In 1992, former chartered engineer Ben Zabulis visited Shanghai (in fact, China) for the first time, a trip of exploration that began a lifelong love for the 'City of Devils'
Great article. I first made it to Shanghai in 1997 - retracing the footsteps of 2 grand uncles who served in the shanghai Municipal Police in the 1929s.
The article does a great job of capturing the vibe of the city before it became the high tech metropolis it is today.
Many thanks Gerry, very kind of you to say. I read the article about yourself and Gangsters of Shanghai and was soon enthralled, the photos are superb !
Great pictures! I was also in China in the late nineties but I don't have a digital version of the pictures I took. I think I also did not took so many as I was living there and after a while it was not a novelty anymore.
Many thanks Lauca, yes, unfortunately we also did much of our travelling pre-digital era so not always possible to download images unless scanned. I agree, sometimes such everyday scenes lose their novelty when seen everyday - cheers !
Many thanks Igor, I think you were there at a good time. Walks around the bund and the Beijing hutongs is a great thing to do. I do not know of Boxing Cat Brewery which is a shame as I collect beer labels. I have a picture taken a few years back in which I arranged the many Chinese labels I have accumulated, I entitled it 'The Longest Pub Crawl in the World' !
Great article. I first made it to Shanghai in 1997 - retracing the footsteps of 2 grand uncles who served in the shanghai Municipal Police in the 1929s.
The article does a great job of capturing the vibe of the city before it became the high tech metropolis it is today.
Many thanks Gerry, very kind of you to say. I read the article about yourself and Gangsters of Shanghai and was soon enthralled, the photos are superb !
Many thanks Ben. Looks like we are both members of the Shanghai fan club! Hope we have a chance to chat in real life at some stage.
That would be great !
Thanks Gerry - certainly a more freewheeling place in the late '90s and early '00s. Re-sharing your excellent Shanghai story here: https://simonostheimer.substack.com/p/a-shanghai-story
Great pictures! I was also in China in the late nineties but I don't have a digital version of the pictures I took. I think I also did not took so many as I was living there and after a while it was not a novelty anymore.
Many thanks Lauca, yes, unfortunately we also did much of our travelling pre-digital era so not always possible to download images unless scanned. I agree, sometimes such everyday scenes lose their novelty when seen everyday - cheers !
Such a pity though...China has changed so much. This is why I am always excited to see pictures of the China I knew.
I agree, it definitely seemed a lot rawer then. Everything's very civilized and orderly now.
Mine are on a CD somewhere, need to get them onto the cloud.
you are already a step ahead of me :D
Haha, not sure many places have CD drives anymore!
Nice… Often travelled between Beijing and Shanghai in 2010-2014. Clearly remember Boxing Cat Brewery, walks around Bund, hutongs…
A good time to be visiting, post-Olympics.
Many thanks Igor, I think you were there at a good time. Walks around the bund and the Beijing hutongs is a great thing to do. I do not know of Boxing Cat Brewery which is a shame as I collect beer labels. I have a picture taken a few years back in which I arranged the many Chinese labels I have accumulated, I entitled it 'The Longest Pub Crawl in the World' !
Moments of glory…
https://www.smartshanghai.com/venue/4430/Boxing_Cat_Brewery_(Fuxing_Lu)_shanghai
Many thanks for the link Igor - a great tip for next time !
Looks like the same place, not sure, as they spread their commercial tentacles, but good beer and outdoor seating is there = enough
Looks like a place I would have liked - great street too.
1992… an OG, salute to you, Sir. 🙇 Love the pictures, priceless.
Quite the memories - I didn't make it until 2004!
1997, and I know what you mean, feels like we missed so much. 😂
Yeah, when I arrived I wondered what had taken me so long!
Many thanks Paul, much appreciated !