Shanghai isn’t just between two riverbanks

By Mairena Suárez

Photos: Courtesy Pexels & Unsplash.

Shanghai doesn’t simply sit on opposite banks of a river. It exists somewhere between two ways of living: one shaped by centuries of memory, the other moving at such speed it can feel as if the city has stepped straight into Back to the Future II. What’s striking is not the contrast, but the ease with which both worlds coexist. For those of us who work with space, that tension is a gift. It forces you to look differently.

In the French Concession, you wander past hidden courtyards, wooden latticework and carved doors that slow your steps without asking permission. Then you turn a corner, cross the river… and Pudong rises before you, all glass and steel, with the Shanghai Tower, Jin Mao and the World Financial Center cutting into the sky.

Details that speak

The traditional lattice screens in the shikumen houses still standing in certain neighbourhoods aren’t there merely for decoration. They filter the light, soften the heavy humidity and allow air to move while preserving privacy. They worked a century ago; they still work today. You see them reinterpreted in restorations, small shops and renovated homes, their shadows and textures given a new language.

Mosaics and ceramics appear in courtyards, temples and old façades. Beyond their colour or geometry, what matters is their resilience. In Shanghai, humidity is relentless, and materials must endure. Those repeating patterns also carry a quiet rhythm. They slow you down without you noticing. And in the pace, most of us live by, that matters more than we think.

And then, the new skyline

Pudong’s skyscrapers aren’t just photogenic towers. They represent another side of the city: one that seeks natural light, open views and quiet within the noise. Contemporary homes and offices favour high-performance glass, integrated climate systems and an almost obsessive attention to light. It makes sense—Shanghai has to grow upwards, not outwards.

That’s where you begin to understand that luxury is, above all, light, calm and clean air.

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