Cities – The Real Shanghai 1 of 2 – BBC Travel Documentary, recorded 16.10.2010 There’s no place in China quite like Shanghai. There are no summer palaces, fog-enmeshed temples or cliff-side Buddhas here. Remnants of traditional culture remain, but to dwell there would be to miss the point entirely. Shanghai has never been about what has already happened – it is about what is going to happen. For millions of Chinese, Shanghai is more than just a city. It is a symbol of change, opportunity and sophistication. While Beijing may pull the country’s strings, Shanghai is the pacesetter. It revels in its glamorous airs and entrepreneurial flair, in its global reach and ability to synthesise and adapt new ideas to home-grown tastes. Haven Tangled together with these positive associations are the memories of the foreign concessions. Established after the First Opium War (1839-1842), they were loathed by many as centres of imperialism and exploitation, but simultaneously valued as havens of intellectual freedom and stimulation – a place to break with stifling Confucian mores and learn about the world outside. Those looking to introduce change in imperial China – whether social, political or technological – flocked to them. The Chinese government aims to make the city an international financial centre to rival Hong Kong by the year 2020. Despite the positive changes that came out of the concessions, Shanghai was no paradise, with high levels of poverty and crime. The birth of the …