There's alot to get from this story, apart from how the house looks. My favorite thing is when she buys a 12" piece of string from a man with a pushcart: "People only buy as much as they need. They do not hoard and their homes are not full of items they never use." Of course our economy won't support such micro tranactions, but this is one way to avoid a main cause of trash: packaging.

This also reminds me of the suggestion to sell unused stuff (exercise equipment for example) on Craig's list, and buy it again if you ever do need it.

A customer of mine who owns a manufacturing facility in Shanghai told me that the city is growing on the level of several "Atlantas" per year. I don't know if this is an embellishment but from what I can see it's growth is overwhelming. The picture of the woman with the dog is definitely a work of art worthy of conversation.

I travel to HK twice a year for work and have always wondered what many of the homes look like inside. I think HK has a much crazier real estate climate, but I really enjoyed this little peek into a Shanghai home.

"But there is a grace about living here that I love. People do things here that machines do in America. Instead of a parking meter, there is a person who takes your money and helps you park..."

Such a romanticized description of Shanghai, as if it's so much more human than the world New Yorkers live in. But the fact is, all these services exist due to overflowing population in China who all need something to do to make a living. Shanghai, with its prospering middle class and large amount of foreigners, is the perfect place to demand these small servicing jobs. For example, you often see two or three girls standing at the door of a very shabby restaurant, and their job is simply to stand there, open doors, and say hello. Too much human resource is just wasted in Shanghai.

From the words of my parents-in-law, who recently came from Shanghai to visit us: "Wow, when you eat in restaurants here, your waiter actually comes to ask how your food is? And when you buy take out, they actually care to put in utensils for you? In Shanghai, they just dump the food to you, who cares how you are actually gonna eat it!?" My own recent experiences in Shanghai tell me that human factor is the least concern right now. As my friend there said, "Shanghai may already look similar to modern NY, but the people's mentality is like NY in the early stage of industrialization: each person is money-hungry and out for oneself only. There is no respect for people around them, nor for humanity in general."

Bombie - well said! While I enjoyed it, I found the entire story (and pictures) overly romanticized.

I do like that bathroom -- the soaking tub and the sink.