Jacob Dreyer is a Beijing-based writer and theorist of architecture. He is Senior Editor at Lifestyle 品味生活 Magazine and his work has been published in a wide variety of journals in the US, UK and China. Recently, he has contributed to The New York Times, NOEMA, and Nature. He is focused on climate change in Eurasia and raising his son in Shanghai.
What does a journey mean to you?
A journey is a way to reassess the world; when we’re in our same place for too long, we mistake habit for fate.
Where would you like to go back to and why?
I’d love to go back to Moscow and the Moscow region, especially in autumn, but unfortunately it’s not happening until some things change.
What journey would you most like to go on?
I’m hoping to go on a journey along the Japanese coastline in autumn.
Top travel tip for visiting Shanghai?
In Shanghai, come during spring or autumn, and figure out the shared bike system. Cycle around the former French Concession slowly, down to the Bund; take the ferry at Fuxing Road East and then cycle down the Pudong bike trail. Although you’d think the city should be fast-paced, it is still full of pockets of traditional life; yams or chestnuts roasting in steel drums, people cooking pancakes on the street, or selling tangerines.
