Spring in Shanghai

On the streets of Shanghai in spring, new sycamore buds stretch out in the warm sun, and the sweet fragrance of magnolias is carried by the breeze around street corners. On Wukang Road, the red brick walls of old houses are dyed honey-colored by the sunlight. People stroll along with coffee in their hands, their skirts and trench coats swaying gently in the spring light. The cherry blossoms along the Suzhou River are in full bloom, and pink and white petals fall on the shoulders of joggers. The ferry horn cuts through the shimmering water, turning the reflection of the skyscrapers on the opposite bank into broken gold. The aroma of scallion oil noodles wafts from the alleyways, and grandmothers sit on bamboo chairs, picking vegetables and watching their grandchildren chase bubbles across the bluestone slabs. Laughter startles the sparrows on the telephone poles. In the filter of spring, this city hides the gentleness between modern buildings and flows with the poetry of the everyday.