The Bund, Shanghai | A Century's Time Warp in the River Breeze

As dusk falls, the golden lights of the eclectic architectural complex gradually illuminate, while the chimes of the Customs House drift across the gilded river, startling circling gulls whose wings slice through the dazzling glass facades of Lujiazui. The granite walkways still hold the day's warmth, as a saxophonist at the corner plays "La Vie en Rose," the notes mingling with the jasmine fragrance from a flower seller's wrist, colliding with the rich aroma of Starbucks Reserve coffee. Along the riverbank, ferries trail shimmering ripples, while the Oriental Pearl Tower on the opposite shore crushes the sunset into a scatter of rainbow diamonds. In the reflection of the Peace Hotel's bronze doors, the blue glow of my phone overlaps with the pearl bracelet of a qipao-clad lady from a century ago. At this moment, the Bund is like a peach bitten open by time—history's calluses wrapped around the tenderness of a new era, evoking endless emotions.