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Often the best way to get a feel for a city is by reading fictional and historical novels set in that place and written by locals. A good book to start with is Nien Cheng’s Life and Death in Shanghai, a moving and often terrifying autobiography describing her maltreatment at the hands of the Red Guard during China’s Cultural Revolution. For an even more controversial read, try the semi-autobiographical Shanghai Baby, by Wei Hui, which tells about a young, vain Chinese girl in contemporary China and was both banned and burned upon its publication in 1999. Kazuo Ishiguro also likes to use Shanghai as a backdrop to his novels; When We Were Orphans is set in 1920s Shanghai and The White Countess, set in the 30s, has recently been made into a high budget film starring Ralph Fiennes. Shanghai: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City by Stella Dong is a fascinating historical account of the hedonistic times of the late 19th and early 20th century.