By Hong Liang (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-28 07:14

It was almost too good to be true. The clear blue sky, floating white clouds and crisp clean air have combined to make life in Shanghai very pleasant over the past couple of weeks.

The summer is not over yet, and it still gets pretty hot in the middle of the afternoon. But the irritating haze and choking smog are in short supply, giving the people of the nation's top metropolis a rare taste of what it is like to live in an environment that is relatively free from pollution.

The effect of this experience is more powerful than any official directive or scholastic dissertation attempting to put forward the case for environmental protection. It is also time for us to take our minds, at least temporarily, off such depressing issues as the unfolding US credit crisis and rising domestic inflationary pressure and bid adieu to the languid summer, while welcoming the onset of autumn.

Indeed, autumn arrived a few weeks ago, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. As if to reaffirm the wisdom of our ancient ancestors to those Western-educated skeptics among us, the weather in Shanghai promptly took on a mellower demeanor, befitting the season.

Aside from the occasional storms, there has not yet been a wild westerly wind to blow away the dead and decayed and free our spirits from the drudgery of daily life. But the cool breeze in the morning and late afternoon is both comforting and inspiring nonetheless.

The local media have reported that a change in weather patterns is bringing a constant stream of fresh ocean air that has cleared away the dust and smog that for so long held the city in a choking grip. Some news reports praised the municipal government for its strenuous efforts to tidy up the environment. Others said the massive migration of low-level manufacturing concerns to neighboring provinces has helped significantly cut down on the amount of pollution in the city.

Whatever the reason, this is the time to enjoy Shanghai, especially in the early morning or late afternoon, when the air is fresh and the sunlight is mellow.

If you work on Huaihai Zhonglu, as I do, head to Nanchang Lu, near Fuxing Park, after work. Avoid the park, which is nice, but, like most Shanghai parks, is over-designed and excessively groomed.

There is nothing artificial on Nanchang. This quaint tree-lined street, just off the main shopping strip of Huaihai, is usually quiet aside from a few passing cars heading to the restaurants or the highly popular karaoke bar on Yandang Lu. The streets are lined with some of the best-preserved low-rise apartment buildings to have been built when workmanship mattered, style was appreciated and space was available.

Those houses remind me of my old family home in Hong Kong. We also had a small front yard where we gathered in the cool evenings after dinner to talk and play. That evening I spent walking along Nanchang, I could see children playing and hear them laughing in their front yards.

Some street-level homes have been converted into fashion boutiques and antique shops. There are also a few picturesque coffee shops and fancy small restaurants that lend a touch of romance and class to this quiet residential neighborhood.

By the time you get to Shannxi Nanlu, you will be brought back immediately to the reality of the metropolis that you sometimes find so oppressively unbearable - the brightly-lit shops, crowded streets, charging bicycles and honking cars.

But, of course, you have seen the better part of town, and there is no better time to do so than now.

E-mail: jamesleung@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/28/2007 page10)