Shanghai felt to me like the younger, modern sibling of Beijing. As I write this, in December 2025, my colleague just returned from visiting other cities in China. This happened to be her second trip. She is planning her 3rd trip. She says, "every city feels new and different, different smells and flavors, different technologies, different experiences".
So, I am not alone in thinking that I need to return. I feel like I did not explore Shanghai properly, nor Beijing. The country and these 2 cities disoriented me, in a good way. The way a deep-sea coral can numb a part if you touch it.
Shanghai is the most modern city I've been to. 25m people call this city their home. For this population, the metro transit system was top notch. Smooth. It was not a boring city, the city had character.
Shanghai truly is special. From tall buildings that seemed to be from a few decades ahead to green spaces where you could sit and dream, book shops where you could spend hours even if 98% of all books were in Mandarin, conveniences stores where you could buy Choya and lanes where you could cycle, wind in your hear and all that jazz.
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