Once Upon a Time in Shanghai

Snapshots of Shanghai's heyday as the Vegas of Asia.

BY KATIE CELLA | AUGUST 13, 2012

This is a view from behind the Cathay Cinema, a movie theater built in 1932. The popularity of film skyrocketed during the 1930s, and by the end of the decade, more than 36 movie theaters dotted the city. The cinema, along with the ritzy club Cercle Sportif Français and the upscale apartments Grosvenor House and Cathay Mansions, composed the Cathay Complex. 

Virtual Cities Project/Institut d'Asie Orientale 

 

Katie Cella is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.