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-   -   Shanghai-Travel Essay (https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/shanghai-travel-essay-451801/)

Gpanda Nov 16th, 2008 02:22 PM

Shanghai-Travel Essay
 
Can anyone recommend a travel essay concerning Shanghai? Something along the lines of Bill Bryson or Calvin trillin would be great, but any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Gpanda Nov 17th, 2008 04:46 AM

ttt

rhkkmk Nov 17th, 2008 05:54 AM

outside of cambridge, we call those travel reports, travel reviews, overviews.....NOT ESSAYS...

easytraveler Nov 17th, 2008 12:19 PM

Shanghai is often part of a Fodorite's total china trip.

didn't escrunchy do a pretty thorough discussion of Shanghai in her TR?

Gpanda Nov 17th, 2008 12:36 PM

Yes, Ekscrunchy did an excellent COMPLETE report. I was inquiring about books generally shelved in the travel essay section.

easytraveler Nov 17th, 2008 05:35 PM

Gotta think a bit about this one.

Not any that come to mind immediately.

There were a number of older "travelogues" written by ex-pats, like before WWII. Any particular time period?

The only travelogue that comes to mind is "Riding the Iron Rooster" by Theroux, but I don't know if it covers Shanghai.

To read about one interesting and powerful family from Shanghai, try "The Soong Dynasty", brother a major banker and sisters supporting and/or marrying opposing political parties.

You might also want to look up Edgar Snow.

More recently on the communist era, there's "Life and Death in Shanghai" by Nien Cheng.

rhkkmk Nov 17th, 2008 06:41 PM

hawthorne wrote, with the help of emerson, a very long essay on the delights of soi 4, sukhumvit rd...its not well circulated however..

enricomaria Nov 22nd, 2008 12:54 AM

Riding the iron rooster is probably the most interesting travelbook about china and very well written but really outdated.
if you like some crime fiction located in Shanghai try Inspector Chen by Qiu Xiaolong.
Historicalwise Farewell Shanghai is a great book (can't recall the author).

ekscrunchy Nov 22nd, 2008 03:04 AM

I would like to turn Calvin Trillin loose in Shanghai!

A terrific book about modern China including Shanghai:*

LOST ON PLANET CHINA by J. Maarten Troost

Hysterical!




http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/d...767922005.html




* Please notice that I have politely ignored the besmirchment of my name above..

And if a silly yellow round thing appears on this post, note, too, that I did not put it there..


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