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Shanghai, Where Even a Beggar Wore a QR Code
Shanghai

Shanghai, Where Even a Beggar Wore a QR Code

Jul 15, 2026 11 min read

A levitating train, a room above the city, ancient temples beneath skyscrapers—and the moment China stopped looking simple. Shanghai lay beneath me, and I recognised absolutely nothing. From the upper floors of the Shanghai Marriott Marquis City Centre, the city stretched beneath me in every direction: towers, parks, roads and blocks of buildings