Discovering trust in Shanghai's embrace

2024-11-06 14:41:48Source: China DailyBy Anayat Ali

Anayat Ali poses for a photo at Lujiazui, the financial center of Shanghai. [Photo / China Daily]
I come from Kashmir, a place renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and complex history. Growing up beneath chinar trees, I learned to see them as symbols of endurance, each branch a witness to centuries of conflict, suffering, and resilience.
In Kashmir, carrying identification is as routine as carrying one's keys—a daily ritual that acknowledges the underlying tension woven into our lives.
When I moved to Shanghai for my PhD at Tongji University in 2022, I anticipated that this same instinct for caution would linger—a reflex that had long become second nature. But Shanghai offered something unexpected:a life shaped not by caution but by trust—a trust so seamlessly woven into daily life that it flows through the city like an invisible current.
Here in Shanghai, people leave bicycles unlocked, bags unattended, and walk freely without a second thought about their safety. You pick up deliveries without flashing receipts, and people treat you not as an outsider but as someone who belongs. The first time I left my laptop unattended in a university cafe, it felt almost rebellious. I hesitated, but returning to find my belongings untouched was not just a relief—it was humbling.
It revealed a truth about human nature I had not fully understood:that trust could be a foundation, a quiet norm rather than something rare. For the first time, I felt what it was like to trust a city itself, letting it cradle me without the reflexive caution I'd long carried.
In Kashmir, safety is something we manage cautiously. We carry identification not as an option but as an unspoken rule, and we navigate life with an awareness sharpened by necessity. But in Shanghai, safety is an unspoken promise rather than a guarded privilege. I can walk alone at night without looking over my shoulder or even thinking to bring my ID—a freedom that felt almost surreal at first.
On my first day on campus, I noticed chinar trees lining the walkways. While these trees symbolize resilience in Kashmir, bearing the weight of history and memory, they seemed lighter here in Shanghai, adapted to a calmer and more peaceful environment.
These chinar trees became a metaphor for my transformation—a reminder of where I come from, but also a symbol of the freedom I was discovering.
Living in Shanghai has reshaped not only my understanding of trust and safety but also my understanding of home. For so long, home was bound to Kashmir, to its chinar trees and its vigilant routines. But Shanghai has shown me that home can be found in a sense of peace and freedom, in the ability to walk through life unburdened by caution.
Under the chinar trees of this distant city, I've found echoes of my origins, as well as a sense of belonging that invites me to be part of something larger.
In the end, home is not merely a place;it's a feeling rooted in safety, comfort, and the freedom to be oneself without restraint. Sometimes, to truly understand what home means, we must journey far from it and experience what it's like to feel completely and quietly safe. Shanghai, with its calm reassurances and familiar chinar trees, has given me that understanding.
Written by Anayat Ali, 30, from India-controlled Kashmir, currently a PhD student at Tongji University in Shanghai. Last year, he served as the president of the International Students Association at Tongji, promoting cross-cultural understanding. Through his experiences, he reflects on finding a sense of home and safety in Shanghai, bridging his roots in Kashmir with his life in China.
Editor:Li Lulu
About us | Contact us

Copyright ? 2015-2024 globalpeople.com.cn.All Rights Reserved.

主站蜘蛛池模板: 国内一级一级毛片a免费| 欧美日韩国产成人在线观看| 成人综合激情另类小说| 孩交精品xxxx视频视频| 啊哈~在加了一根手指| 中文字幕一区视频一线| 亚洲六月丁香婷婷综合| 欧美va天堂视频在线| 在线观看亚洲视频| 同性女电影三级中文字幕| 中文字幕伊人久久网| 一本大道香焦在线视频| 精品无码一区二区三区在线| 日韩在线播放中文字幕| 国产精品无码无卡无需播放器| 国产国产人免费人成免费视频 | 小sao蹄子你好sao啊| 国产另ts另类人妖| 久久久久国产视频| 久草视频免费在线| 欧美乱妇高清无乱码在线观看 | 中国凸偷窥XXXX自由视频| 麻豆回家视频区一区二| 日本三级香港三级人妇m| 国产成人19禁在线观看| 亚洲午夜无码久久| 91麻豆果冻天美精东蜜桃传媒| 欧美成人18性| 国产思思99RE99在线观看| 中文字幕被公侵犯的漂亮人妻| 精品伊人久久久大香线蕉欧美| 扒下老师的黑色丝袜桶她| 国产乱妇乱子在线播视频播放网站| 久久综合九色综合网站| 1024人成网站色| 日本特黄特色aaa大片免费| 国产成人免费全部网站| 中日韩欧美视频| 老司机精品久久| 无码中文人妻在线一区二区三区| 公求求你不要she在里面小说|