What I wouldn't give to have been on Nanjing Road in Shanghai in the 1930s. At that time, Shanghai was a boomtown. The Boomtown. It was an international city that was East Asia's center for commence, culture, and tourism. And Nanjing Road sat smack in the middle of this renaissance.

A violent occupation by the Japanese in World War II and the subsequent communist take-over forced Shanghai to leave its glory days behind it.

Today, Shanghai's comeback is well on its way. As an important port and China's most populous city, the former economic dragon has a position at the forefront of China's growth.

Nanjing Road is home to Shanghai's most famous shopping venues. There is a pedestrian-only section of the street near the massive People's Park. The crowds are heavy here, but the shopping is good and the atmosphere memorable. In fact, some of the buildings that house these retail outlets (as well as a few of the businesses themselves) are remnants of the 1930s. Surely the lights, crowds, and unmistakable urban energy harkens back to the past.