Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
Ami Li
Being from Beijing is like being a native New Yorker. Many claim it, few can prove it. But I can. My family’s been in Beijing for generations. I grew up visiting relatives on holidays, and the city was the only place I ever considered moving back to. So I did, and I’m here to tell you why it’s great.
Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
Whether it’s the hearty cuisine of Northeast China or the latest examples of avant-garde art, there is no fluff and no filler when it comes to Beijing; only a place and population with an unapologetic point of view. The outskirts of Beijing include one of the earliest sites of humanoid habitation in Peking Man. The city has been the site of regional power since the 11th century BC. Today, it’s the capital of one of the world’s most powerful countries.
Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
The best food in Beijing is hearty, flavourful and above all satisfying down to your bones. Everything from street food on sticks to refined Imperial cuisine can be found within the city’s vast borders. And Beijing can lay claim to nature’s finest breakfast food: the jianbing. Imagine a paper-thin crêpe made from either millet, purple rice or mung bean flour batter. Inside is a parade of textures and tastes, courtesy of crispy wafers, a savoury, spicy fermented bean paste and tofu sauce, refreshing lettuce and a juicy hot dog, all wrapped up in a hand-sized package perfect for eating on the go.
Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
Credit: Colin Qu
For decades, Beijing has been the heart of China’s fascinating contemporary art scene. From the days of Ai Weiwei and Rong Rong in Beijing’s own “East Village”, the city has housed, cultivated and exported generations of artists. Its galleries, art hubs, fairs and festivals ensure that a trip to Beijing is the top destination for contemporary art lovers, curators and collectors in the country. Let’s put it this way: the places with the same names in Shanghai opened only after they were already successful up north.
Finally, Beijingers invented Beibingyang, which, in a just world, would be China’s national soft drink. Crack open a cold one when you arrive and thank me later.
Credit: Blackie Hui
DJ Zhang
I’ve never met a Shanghainese person who isn’t proud to say that they’re from Shanghai.
My earliest memory of my city is of the Lujiazui district by the river, which back in the early 1990s only had one skyscraper – the space rocket- like Oriental Pearl Tower. In just three decades, it has transformed into a bustling financial district populated by multiple megastructures, each taller and shinier than the last. It’s a reflection of the city’s rapid growth and ascension as a world-class city – a source of pride for many Shanghainese, including myself.
Credit: Blackie Hui
Credit: Blackie Hui
Credit: Blackie Hui
What I love most about my hometown is its beautiful blend of East and West and of old and new. You’ll find it all on a stroll along the Bund, with the Huangpu River’s eastern shore showcasing the city’s modern credentials, and the western shore’s heritage architecture – including Art Deco gems like the Peace Hotel and the Embankment Building – hinting at the city’s colourful past.
Credit: Blackie Hui
Credit: Blackie Hui
Credit: Blackie Hui
And the food is unforgettable. The classic xiaolongbao soup dumplings are one of my all-time favourite things to eat. Having scoured the globe for good Chinese food, I can definitively say that no other place – not in China, nor any Chinatown in the world – can make these pockets of joy with juicy pork and hot soup, sealed in the thinnest of wrappers, better than Shanghai. Also a must for your next trip are the scruffier cousin of xiaolongbao, shengjianbao pan-fried pork buns, and a humble bowl of congyou banmian, spring onion oil noodles. I will concede Peking duck to the capital, but these Shanghai specialities are second to none.
Credit: Blackie Hui
Credit: Blackie Hui
Having spent most of my 20s and many childhood summers in Shanghai, I have to say it’s one of the best places in the world to live and work. Many would agree. For centuries, it has attracted throngs of people from across China and the world to come and look for their next big opportunity. It is, and always will be, a privilege to call this city home.