Nanjing Dong Lu (Nanjing East Road)

I have a (hopefully) interesting story to tell about this road. Long before I heard of the famous "Nanjing Dong Lu" 南京東路 in Shanghai I knew of the Nanjing Dong Lu in Taipei because my grandparents lived near there. They haven't always lived there but have lived there for just over 20 years now. They bought the place when it was brand new (and my aunt (and uncle) bought the place one floor above so that she could help take care of my grandmother). It is right in the heart of the city in a very convenient location and due to its location their humble little apartment would cost a lot more to rent than our place in either Sydney or Shanghai.

When I first went to Shanghai 3 years ago (on the same trip where I also visited Taiwan) I started to learn of this famous road and thought to myself "OMG it's the same road as the one in Taipei!"

Nanjing Road is obviously named after the city of Nanjing (or Nanking as it used to be known) in China and while I've been here I've noticed that Shanghai and Taipei have SO many road names in common. It is kind of like dejavu and kind of freaky like I don't even know where I am anymore...

Another weird (but good) thing I've noticed is that I can read so much more of the signage than before. I don't know how this happened other than I seem to have a pretty good memory and when I see the same character over and over again I just remember it (even if I wouldn't have a clue how to write it). I used to be able to read less than half the characters on signs in Taiwan but now I can read almost everything. I can read bus stop signs and menus with ease. Even going back to 'traditional characters' doesn't faze me.

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I'm quite impressed with myself! :)