Street of Eternal Happiness
Stretching 2 miles through central Shanghai, Changle Road is a living microcosm of China’s dramatic transformation over the past century. Rob Schmitz weaves intimate portraits of ordinary residents whose lives intersect along this iconic street, revealing the human cost and resilience behind the nation’s rise. Meet CK, a former accordion seller turned café owner chasing artistic fulfillment amid city pressures; Zhao Shiling, a rural migrant who built a flower shop empire after escaping an abusive marriage and factory layoffs; “Mayor Chen,” a lifelong resident fighting to save his family’s shikumen home from forced demolition; and Aunt Fu, a retired worker drawn to church and risky get-rich-quick schemes. Through their stories, Schmitz unpacks pivotal forces shaping modern China: the hukou system’s grip on education and mobility, the clash between urban development and personal property rights, the allure and danger of unregulated capitalism, and the search for spiritual meaning in a materialistic era. Each narrative captures the tension between tradition and progress, individual dreams and systemic constraints, painting a vivid, unfiltered picture of life in one of the world’s fastest-changing cities.