Destination Shanghai

For the privileged a cosmopolitan pleasure ground;

For the desperate a port of last resort.

A pot of gold at the end of an Oriental rainbow;

A thick slice of hell denounced from the pulpit.

The start of a journey for many;

The end of the road for some.

A place to find fame, or to seek anonymity;

Rogues, chancers, showgirls, criminals…

For so many people from so many lands, there was one phrase that sent a tingle of hope or a shiver of anticipation down every spine:

“DESTINATION SHANGHAI”