Shanghai, that shining city — and oh, that iconic view. China’s ‘second capital’, Shanghai has long been the nation’s economic powerhouse — its strength based in finance, including the largest of China’s 3 stock markets linked as of 2014 with that of Hong Kong, as well as in tourism.

Along the Bundy, Shanghai’s neoclassical architecture from its colonial past provides a stately feel. In fact, the city has one of the world’s finest arrays of art deco architecture, a celebration of the city’s multiculturalism in the 1920s-1940s. Today’s Shanghai continues to display innovation in its modern buildings, some of which could even be considered ‘cutting edge’ — and a far cry from the austerity of Beijing.

One such example of Shanghai’s innovation is the Fosun Foundation building, part of the Bund Finance Center. Three layers of steel pipes veil the structure, rotating to suggest a theatre curtain. The building is a nexus for art and culture, with a stated emphasis on innovation — not a value commonly associated with today’s China.

A sense of humor is on display in Shanghai, too, and even a sense of irony, a characteristic not generally associated with Asian cultures. The city has a strong emphasis on the arts, and exhibits here its willingness to have a gentle laugh — at itself. In a face-saving culture, this is not inconsequential.

Shanghai is also a city of music, from its world class Symphony founded in 1879, and its Grand Theatre , one of the world’s best, to its underground music scene, considered one of the most cutting edge. The city also has a long love affair with jazz — including some musicians who’ve been playing it almost since jazz began.

Another way that Shanghai broke the mold was in taking in Jewish refugees fleeing Europe in the 1930s, when other countries increasingly refused to do so. In fact, the city was the only place that would allow them to enter without documentation, recognizing the desperate nature of their circumstances. Shanghai had an existing Jewish community of a few thousand people who immigrated in the 19th century — and saved the lives of an estimated 20,000 more.

Shanghai is known the world over for its shopping opportunities, from the famed Nanjing Road and its night shopping to the luxury brands on Huaihai Road, to its Yuyuan Market or Bazaar seen here. Though highly touristic today, it is a longstanding market area, just outside beautiful Yu Garden and in the heart of Old Shanghai — and near the Old City God Temple. The traditional buildings reveal not only souvenirs but antiques, local products, and other windows into Shanghai culture.

~EWP

Cote d’Ivoire, former French colony which gained independence in 1960, ranges from rainforests to beaches — with a diverse society of more than 60 ethnic groups, today commonly intermingled. The past few decades have seen a military coup, a failed coup attempt, a civil war and second outbreak of widespread violence, and an act of al-Qaeda terrorism — with a relatively safe and peaceful country today.

Cote d’Ivoire’s 2016 terrorist attack by al-Qaeda took place in Grand-Bassam, a beach resort community 40 minutes east of Abidjan, the nation’s economic capital. This is an historic building complex in Grand-Bassam, next to the folk museum; the area is filled with artisans and horse stables.

Traditional arts and handcrafts abound in Cote d’Ivoire, filled with animistic imagery and cultural symbols, each of the 60 ethnic groups with its own distinct style.

Modern art can also be found in Cote d’Ivoire — especially in Abidjan art cafés and restaurants.

Tension between the nation’s Christians (50%) and Muslims (40%) broke into widescale violence in the 2000s; today, following civil war and periods of disputed election conflict, the people of Cote d’Ivoire are more united than divided — with Muslim marrying Christian and no expectations of conversion, in which the children are exposed to both religions and given freedom to decide for themselves.

The future of Cote d’Ivoire — and indeed of all 54 African nations — is in the hands of Mother Africa herself.

~EWP

Argentina has long played a pivotal role in South America. Leading the independence movement from Spain after centuries of colonialism, the country then tended toward ‘strongman’ leadership — ultimately to a military dictatorship in the 1970s which saw thousands of accused dissidents disappear. Though now a democracy, this legacy continues today: beautiful Buenos Aires sees businesses with locked doors during working hours, admitting customers one at a time; when asked, people just shrug and admit to generalised distrust — including of police. On further inquiry, ordinary citizens state that in times of uncertainty a ‘strong’ government is necessary — which is precisely how dictatorships are invited in.

The church remains important in Argentinian life. Spanish colonisers introduced Catholicism; the largest immigrant group today is Italian, with Spanish a close second and most Argentinians of European origin. While 80% identify as Roman Catholic today, a majority are non-practicing; yet, the religion remains a major influence in government and in the society overall. It is of note that the country also has the largest Jewish population in the continent.

The Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires is one of the most unusual and famous of its kind in the world; built like a small town, each mausoleum looks more like a home for the deceased. Some are historic, others quite modern and often ornate; some of the interred, notably former First Lady Eva Perón, are well known while others are represented in charming ways. There are more than 6000 such ‘houses’ and a map — including street names. A city — like no other — within a city.

The artist community in Buenos Aires is alive and well. Known for its street art and for the tango, the parks are also filled with sculpture and galleries and museums abound. What’s less well known is that the nation had its own counterculture or ‘hippie’ movement in the 1960s, still in evidence today. September, the beginning of spring, has a Day of Peace and the Day of the Student [a nod to protests]; ‘rock nacional’, a music unique to Argentina, originated from the 1960s movement. Many independent culture centres throughout the country are part of this legacy.

In Argentina’s dictatorship era, 1973-1983, thousands of accused dissidents disappeared, never heard from again. Their mothers, and other women in support, created a unique women’s association which continues to demand answers as to the victims’ whereabouts, and accountability, from the government. Now they have issued a warning to the world: that in this era of ‘alternative facts’ and political spin, the same thing could all too easily happen again. Wearing white headscarves as their symbol, the Madres continue to demonstrate.

~EWP

Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach is an ideal representation of Australia’s orientation to the sea, with its major cities all on the coast. A very large island — or is it a continent? –the debate continues, and even the awkward term of “island continent” has been employed on occasion. The interior, widely considered uninhabitable, presented no significant problem for the indigenous people, in their deep — and unique — understanding of the land.

Sydney is also known for its greenery, and life orients not only to the sea but to the city’s many parks — for human and ibis alike. There are an estimated 10,000 white ibises, locally known as ‘bin chicken’, ‘dumpster diver’, or ‘tip turkey’ for their proclivity to rubbish and considered a nuisance by many. Seasonal visitors but non-native, they began breeding and taking up residence only in the 1980s — possibly as a zoo program gone wrong.

Graceful Melbourne. Strongly focused on the arts, with a well-defined city centre and a café culture, one could be forgiven for viewing it as Vienna’s cousin — albeit much younger, warmer, and oriented to the sea. It is a youthful city with an outdoors and fitness identity, by which it also begs comparison to Vancouver — but it is, ultimately, uniquely its own.

In a sense, Tasmania — in particular, Hobart — tells to story of Australia. While the island retains its own, proudly individualistic and self-sufficient character, it is deeply rooted in both Australia’s indigenous roots and penal colony immigrants. Hobart strongly reflects its colonial past, while embracing a youthful and artistic, at times countercultural, present.

This poignant sculpture tells a particular tale of female prisoners sent to the island from Ireland — often for the crime of being poor. “Footsteps Towards Freedom” pays tribute to these destitute women, one governor now referring to them as “the founding mothers of Tasmania.” The former women’s prison is outside of the city and can be visited.

The indigenous people of Australia, including Tasmania, are the deepest roots of the country — and possibly of the world, as they are widely considered one of the earliest societies. “Heritage” in Tasmania and elsewhere has often been criticised as non-indigenous and colonial; however, indigenous rights have improved significantly in the past 5 years under the current liberal government in Tasmania.

~EWP