Polly Vella's Reviews > Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road

I love any book that helps me understand the place that I have called home for almost 12 years. The author digs deep into the personal histories of shopkeepers and residents who live on Changle Lu, in the Former French Concession. You will find yourself admiring every single person he meets for the tenacity and and dignity that they all posses as they go about their lives. There is humor and hope in all of the stories, and it will help you understand many intricacies of this country, such as corruption, the evolution of the communist party from Mao to Xi Jinping, the role of religion, the importance of resident permits (hukou) in the trajectory of each person’s education, parents’ roles in helping their children find a spouse, and important cultural concepts such as “eating bitter” and “saving face”.