Shanghai Daily News

Dressed in a bright red silk shirt and wearing delicate light make-up and shining lipstick, 55-year-old Taiwanese housewife Wang Meihua looks rather young and fashionable for her age.

She is by no means a "desperate housewife," deeply trapped within the walls of a glamorous villa and enslaved to a demanding husband and loathsome and rambunctious children.

Granted, Wang faithfully adheres to such motherly duties as cooking and cleaning in her neat and tidy kitchen, yet, she is by no means typical.

In her more public persona, she can also be found enjoying a glass of red wine, tucking into a healthy plate of salad or gracefully sipping a mocha-flavored coffee with novel in hand. Part of her regular routine is chatting with close friends and enjoying the afternoon sunshine at a coffee shop near her home in the Gubei area of Changning District.

"What I'm doing now is simply enjoying the life here in this cosmopolitan city," Wang said with a bright smile. "It's a dynamic place, eventful, colorful and always on the move."

However, 15 years ago when she first came to the city, her description would have been different. "It was depressing architecture lacking imagination, monotonous and generally, a slow lifestyle. Frankly speaking, I was disappointed to see that at the time," she said.

Despite strong opposition from her friends and relatives across the strait, Wang and her family settled locally in Gubei in 1992. At the time, the  area was a desolate and remote construction site, surrounded by patches of deserted, overgrown farmland.

Buzzing street vendors peddled their wares all day long while migrant workers were often seen taking showers along the roadside; supermarkets and convenient shops were hard to find. There was no bread or milk deliveries, no clothes or toys for the children and no interesting TV programs in the evening; even Nanjing Road shut down after dark.

"It was totally out of my expectations," Wang said, shaking her head.

Disappointed but not discouraged, the optimistic and vigorous Taiwanese soon found her niche in the barren land.

"I am a part of this neighborhood, though its infrastructure was rather poor at that time," she said. "But I think to make it better is every resident's duty and I am very happy to grow with it."

In 1994, Wang shut down her weaving shop on Nanjing Road and devoted herself to various community organizations and neighborhood activities.

"The first thing I did was to organize a residents' committee in the neighborhood. At the time, local Shanghai people didn't have the slightest idea of what a residents' committee was."

As they say, a new broom sweeps clean and Wang did just that. "I'm a mother of two children, so to build something like a kids' zone in the community was at the top of my agenda."

She then became a fundraiser and advocate of the children's play area, lobbying parents to donate for the project.

"The funny thing is that I was even elected as the gatekeeper of the kids' zone," she said with a smile. "I was surrounded by those naughty children who were pestering me for the park's key all day long. Yes, I know it was trivial and sometimes boring, but I felt needed and helpful to those cute kids and to the whole community."

In the past 15 years, Wang also founded the neighborhood's fitness club and  weaving and painting classes.

"It's my duty to do something for our living environment because I'm a part of it," she said modestly.

Wang now is something of a celebrity in Gubei for her numerous contributions to the community. Many Taiwanese who first arrive in the city will come to her for help or advice.

"She is just like my big sister, a family member," said Kuo Jong-tar, a biology doctor who has been here for only six months. "She always tells us that when in Shanghai, do as the Shanghainese do. She also tells us what is the proper way to do things and what are the common practices here. It is very useful and helpful for newcomers like me."

Currently, Wang is busy giving lectures on etiquette in the district. "I remember how shocked I was to see that locals wore pajamas on the street, ran red lights and talked loudly in public when I first came here," she said. "Things are getting better now, but it is still a must to give etiquette lessons to the citizens."

Wang said she is lucky to grow with the city, witnessing its great development during over the years. "It has become my home town now. I am accustomed to life here," Wang said.