Shadows of Mystery on the Shanghai Bund

Shanghai, 1925. On the coastal streets of this century-old port, prosperity and squalor go hand in hand, splendor mingling with darkness. Merchants and all manner of people crowd the streets and alleys, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. The city is a vivid painting, always on the brink of upheaval. That night, the brightly lit Bund was bathed in a web of neon, its glow reflected on the rippling waters of the Huangpu River. Bars and dance halls teemed with people, opium smoke hung in the air, and the tolling bells seemed to set the pulse of the entire city beating. Yet on a night so full of temptation and luxury, a corpse shattered the city’s outward clamor.