Life in China
Anne, October 1995. My new home, high above a busy Shanghai street junction, just four short months after my departure from Christie's in London.
The apartment was home for five of my seven years living in this extraordinary and ever-changing city. The three towers beyond my left elbow comprise the Shanghai Centre; its distinctive architectural structure is reminiscent of the Chinese character 'shān' 山 for mountain. Known colloquially at that time as 'The Portman', the Shanghai Centre is situated on West Nanjing Road. This massive complex, with its glamorous hotel, restaurants and theatre represented a small part of the 'West' in the 'East' for the city's expatriate community and growing number of international visitors.
View from Anne's balcony in Shanghai, October 1995
The lawned compound, as it looked in 1995, encloses the former Sephardi Ohel Rachel Synagogue, built c.1920 by Sir Jacob Elias Sassoon in memory of his wife Rachel.
Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright toured this historic building, which had been closed to the public for many years, during President Bill Clinton's State visit to China in July 1998. The Synagogue can be partially seen in the centre left of the photograph.
The nostalgically named 'Long Bar' in the Shanghai Centre evoked memories of this historic watering hole in the old Shanghai Club on the Bund. The original 'Long Bar' was the legendary haunt of resident tai-pans and visitors to the city, among whom, in 1930, was Noel Coward. (Photograph in the public domain).
