Zhongshan Park, Shanghai

Shanghai is a huge and bustling city on a level that I am just so not used to I can’t even really wrap my head around. But Chinese people really, really love their parks, and bloody hell so do I. They’re not just green spaces filled with flower beds and mowed lawns either, they have ponds, stepping stones over tiny rivers, rose gardens, winding pathways through tall, thick trees. The entire park teems with life, while the city that feels so far away remains omnipresent, high-rises peering over the leafy heads of trees.

And they’re not just for bored teenagers or family picnics. No, parks in Shanghai are thriving social hubs for the pensioners of the city. They play games, they dance, they sing karaoke - the dulcet tones of many an Aunty could be heard ringing through the trees, following you as you walk. No matter how secluded it feels, there’s always a woman singing a jazzy pop hit from the previous decade (or century), having the time of her life and tbh I’m all for it. Hell yeah sister, you go girl, sing yer heart out!