Few doubt that Shanghai is the nerve center of China's second "Great Leap Forward." This metropolis -- long considered the most cosmopolitan of all Asian cities -- is the cornerstone of high-tech, financial and manufacturing activities in China. It is also a magnet for Chinese creativity, a Mecca where genuine communication among scholars, businessmen, and journalists takes place in relative freedom.
Pamela Yatsko arrived in Shanghai six years ago as a correspondent with the Far Eastern Economic Review. She spoke Mandarin and was able to use an academic background to maneuver through the many worlds that function at the same time: worlds of big financial deals, high hopes and even illegal drug deals.
The book is more than a story of one city. Its anecdotes and interviews capture the face of the world's most populous country.
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