Goodbye Shanghai: reflections on five years at China's gateway

Shanghai is buzzing again. Some residents may frown at the inconvenience of jostling alongside domestic and foreign visitors who clog the streets around heritage buildings such as the Wukang Mansion and the iconic Bund, a promenade that stretches along the city's waterfront. But after witnessing how the COVID-19 pandemic deprived the city of its vibrancy between 2020 and 2022, I feel grateful for the return of normalcy.

As the commercial hub of China, Shanghai's economy was booming when I arrived in the spring of 2019 to begin my stint as a correspondent. Tesla was rushing to complete the construction of its auto manufacturing plant on the city's outskirts. Imported versions of the Model 3, the U.S. automaker's flagship sedan, were a common sight on the streets as demand for electric vehicles started to pick up.