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.