I think it was a talk from Simon Aliband on how he arrived in Shanghai in the 80s, on a summer night sitting in a bus driving to his university dorms, through the dark city. After sunset, the people of Shanghai would leave their houses to cool down in the dark outdoor air, and he could hear them from the bus, yet not see them.

That mental picture always stayed with me, of a nightly Shanghai with people chatting and cooling down on the sidewalk, out of light’s reach. And it came back to me this week after we moved to our new place in Heqing (合庆). The temperature is nearing 40 degrees Celsius during the day, and in the evening people come to sit outside. Shanghai is more modern, but this habit has stayed. Not only do people meet together, also the dark air is more comfortable than air-conditioned living rooms.

During the day: