The French Concession and the Yuyuan old town

The French Concession is a neighborhood that was governed by the French from the mid-19th century for almost a hundred years. It's one of the most vibrant and elegant areas of Shanghai. In the middle of the hood is the well guarded house where the Communist Party of China was founded. Marx might raise an eyebrow at the sea of Teslas and Luis Vuitton bags. It's a bit of a surreal blend of communist roots and capitalist dreams, all on CCTV.

Pausing for white and red cold tea and a cake with salted duck eggs in a "caramel lava".

Some more photos of the French concession neighborhood: The Cathay Theater:

Creative desserts:

The Russian orthodox mission:

Yuyuan Old town was built during the 16th century. It's essentially a lively maze of laterns curved rooftops, snack stalls, luxury brands. This is where xiolongbao meets Godiva, and bubble tea and crab dumplings get involved with selfie sticks. This is also one of the places where hundreds of influencers (content creators) are taking photos at any given moment expressing their depth and complexity. Oat milk latte with a Chinese pagoda. Right... It’s a place where revolution once brewed, but now the only uprising is someone getting mad that their post didn’t hit 10k likes. Oh and how dare you I mean how DARE you get between their majesty and the camera located 5 meters away?!

Cultural shocks

Two days into my first trip in China, and I’m still in a certain state of cultural shock. • This is the most technologically advanced place I’ve ever seen. I’m careful not to write “country” because I don’t really know what the other parts of China look like. Most cars here are electric, all two-wheelers are electric, and they sneak up on you without a sound. All subways are self-driving, running every five minutes and incredibly quiet. They also have safety walls with doors that align perfectly with the train carriage doors. No cash is needed — I haven’t seen anyone using physical money. • Shanghai breaks almost all the stereotypes and preconceived notions I previously had about China or Chinese people. The city is very rich, very clean, and quiet. We haven’t seen overcrowded subways and only a few crowded streets. • Apps: Everything revolves around two apps — WeChat and Alipay. WeChat started as a chat app and turned into a platform for mini-apps. You can pay, receive payments, split a bill, order a Didi car, get restaurant recommendations, read reviews — you can even get a designated driver if you’re drunk. The driver arrives on an e-scooter, puts it in your car’s trunk, drives you home, then scooters off to their next client. Everything is a service. Traditional ecosystems like Google don't work here, you must use the local apps. • Parts of the city look like London, others like Manhattan. • The air is clean — or at least much cleaner than I expected. • China constantly educates the public in the subway. Wait until people exit before you enter, follow the instructions to escape in case of fire, don’t dig your own tunnel — you might hit the subway — and don’t demolish your house, it could damage the subway below. Also: remember Marx and Engels. And Chanel, Tesla, and Louis Vuitton. You can buy a flower from a vending machine. If you see a long queue, it’s not about scarcity — something probably just went viral on TikTok or Insta. • Public toilets are everywhere — and they’re very clean. • The city feels very safe, with police presence everywhere. • It’s a communist country, but literally nothing resembles the communism someone from the Soviet bloc might remember: skyscrapers, EVs, wealthy people wearing expensive clothes, huge international brands, and a quiet, air-conditioned subway system with 18 lines. Smile — you’re on camera. Always. • We met a friend of mine here — she doesn’t even have a physical wallet. Everything is on her phone. • Everyone is posing everywhere for a photo demonstrating their deep soul, complexity and their glamorous lives. Inflencers broke the gates. They are conquerring the town with cameras and phones. • Everything is very innovative. Doesn't work any more? Boring? Not the best match? Replace it with something new.

The Bund

Breakfast on the 50th floor of our hotel in a revolving restaurant. While serving myself some unidentified objects on my plate at the buffet my heels moved a bit to the side, this is how I realized that I was standing right on the boundary of the fixed and the moving parts of the floor. Stunning view, very rich breakfast.

During the day we explored the Bund, which is an old neigborhood symolizing the colonial historty of the city. The first Opium War firced China to open up for foreign trade. So in the middle of the 19th century British, American and French established concessions in Shanghai. The Bund was the one controlled by the British. The Bund developed into a hub for banks, hotels, trading houses, consulates. Its remarkable European style buildings make you wonder if you're in London or elsewhere in the world. This weirdly looking building that resambles the Ministry of Truth from Orwel's 1984 is located opposite of the Russian consulate and is hosting a hotel today:

The British consulate and the consul's residence:

Hundred years old magnolias in the garden:

Grand European-style buildings:

Lunch at a Shanghai Grandma's restaurant:

Skyline:

The People's monument:

Traditional food courts:

Bon appetit!:

In the evening we met Emma, my friend from business school and Victor who is a new student at ESCP. We had dinner at a modern Shanghai-style restaurant.

Servus in Shanghai

…we were greeted by an Austrian airline pilot, speaking semi-broken English and German—broken in that distinct Austrian way. After a 10-hour flight from Vienna, we landed successfully in what is arguably one of the most modern cities in the world. Immigration, luggage, subway station, 3-day ticket. The city is clean, quiet, and highly automated, with cutting-edge technology integrated into everyday life. We came prepared: we set up Alipay and WeChat with Weixin Pay, and identified ourselves with all the necessary financial providers. Many Western practices don’t work here the way we’re used to. You don’t just swipe your card or phone—here, you scan a QR code, or the merchant scans yours. The payment shows up instantly in your app and is processed within seconds. The subway system covers a vast area. On the platform, you’ll find not only essential and practical information about the next train, but also quotes from Marx and Engels, along with commentary on how their manifestos were interpreted and implemented in China.

We visited the Aurora Museum, a place dedicated to ancient Chinese art—pottery, porcelain, bronze, and jade. Here are some interesting photos of the museum.

In the afternoon we walk around the modern syscrapers of Pudong and when it bacame too windy and cold we escaped to have some unagi dinner in a mall.