Kristel Thornell stumbled into an excitingly odd building one night while strolling by Suzhou Creek, wondering if it was real or her imagination.
"There is usually so much activity there, but that night, it was so weirdly peaceful and quiet in that part, and I suddenly saw this architecture; the whole experience was so dream-like," she recalled, showing Shanghai Daily the picture she took.
It turned out to be the Tian An 1000 Trees mall, dubbed the city's "Hanging Gardens of Babylon," and one of Shanghai's newest additions to the city's excitingly strange-looking structures.
"I knew I was going to like it here, but the actual density of it, from the first evening when you arrive from the airport and cross the city in a taxi, far exceeds any expectations," she said.
"It feels like a series of worlds all connected."
She has since been observing how people live here through all kinds of details, from the rain cape on their bikes to the way they hang their clothes to dry, and notably, how people use public space here.
"It is private and public at the same time," she said. "Along the river, the creek, and in small parks, people use the space to stretch, exercise, and dance. It is a healthy way to live while they also have the confidence to do that in public."
The author's second novel, "On the Blue Train," was translated and published in China.
（Interviewed by Yao Minji, Shanghai Daily）