Being in Shanghai was strange and beautiful — a blend of wonder and solitude. The culture felt distant, not unfriendly, but quiet in a way I hadn’t expected. In the depths of the metro, people moved like rivers — flowing, efficient, barely speaking. 

Unlike the crowded noise of European subways, here the sounds were hushed: soft footsteps, the occasional laugh, or a whisper passing between friends. Most were silent, eyes down, voices lost to screens. And yet, I found comfort in the station announcements — their calm rhythm, their clarity. A kind of mechanical poetry that grounded me in the flow of an unfamiliar city.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.