Americans Fall In The Rise In Shanghai
red border and smoky rooms, loud music and burlesque acts, cradles Russian dancers and a crowd cheering international - there may be a quintessential scene of Shanghai in the 1930s, except for cell phones ringing at the tables.
In the early 20th century, Shanghai was a cosmopolitan city throughout the Far East, which houses about 70 000 foreign and trade to flourish - a leading city in Asia in style and decadence.
Most non-Chinese residents had left when the Communist neon lights dimmed in 1949. The "Paris of the Orient" has become an industrial powerhouse that invented dark textiles and machinery for the rest of the country.
When the Beijing leadership has decided to breathe new life into the aging of the metropolis in 1990, years of neglect has produced the unintended consequence: the conservation of one of the world's largest collection of Art Deco buildings, was completed in Shanghai in the period the recent peak.
Spencer Dodington saw the prosperity of Shanghai and the romance of a unique architecture, when I first moved here in 1995. Since the end of its efforts to finance the American conglomerate, the Texan has turned his passion for the city an elegant, old, a second successful career.
"For me, the key was to preserve the pedigree of Shanghai - 20, 30 or 40 years of design in a way that still fits into modern life," said Dodington, 42, CNN showed his latest project - the restoration of Art Deco apartment built in 1928 in the heart of the old French Quarter.
He installed pine flooring from the same period found on demolition sites, and to antiques, he gathered during his long stay in Shanghai. As the city rapidly redeveloping Dodington said the value of his property has increased 15 times over the past decade.
Although Dodington relishes recapture past glory of the city, it is always attracted by the dynamic changes in Shanghai, which now houses about 20 million people - far from his home town hidden in the cornfields of central Texas with a population of 953rd
"There's this new energy that keeps me prove that it's interesting to live here instead of finding another place," he said.
physical transformation of the city is still greater than the first "Golden Age". Two decades of hectic economic growth, skyscrapers - like the present and the future of China's tallest building - has been replaced by agricultural land east of the Huangpu River, which flows through the city.
During the construction boom before last year's World Expo, Shanghai had spent more than $ 50 billion to build new infrastructure and benchmarks. Dodington In the 15 years he has lived in Shanghai, the subway system in the city increased from zero world's longest network of 420 km (260 miles) of track.
"There was a bar that was not in a hotel," he said, "You ring the office-mate". Hey, come tonight and just hang up, "OK, fine." There was only one place. "
Hundreds of bars and clubs now points in the city streets, and government statistics show that foreign nationals registered at the end of 2008 has exploded 152 000 - The Americans are the second largest community, followed by Japanese residents.
In Jinqiao District in eastern Shanghai is a perfect image copy of the American suburb. House detached houses with manicured lawns stand near private schools with big sports centers, Scout SUV in the parking lots of strip centers.
Aligning the main shopping street of restaurants with names like "New York Pizza" and "Agave Cantina." The latter, packed with families on weekend lunch hour is creation of Kelley Lee, a Chinese-American born and raised in Southern California and a culinary training in Paris.
When Lee took the opportunity to open a restaurant in Shanghai in 2004, she moved without hesitation, having witnessed the resurgence of the city in a previous visit.
Six years later, Lee, 34, sits atop a mini-empire of six restaurants throughout the city - including two Mexican restaurants, American beers, and a cocktail bar.
"It's a great place to start a business," he said. "If you work hard, there may be nothing better."
Dinner rush his brewery, Lee has brought food to the tables suggested a beer at the bar, and even briefly wore the chef's wear to help in the kitchen.
She acknowledged the challenge of getting clients to Chinese restaurants in the West. But she said she won a growing local customer base while keeping the authentic cuisine and atmosphere to its sites.
"Every year I tell myself I'm going back to the States, but every year I think there are opportunities a little more," she said. "It's a great place to grow a business."
There is also a great place to keep a loyal musical. The sound of jazz dance halls everywhere from Shanghai who had once invaded the city until then the new communist government put a stop to it, is back after decades of silence.
A basic site is dark and smoky Cotton Club. Fu Hwa trumpeter performed on a recent Saturday night before a crowd of filling of local and expatriate.
Born in Taiwan, Fu, 35, grew up in Seattle and moved to Shanghai in 2002 to join the music scene in a city on the fast track.
As Dodington speak Shanghai dialect with a southern accent and cats Lee in Mandarin with a touch of California, Fu, also found the link between music and notes of the city that effortlessly mixes Eastern and Western.
"Jazz is the energy in Shanghai," he said. "Shanghai has been reborn as the city - is changing so rapidly, and it's great!"