Changle Road Notes |

On the eighth day of living in Changle Road, it was the first time someone asked me for directions.

"Young man, is there a barbecue restaurant nearby? They sell barbecued meat, skewers, and snacks." He stopped me in a very abrupt way, pushing away a few couples who were tired of taking pictures, and also Don't forget to wipe the sweat from your forehead. The suitcases of the three of them rubbed against the floor tiles on the sidewalk, making an untimely sound. When the French laid this Fukasen Road, they did not expect the advent of the trolley case, and apparently failed to calculate the maximum passenger flow capacity of this road. It takes half an hour to take Line 10 from Hongqiao Airport (or high-speed railway station) to Jiaotong University Station. This should be all he knows about Shanghai. Therefore, if the level of knowledge about a city is directly proportional to the length of time he has lived, he may not have asked the wrong person. After all, among the crowds of people on the road, there may not be many who have been in Shanghai for eight days. But it was my first time walking on Wukang Road, so I could only shake my head and say I didn't know.

Of course, the eight-day residency also brings some advantages. For example, I can completely conclude from my experience, where is the BBQ restaurant on Wukang Road? This is an elegant land, where life belongs to the elegant bungalows, the swinging plane trees, and the shops on both sides selling waffles and ice cream balls. If today's sun shines on the English plaid pattern of the tablecloth, it will just match social media. The most popular light contrast, the price will rise from thirty to forty. Looking for cheap kebabs in the market here is obviously futile. But I also don't want to hit him too bluntly, so as not to affect his first impression of Shanghai. I've started to think from a local's point of view.

I couldn't help him, but he provided me with a sociological question to ponder: On what basis do people choose whom to ask for directions? So I spent the rest of my journey reasoning about this problem, and began to observe every passerby who flashed. I don't look like a Shanghainese, and the white T-shirt and sneakers on my body are by no means exclusive to Shanghai. Under the wave of the Internet, people everywhere look more and more alike. The old man who has never left Shanghai, and the half-breed who grew up in four or five countries, can wear tops produced in the same building in Bangladesh. As for the so-called "temperament" and "style" of Xuanzhi and Xuan, even if they really exist, I must not have the aura of a Shanghainese. Zhang Ailing also said: "After all, she is from Shanghai"! But I also finally discovered some deadly details, details that have been smoothed out in a life of increasing familiarity and repetition: my complete lack of excitement as I walked these French-romantic paths. I don't stop to look at anything, and I don't want to take any photos. I just feel that the weather is hot every day. When I get home, I have a lot of chores: I haven't paid the electricity bill, and the washing machine is broken again. These cluttered fragments guide my behavior, and I will never be a happy tourist - facing the white eyes of those who block the road, the determination at the intersection of three fork roads, and the early departure when there are two seconds left at the red light.

This conclusion implies the dangerous corollary that a person's familiarity with an area can be recognized by the sum of his or her external behavior. In the era of big data, this may become a new growth pole for navigation software.