Monocle's 10 Takeaways from Shanghai Entrepreneurship Conference

Monocle hosted a one-day entrepreneurship conference in Shanghai, yielding ten observations about the city's rapid transformation. Despite constant construction and new parks, Shanghai retains texture through centuries-old low-rise buildings and modest lanes. Electric vehicles and reduced light pollution have quieted the urban environment. Art-fair pioneer Bao Yifeng and architect Alex Mok, co-founder of Linehouse, choose to live in the Former French Concession for its character. Tashi Tsering, CEO of hospitality company Songstam, operates 19 inns in Yunnan for urban escapes. Xin Yuan's apparel brand An Ko Rau caters to nature lovers with a sustainable ethos. Luxury brands face higher expectations for authenticity. Yisa He, founder of Herbeast, combines Chinese medicine with modern design and is opening her first shop. Austin Zhu's Zzer runs warehouses for consigned luxury fashion, leveraging technology for authenticity. Winemaker Emma Gao, trained in France, produces red, white, and sparkling wines; sommelier King Wang from Jing An Shangri-La also participated.