For the privileged a cosmopolitan pleasure ground; For the desperate a port of last resort.

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A pot of gold at the end of an Oriental rainbow; A thick slice of hell denounced from the pulpit.

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The start of a journey for many; The end of the road for some.

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A place to find fame, or to seek anonymity; Rogues, chancers, showgirls, criminals…

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For so many people from so many lands, there was one phrase that sent a tingle of hope or a shiver of anticipation down every spine: “DESTINATION SHANGHAI”