building their own characteristics with each other and India are also lining, and some like Singapore. Here is the planned Financial and Trade Zone, I use the word plan because of the luxurious building approached and found the occupancy rate was not high. This is a land with money pile up, the central government's policy so that here in the past few years from a backwater into a modern city logo. This is different from the old Shanghai, the bustling old market's economic situation.
I did not foresee was a beautiful green space to Lujiazui tickets, green seems to be a symbol, rather than going to enjoy.
Even Jinbi glorious Grand Theater also gave me the feeling to spend heavily in the construction of the stadium just to the top performances in January time, rather than to make more people enjoy the arts.
Formalism is a kind of beauty, I said to myself, but the formalism would be only a beginning, as a prelude to an opera.
There is an interesting episode: One night I was attracted by the light Grand Theater to watch approached thin. When I step across the street the last one underground level, front of a black, not because my feet Cai Kong, it is the theater lights went out. I looked at my watch, 9:00.
(C)
At night after midnight, I took a drink sitting in People's Square. This is a rare feeling of Puxi in the open space, people leisurely walk, in the air flying a few kites, next to two middle-aged woman chatting with the Shanghai dialect homely. Here is the ordinary people of the world, they like me, enjoy the cool summer Ye Feng. There are many couples, from young to old age. This is a city feel.
(D)
According to the online rental information, I went to a self-styled "new Lanes" where critically. In addition to looking for room, I would like to myself what the people of Shanghai's living environment.
Jade Buddha Temple in the vicinity of the house, the so-called "new" refers to the new post-liberation, pattern modeled before alley. Rows of three-level building on a estate, building and floor spacing slightly wider than the old, storeys, was originally two separate units, there is a considerable size, now each unit is a few households crammed . On the first floor is a shared kitchen, the location of each stove are clearly divided. Two elderly people in good spirits to see my new people asked me where to turn, knowing I was renting told that between the second floor was originally a teacher by the money allocated units, and then cross-examined I come from warm, Where do things. I 11 A, after along a narrow wooden spiral staircase, each is a half-floor, room packed full of things.
To rent the original master bedroom. Rooms large, the Sienna looks pretty good wood floor, large wood-framed windows, light-colored pattern of the wallpaper and chic wall, there is a ceiling fan hung on the high ceiling, there is no other has. Tell me this by the lessor allocated units he had just assigned, furniture can be slowly filled and next to the shared bathroom, and other family still belongs to the House panel that he can put some debris. Because there is no furniture, I decided to choose another it to another place, but still with great interest to embark on the third floor with him several shared terrace. So was short, surrounded by houses, some quite old, so I feel like being in a movie scene.
Most of the houses of Shanghai area is not large, but many of the people of Shanghai can be a narrow room decorated Journey Into Amazing Caves: They installed in the bathrooms and folding to save room to lay down a bathtub; they will seal up the balcony to increase the horizontal and the living room space, at night one way or another cord, two folding chairs fold flat into a bed has become. Shanghai people do not trust to luck, even if they can not resist fate, but they will do everything to change the small environment to make itself better off, people really admire this spirit.
(E)
Rest day was busy as ever, I walked into a house next to the bookstore. Store is small, inside and outside two with less than 10 plus the square of the weight of the book down heavy, outer room to the main works of pure literature, which houses some of the economic theory of music and books. And some with practical books on the main facade mixture of these four masterpieces filled in stark contrast to the bookstore.
I am selling books, said a woman looking for some local work, she had little knowledge of the contents of the book, recommended several books: "The old dream of the final" is a record in Hong Kong, Shanghai people passing away that will never age trivia Some are too stale; "old houses" enumerate those who have gone through wind and rain saved the old building Xi and today, as if talking about architectural history; "their Shanghai" about World War 2 evacuation of Jewish children to survive childhood in Shanghai . Chen Danyan compared to only turn to the book better, not only the writing is good, but also from a contemporary perspective back in line with my interests, but the "romantic" has been seen, DAISY has also almost certain that the story. Eventually only picked a local youth writers Essays. Pay, it was discovered the owner's book would be placed at a small two delicate bamboo basket, they are not referred to the money box.
Shanghai's cultural activities seems not as good as Beijing is rich in the usual newspaper and TV sites rarely concerts, drama performances and other information. Could it have been Shanghai's cultural and business integration in the bars and cafes has become a minority taste in decoration.
(Vi)
Grand Gateway is behind a casual street food, street bricks, repair of street lights are very distinctive, both sides of the coffee shops and tea. We walked into a teahouse, if a large space has been cut into the main hall, a row of garret, and on the second floor of the talk area. M yellow face and black lines forming tables and chairs, simple and smooth, very modern.
We sat down in the main hall, surrounded by a homogeneous she was fashionably dressed young people, mostly a few friends get together, or chat, or play cards. Like housing, the people of Shanghai are not spacious living room and activities of their move here. Side wall of a nineteenth-century imitation Cezanne-style large murals, several life-nothing things like the size of the Paris aristocrats lazy in the open-air cafes to enjoy their leisure time, the background is a school of charming countryside landscape . They and the patrons here are very close, close enough to come out from the painting. That may be the envy of patrons who live at night in such an environment, and people in paintings together, forget the day of the Ben labor.
(Vii)
To Shanghai has been for some time, I did not find too many like her reasons. I even planned to leave the current place of residence to move to Pudong, in spite of the area is near the former Xiafei from the famous French city close. I am not interested in from those mottled old ones to distinguish which is the Romeo of the balcony, or used to be a White Russian noble old house, because I know many people who squeezed in terms of living in which it is just a home, black lacquer balcony railings may have been transformed into his son's bedroom, the porch has long since been beautifully embossed black coal smoke, the following is a long bamboo pole hung drying on the clothes. Shenshen bakery several decades ago, is said to still preserved the traditional skills of the French chef, ram's horn fragrance package may be left over from the old era of the few living memories.
In Wang Shuo's readme, he said: he was brought up in the revival grew up outside the compound, which is described by the old Beijing and Lao She very different from the new city, he was not familiar with the life of old Beijing, it is strange that people called him Lao Beijing Novels transmission. When an outsider from the works of the two men learn to Beijing, he will as a city in which the different natural changes.
Shanghai's changes do not smaller than Beijing. I've always wanted to know: the establishment of New China, the extent to which the city has changed, and now how many of the old Shanghai, Shanghai, a continuation of those which have been inherited, and which have been cast aside, to go back fifty years later, those things have been cast aside the number has been re-treasured.
I once naively asked a Shanghai friend: If the old Shanghai to remain shut down what would happen? He said: Do not be silly, do you think the number of floor, as strong as the Bund buildings. Shanghai's past is a dream, and his change is a historical inevitability, so why go to explore what more with less right and wrong? Old Shanghai was already dead, and now, Shanghai has become a new city.
But a city, as a people, always want to know they come from, which could give him the "root" feeling. Those ordinary people in Shanghai (including the move from the field after the founding of the past), even if the former did not experience prosperity, can already tell from the story of the old people around, from where the remains can be seen everywhere, capturing the old wandering soul. Willy-nilly, they are captured by this wandering soul or spirit has become a Shanghai people, fantasy, they can reproduce the past glory. Enduring wave of nostalgia in Shanghai nowadays is not such a fantasy Shiran it?
Or wake up. Old Shanghai has not too many things of value can count on, instead of treasure hunt in the ruins, in the sigh of recollection, we had better improve their lives. Was collected at home as a disciple of the Eight Banners, snuff bottles and cans first cricket aside, come up with their predecessors to create a Foundation of the jersey. Maybe one day the history of reincarnation allows you to redeem the original big house, you still have Xianxin wear long sleeves to get from antiques, it entirely with you.
Summer afternoon, I came to the famous Bund couple road, the sky suddenly it began to shower. Through a blinding rain and fog, beautiful scenery on both sides of Huangpu River to make the eyes closed. Hundred and fifty years before the trackers with the two feet along the road today, Cai Chu has been the most unique places in Shanghai. Jiang's side of the record of the Shanghai's past, known as 10000 State Building Expo experience of western-style buildings still stand tall how many trials and hardships of the baptism. Here was once a paradise for adventurers, when Shanghai was the most dazzling city in the Far East; changed hands several times, and now the prefix banks and insurance companies have become their new owners. Peace Hotel is still, there is a group of hale and hearty old playing in the dim light where yesterday's melodies; Shanghai Jiang's side carries the future descendants of adventurers who choose to modern skyscrapers as part of their return to the presence of the Chinese Institution, watching them from the other side of Jiang's predecessors fought off the land, mind, and Huaizhuo predecessors dream.
Rain even wider.
Author: jerrynie
