Neighborhoods

The former Royal Asiatic Society building

Far from the maddening crowds on the Bund, the Rockbund Art Museum on Huqiu Lu (虎丘路) is a favored destination that singularly embodies the East meets West history, design and architecture of…

The simplicity in patterned wood

I’ve always liked the predictability and soothing effect of uncomplicated patterns. This was one reason why I found myself standing in front of a discreet entrance off the…

The diversity of design in shikumen headers

What makes a shikumen (石库门) header an architectural tapestry so emblematic of Shanghai? The grey stone pediment, shaped in a triangle or semi-circle, contains designs that range from the…

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The Indoor Playground

The girls slept with their parents in the same bed, and if it got a bit too crowded, one would sleep on a pile of blankets on the…

The Han (韩) sisters

So you see, I found them. In a spur of the moment, I had followed two faceless young girls into the alleys and it wasn’t too long before…

The White Rabbit(s)

For a moment, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Trudging past food carts, fortune tellers and trinket hawkers along Fangbang Lu (方浜路), or Old Shanghai Street, I suddenly…