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I consider myself fortunate to have spent the greater part of my career as a fine arts consultant working with artists and collectors．In addition to providing me with a reason to be surrounded by art，it has afforded me the opportunity to deal with two other serious pursuits in my life，photography and travel．Over the past fifteen years，I have been lucky to have had a reason to travel to China often and I'm frequently asked where I spend the most amount of time when I'm there．My answer is always，Beijing and Shanghai． Then the question is invariably, “Which city do you prefer?” I never hesitate to say that I enjoy each for different reasons．On So many levels though，it is impossible to compare Shanghai to virtually any other city；even given its proverbial identification as the“Paris of the East”，I think it is unfair． Shanghai has a unique identity．It possesses a character all its own with a rhythm and pace and vibrancy unlike any other city I have ever experienced in my travels．For decades it has been considered by foreigners to be China's most cosmopolitan city and like New York，something of a cultural melting pot adding to its diversity．But undoubtedly, it has acquired part of its reputation based on a past that conjures up exotic images of opium dens that flourished in the late 1800's，or international traders，smugglers，and spies who entered its ports at the turn of the century.
