French Concession (Concession française de Changhaï)

The Shanghai French Concession refers to the Southern portions of the city under foreign administration. The suburban counterpart to the International Settlement, the French Quarter of the city is no less wealthy, not to mention notoriously libertine, meticulously manicured and very well greased; a great deal of Shanghai's internationally-renowned (and universally expensive) department stores can be found here, as well as haute cuisine, burlesque, theatre, opera and, of course, illegal gambling. Peeking out from quieter, tree-lined avenues are French-style apartments, townhouses and palatial estates that timeshare between disgraced poets, exiles both deliberate and incidental, war heroes, famous artists, opium addicts and Communist cells. Public squares, gardens and Catholic cathedrals interrupt what land remains, eliciting memories of a certain continental garden city, especially the isthmus of land that reaches for the Bund as if it were the Seine. American and British servicemen, on two-day leave or AWOL for just a few hours, prefer the French Quarter exactly because it's outside of their respective administrations, which causes a great deal of trouble on a regular basis, which is good for business.   Even if the administration of the police in the Concession are largely colonial imports, the typical officer could just as well be French or Chinese, Malay or Muslim; the only constant is corruption. This does not mean, however, that they are for sale to the fastest bidder: many are in the pockets of or answer to foreign and local gangs. More prohibitive drug and gambling laws make dens profitable businesses, while the relatively lax positions on drinking and sport gaming means construction of raucous nightclubs or something more monumental like the Canidrome is not only possible, but encouraged. Someone is always being paid in the French Concession... it's only a matter of finding out who that is exactly to make it or break it... usually, literally.