I once read the poetic line: “If you like the sea, come to Shanghai and never look at it”

Well, today we drove Nanhui New Town Beach (南汇新城海滩) all in the southeast of Shanghai in Lingang (临港).

Not sure if this is worthy of the ‘beach’ moniker though. Concrete blocks protect the land against the brown waves, and there’s a patch of sand, but it’s more swamp than beach.

Right to the horizon is the 32.5-kilometer highway-bridge into the sea, to the offshore port on the Shengsi islands.

We talk with a lady who’s taking a walk with her husband. She’s wearing a red sweater with a cute black bear on the front, but in the bear the words “FUCK OFF” are repeated. I decided not to tell her what it means.

The entrance of the area is packed with food stands, quite a change from the wanghong-packed streets of downtown Shanghai.

I wouldn’t dare to eat here but the locals do, going for some sausages, fried eggs, baked sweet potatoes, or noodles.

Beach shovels & buckets are for sale at the entrance, but the only place kids can actually use them is on a pile of sand next to the parking lot, probably left from a construction project.

Lingang is a weird place though, 80 km away from downtown. This place could attract people for the possible hukou, the new university, or simply the housing prices that may drastically rise. Yet most houses are still empty, while more construction takes place.