Fritz Secker, a German writer, arrived in Shanghai in the early 1900s. His book, 'Schen,' is his attempt to capture the city's soul. He doesn't give us a dry list of facts. Instead, he takes us on a walk. We see the crowded docks of the Huangpu River, the stark contrast between the International Settlement and the Chinese districts, and the daily rhythms of street vendors, rickshaw pullers, and merchants. He describes festivals, architecture, and the complex social layers of a city where East and West collided every single day.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this book special is its immediacy. Secker isn't a distant historian; he's a curious observer right in the middle of it all. You get his personal reactions—the fascination, the confusion, the occasional frustration. It’s this firsthand perspective that brings old Shanghai to life in a way modern summaries can't. Reading it, you're constantly aware that he's documenting a specific moment, a version of the city that his own grandchildren would never recognize.

Final Verdict

Perfect for armchair travelers and anyone with a curiosity about everyday life in the past. If you enjoy primary sources, travelogues, or just a vivid escape to a different time and place, Secker's observations are a treasure. It’s not a fast-paced narrative, but a slow, rich immersion. Think of it as the literary equivalent of watching beautifully restored film footage from 1909: sometimes grainy, utterly foreign, but completely mesmerizing.