The New Tales of Old Shanghai - Neon Lights at Midnight
Malvern College Qingdao , Chen , Ariel - 15
W hen I was eight years younger than now , I was wandering in the streets all day . I often took the tram which made by British businessman to Jing ’ an temple then wander along the nearby trails . In those years of the weekend I was like a scurrying sparrow the sunny countryside fields . I was walking in the field all day scattered on the trail , dragging the muddy path to get dusty , as if the wheels rolling over .
At harvest time , the boss always brought me to look at the fields and his harbor . When hardworking farmer saw him , they would respectfully say :
" Sir "
Every summer , the river is a prosperous scene . There are many cargo ship and bamboo boats on the river like a myriad of lights twinkled in the distance . On the other side of the bank of the river , the high rise-building is the customs house , Shanghai . It is undoubtedly a significant port for the voyage of the ocean ’ s or its trade dealings . A few years ago when I was managing the harbor of my boss , I always saw some cargo ship from the West , carrying a full ship of arms or opium , coming toward to the harbor like some dark clouds coming . After the ban on foreign trade , I did not see the foreign ship which often called here . The original busy port has become a little quiet .
A few years ago , purely by chance , I left my old boss and joined the army . To be precise , I was rarely a watchdog of a great warlord . In the days when I was a soldier in his army , I was just to protect his house . Every day the visit like in an endless stream , layer upon layer without an end . These people were nothing more than some foreign traders and local squire nouveau riche . The opening of Shanghai to the World did not merely bring a number of foreign merchants , it also brought a lot of external erecting and factory . At that time , Shanghai was not like a city ruled by Qing Dynasty government , it was more like a colony which was divided by some of foreign countries .
Because of my job , I was living in the concession which were full of novelty shops . My house is small and it was crowded in two fashionable foreign firm . My house is fully ugly . Fortunately , it is small and nobody notice it . Consequently , I had shared the same view with my neighbors . The rich and luxury scene of their life like a snake caught my mind and let me felt my life is really depressed that it is hard to breathe .
Because of a special opportunity , I got an unexpected huge fortune . I turned from a little-known citizen to a revered figure . I was often accompanied by business to the harbor to see goods . Tom was my largest customer and we were always sitting on the floor of harbor and saw the ships coming and going .
I am still remember that day , the boat which we were sitting on departed from Wusong mouth , the riverside is all the flat farmland and the fields are crisscrossed by irrigation canals and ditches . Then the boat went over this area , Chinese sailing and hyperpowered gunboats were driving on the river . Subsequently , the ship sailed to the Bund and docked at a port on the French concession .
Tom ordered the workers who were around him with his resonant passionate voice . His appearance of concentration looked a little pathetic because the extent of his ego is better than before . The pavement and the road was full of people and rickshaws passed leisurely beside them . It is full of noise , the noise , the noise . The clatter of rickshaws , the squeak of unicycles , the cries of street hawkers , the blare of steamships and the noise of crowd . The only thing was quiet is the wind . The wind was utterly mild and little wet . In spite of this , the wind sometimes is not so calm .
“ You see !” Tom said that with his gruff tenor .“ Yes ,” I said ,“ Today the wind is more larger than usual .” “ Indeed ,” he said waveringly . “ Finish this one , we can have a good rest .”
Nanjing Road , my place of entertainment . Nanjing road was full of neon lights at midnight and the street has a variety of stalls and department stores . In the front of the Nanjing Road is my favourite place , New World amusement park . You take a few cents that you can play all day in it and it is also a good place to meet some power because casino and prostitutes are also an important part of here .