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Summer Postcard

Snapshots of Shanghai: Moments to Pause

By Vidya B. Viswanathan

August 12, 2010

- Inside an old Shanghai one-story apartment with peeling paint and rusted pipes, a man does work while watching a popular replay of the NBA final. The area around his home, Tianzi Fang, has preserved its antique charm despite its residents leasing spaces for restaurants, boutiques, and cafes that bring both local and tourist foot traffic. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- An elegant pile of garbage in one alleyway. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- A canvas bag bearing a typical image of Mao propaganda, merged with Obama's face and name. References to Obama and America crop up in many random places. There is even a club named "Obama Club." By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- Nanjing Road East, a glitzy pedestrian walkway crowded with shops, restaurants, and tourists. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- The dizzying view of Shanghai at night, featuring the Oriental Pearl Tower. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- An "Obama Mart," actually a supermarket, right near Yuyuan, a traditional Chinese garden. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- The Republic of Korea pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. The tiles contain Korean script. According to a Korean friend, some say silly things like "if you wash your hair with laundry detergent, tomorrow, your hair will be itchy." By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- A sign in the China Provinces pavilion introduces its Western province of Xinjiang as "a harmonious land." Xinjiang has been a site of tension between Uyghur and Han Chinese, reaching a height in the July 2009 ethnic conflict. Since then there has been tighter government control of the region, including stricter controls on its Internet. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- The Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center sits like a UFO in the middle of the Expo Park. It is one of the few Expo buildings that will be preserved at the site for future use. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

- Once the dream "castle" of the young daughter of a European expat in Shanghai, the Moller Villa is now a hotel, public garden, and popular place for couples to take photos. By Vidya B. Viswanathan

Follow Crimson editor Vidya B. Viswanathan '11 on her journey through Shanghai, from breathtaking shots of the city at night, to photographs of the city's Expo.

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