End of the Shanghai Party: Reveling scenes like this from a nightclub in Shanghai’s former French Quarter are fast becoming a thing of the past.
Image: Colour
In China’s wealthiest neighborhood, our former Shanghai correspondent once felt like he was in Beverly Hills. But now the glamor is giving way to authoritarian anxiety. A wistful farewell to the economic metropolis.
When Lisa and her husband recently posted a selfie in evening dress and tuxedo before the Wellington Ball, the old feeling came up again: living in the middle of China in an American TV series.
Henrik Ankenbrand
Economic correspondent for China based in Shanghai.
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In Shanghai, Wellington is one of the best international schools in the city. Employers of foreigners who register their children here pay fees of up to 365,000 yuan ($50,000) a year. In return, the parents can celebrate in a five-star hotel in Shanghai before the summer holidays. This year, the partition in front of the ballroom displayed “Havana Nights” as the party motto alongside the logos of the platinum, gold and silver sponsors.