Prior to his visit, Sofronis Sofroniou compiled a list of Chinese works ranging from the 10th century BC "Book of Songs" to 1980s Chinese novels such as "Red Sorghum Clan" by Nobel laureate Mo Yan and asked for recommendations.
"I feel obliged to learn about the place I'm visiting, both to be prepared and keep an open mind," he said.
"This is my selection of Chinese literature."
He has been exploring the city by walking roughly 15 kilometers every day. Sometimes, he would simply choose a random direction and begin walking.
"It constantly gives me new impressions of the city. I am never disappointed," he said. "Even when I was lost, people who are incredibly warm and nice helped me. Exploring the city on foot is important because it connects the dots of everything I have seen and heard about it."
The writer sought to absorb as much as he could so that his on-the-ground experience, along with the knowledge from the book, would help him better organize a Shanghai scenario that had evolved in his head.
"I'm already planning to come back next spring to write that story in Shanghai," he said.
"It's an erotic story set in Shanghai because I find the city erotic in some ways. People have a generally high quality of life and are receptive to discovering their emotional identities. It is attractive not just in terms of beauty but also of elegance; many people here express it in a really fashionable and seductive manner."
（Interviewed by Yao Minji, Shanghai Daily）