Walking home from the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) to our apartment a block off the Huangpu River, I reminded myself tonight to soak it all in and observe life in China.  I walk through the business section of office workers and construction workers anxious to board their bus and get the heck home after a long day.

Many of the people in Shanghai live and work on or near the busy streets.  Whether a food vendor or shoe cobbler or seamstress or plant seller, their lives revolve around selling their services and goods to the locals walking by. That’s me!

The plant guy loves me because nothing makes a home seem cozier than live greenery.  Do they all live long lives?  NOPE.  We’ve had about 50% success rate so far but I just keep buying.  Like I said, the plant guy grins wide when he sees me because he knows I’m a sucker for any size plant.  Large.  Small,  Doesn’t matter!

These hard workers carve out their space with a lounge chair actually in the street or on the sidewalk.  From another century sometimes, the materials are basic to perform their jobs…. an old sewing machine, a crockpot with eggs simmering, etc.  It’s fascinating to see the diversity of this life vs. the “behind closed doors” lifestyle of the average person in the U.S.  This seems more social but hard for sure.  When it rains, these outside vendors get soaked and business sucks.

Here in China the sidewalks are teaming with people–eating, working and socializing.  On a relatively nice evening, everyone floods outside to soak up the low AQI and cooler breezes.  Ahhh, Shanghai Street Scenes on a lovely August eve.  How lucky I am to experience it!