A trip up the River Suzhou reveals the full kaleidoscope of Shanghai society, ranging from trendy and middle-class areas to working-class districts that have so far been spared demolition. A witness to the arrival of the first consignments of opium along its banks at the start of the concessions, the river has perpetuated its tradition of industrial production and the transit of an incredible array of goods, although many of the factories and warehouses still standing have been taken over by art galleries.