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Scavenger Hunt
In this bustling metropolis of over 20 million people, urban spaces are often seen as purely transitory, an expansive void between destinations…
Through City Tour, we try to tell a different story. One where the 1930s apartment buildings, colonial villas, and plane trees are the protagonists of stories punctuated by pioneering literati, fervent politicians, daring entrepreneurs, and countless people of diverse backgrounds who sought belonging.
We try to discover the hidden beauty of Shanghai, its past and present, as well as the sense of belonging to the city
On 4 April 2024, on a beautiful spring day in Shanghai, I organized a city walk to uncover the hidden beauty of the city. Our group of more than 30 members were from all over the world. They are students, lawyers, business executives, coaches, teachers, and people from other industries.
We started from the Pathe Villa, where the National Anthem of China was recorded, and ended in the Shanghai Music Conservatory. This way, we started from music and ended in music.
In between, we designed a series of scavenger hunt which included some cool places, motifs, and questions for the tour participants to find and answer.
We uncovered the conspicuous story of the inconspicuous building just opposite of Pathe villa—Overseas Chinese’s apartment. We were amazed to find that it is the first commercial residential building in PRC , with imported floor materials, heating and lift for buildings with seven floors.
We also explored the former residence of the famous theorist and playwright. It is a well-proportioned Spanish apartment building with a smart style.
We were all amazed by the resemblance between the famous Wukang Mansion and the flatiron building in Manhattan.
We spotted the art deco along the way, including geometric ornamentation, low relief decorative panels, accentuating 3-D qualities, vertical linearity.
We appreciated the Tudor style of building—decorative half-timbering …steep roof…masonry chimney
We also notice details on Wukang Road: Chinese ceramic tile, pilaster wall, Romeo and Juliet balconies
Just as Alessandro Michele put it, “This is something in Shanghai that is very exciting and active- the idea of a city with two different souls, one from today and another from a long time ago, is amazing.”
Marveling at the hidden beauty of Shanghai, we were gripped by a sense of pride and belonging to the city. Never before were we driven by a strong will to uncover more hidden beauties of Shanghai and beyond…
Please join us and share your experiences of the city you love.
How to Get Involved?
We are very excited to see how you will contribute to Urban Explorers. Before you start, here is a quick guide:
Choose your city
You can write about any city you are passionate, but it should be one where you have spent a considerable amount of time and had the opportunity to explore off the beaten track. It would be great if this is the city you currently live in so you can organize tours.
Choose your theme
Urban Explorers will not be like your conventional tourist guidebook. Think about your interests - whether that be history, culture, art, science, literature, film, music - and how you can explore the city through this perspective.
For instance, if you love history, maybe show us some places where important events took place or famous individuals resided. If you love literature or film, you could organize a tour inspired by your favorite book or movie.
Choose your format
You are free to create articles (writing with photos), graphics (original art, maps), short films, audio recordings. If you want to try something else, just ask! Use whichever format you think will be most effective in communicating your point.
Produce your work
As you are producing your work, here are a few questions to keep in mind:
Is your work demonstrating how you engage with the city? Does it illustrate your interests and passions?
Is your work showing parts of the city that you might not find on a conventional tourist guide? Are you showing us places that the usual tourist wouldn't know about?
Are you telling a story? If you are writing about different locations, can you link them together in some way?
Submit your work
Feel free to send your work to my email: michael.gan0907@hotmail.com