dhclam said:
No, I don't think Shanghai measures up to all those hype either, despite the fact that I haven't been back for two years and it seems like lots of things have happened there recently and it's also a very fast-changing city. But again, if someone is disappointed by the reality unmatching the hype, blame the media and your own willingness to be misled by them please. To be honest, I never care much about what I read about China or Shanghai from most European and American media. Several months ago I bought an issue of Wallpaper which had a cover story about China and Shanghai. I was very disapponited by the reading. Too much tendentious, too much hype, too many judgements and too many senseless predictions.
If you want to see another city like Paris or New York, or maybe an oriental megapolis matching all those exotic imaginations in every details, don't go to Shanghai, you will inevitably be disappointed. But if you want to discover somewhat different human existence and activities in a different social and cultural context, if you want to understand a nation and a city in the middle of drastic social and economic changes, and fumble around trying to establish a new identity, sometimes awkwardly and sometimes even not-so-beautifully but always determinedly, under the tremendously heavy burden of historical and cultural heritage, please go there, you won't be disappointed.
BTW, where's Palais Royale? A Palace somewhere in Europe or Middle-east? Sounds like a perfect residence for people who try to talk in a seasoned and sophisticated tone.
