Vanessa Fabiano’s Chinese On The Beach
Wong Kar Wai’s new television series Blossoms Shanghai and my story collection Chinese on the Beach share a specific time and setting: Shanghai during the transformative 1990s, when China’s “reform and opening” policies catapulted the city from post-revolutionary stagnation to global economic powerhouse.
In Chinese on the Beach, a collection of nine stories, Shanghai is more than an urban setting, it’s often a character in its own right. Against the background of one of the most extraordinary periods in recent history, the narratives explore how individuals, both Chinese and foreign, grapple with radical change in a society reinventing itself at breakneck speed.
My characters chase opportunity, reckon with history, and try not to fall through the cracks, as they navigate life through dizzying transformation.
This was the decade when the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping declared Shanghai the “dragonhead of economic reform,” unleashing a merciless wave of growth that put immense opportunity within reach of many, ambitious locals, returning overseas Chinese, and expatriates alike. The mood in urban centers was euphoric, fueled by unprecedented possibility, even as sweeping changes brought upheaval and existential uncertainty.
This extraordinary period in the city’s history has now been captured in a television series that topped streaming charts in China, with hashtags related to the show amassing 3.6 billion views on social media platform Weibo. Blossoms Shanghai, helmed by Shanghai-born Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, tracks the rise of protagonist Ah Bao, from ordinary young man to self-made Shanghai millionaire. At its core the show is an unabashed celebration of Shanghai’s dazzling economic revival and a showcase for the city’s distinct “Ha’ipai” culture: the unique fusion of East meets West in food, architecture, and mindset, reflecting Shanghai’s longstanding status as China’s most open-minded city.
The series has turned into a cultural event in China, triggering a wave of 90s nostalgia – a time increasingly perceived as a gilded age – with tourists flocking to the show’s referenced locations, from infamous restaurant lane Huanghe Road to the iconic Peace Hotel (formerly the Cathay Hotel). Filmed in the Shanghainese, the local dialect, the series is turning the hustling, business-minded Shanghai identity into a point of pride for a city frequently viewed with suspicion within China as too foreign or un-Chinese.
For me, watching Blossoms Shanghai is like seeing my literary and personal Shanghai brought to cinematic life. Spanish fans of Wong Kar Wai are in luck: while the rest of Europe awaits distribution, all 30 episodes are streaming on Filmin with Spanish (and English) subtitles.
Chinese on the Beach is published by Ybernia and available now.
