Shanghai's uniqueness is attractive

A Shanghai television station has sparked heated debate on the Internet by broadcasting live interviews with people on Nanjing Road, the city's most popular shopping street, asking them what they like about Shanghai.

Unsurprisingly, many of the people interviewed said that they liked the big city feel of Shanghai. That, of course, includes the modern skyscrapers, glitzy shopping malls and the concentration of multicolored neon signs in the major commercial strips that never fail to dazzle and thrill visitors from lesser cities.

Others said they liked Shanghai for its tolerance and inclusiveness, recalling an old Chinese saying that can be loosely translated to mean: Like the sea taking in the flow of a hundred rivers. However, this has stirred a hot debate, as the common perception is the people of this city are anything but inclusive.