Destination Shanghai [Mīkstie vāki]

For the privileged a cosmopolitan pleasure ground;

For the desperate a port of last resort.

A pot of gold at the end of an Oriental rainbow;

A thick slice of hell denounced from the pulpit.

A place to find fame, or to seek anonymity;

Rogues, chancers, showgirls, criminals…

For so many people from so many lands, there was one phrase that sent a shiver of anticipation down every spine:

“DESTINATION SHANGHAI”