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

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

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

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

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"